Krsna Kirtana Songs
est. 2001 www.kksongs.org
Home
à Music Center à Instrumental Guides à Sitar Tutorial
Sitar Tuning Guide
Tuning
the sitar can be a very daunting task. Hopefully, this page can make the process
a tad easier.
The
tuning process is not so difficult if you have some experience in understanding
relationships between various notes. Unlike Western tuning where frequencies
and pitches are absolute, Indian tuning is based on the individual’s taste and
the raga being performed. Each musician will vary. This is one way that will
suffice.
The
main string, known as the baj tar, is pointed by the ‘ma. You will tune the baj
tar to the ma below the main Sa (hence the apostrophe
before the ma).
The
second string is tuned to the note ‘Sa, one octave below the main Sa. For Gayaki ang sitar players and Vilayat Khan disciples, this
string will not appear in your sitar.
The
third string is tuned to the note ‘‘Pa. This means the Pa falls in the second
octave below the main Sa. It is indicated in
parentheses, as this note is bound to change according to raga (for example, Malkauns would tune this to ‘‘ma) or by gharana.
The
fourth string is tuned to the note ‘‘Sa. This means the Sa is exactly two
octaves below the main Sa.
The
fifth string is tuned to the note ‘Pa. This is the Pa below the main Sa. This is also in parenthesis, because this note is also
bound to change according to gharana and raga. Vilayat Khan students will tune
this note to Ga (or komal ga, depending on the raga).
The
sixth and seventh strings are what are known as the drone strings, or the chikari strings. The provide the rhythmic
drone and emphasis of the Sa. The sixth and seventh strings are tuned to the
main Sa and Sa’ (Sa one octave above the main Sa), respectively.
If
you do not have a tuner, these audio clips will help you get a sense of pitch.
In addition, you may use these clips to help you tune your sitar.
Harmonium
was used for a prolonged sound to assist you.
String 01 – ‘ma (Baj Tar)
String 06 – Sa (Chikari)
String 07 – Sa’ (Chikari)
Here
is a video showing the sitar and the strings tuned. The example shows it in C#,
but depending on your sitar range, you can pick any Sa, as long as the strings
are not too loose or the strings are not too tight. If you want a sitar below
B/C or above C#/D, you might want to get one shipped directly from India, which
will be really expensive.
TUNING
SYMPATHETICS:
It
is all based on the raga and personal style. The sympathetic strings are there
to help you tune them to the notes of the raga or tune being played.
Sympathetic strings range from the instrument size to quality. Usually the
smallest number of sympathetics found for a decent
sitar is eleven while the highest is fifteen. For general purposes for an
eleven sympathetic stringed instrument:
(Tarab 01 is the tarab closes to
Main String 7, or the highest chikari string)
TARAB 01 – Sa
TARAB 02 – ‘Ni
TARAB 03 – Sa
TARAB 04 – Re
TARAB 05 – Ga
TARAB 06 – ma
TARAB 07 – Pa
TARAB 08 – Dha
TARAB 09 – Ni
TARAB 10 – Sa’
TARAB 11 – Sa’
This
is in assumption that this is a sampurna raga, or a
raga that uses all seven notes. For audava and sadava ragas, the omitted notes must be replaced with
doubles of a previous note. For instance, Raga Malkauns
omits Re and Pa. Therefore, the Re string would need to be tuned either Sa or ga. Likewise, Pa must be
tuned to ma or dha.
If
there are true accidentals (both forms of a particular note are in the same
raga, like Lalita and Khamaja),
then try to incorporate all of the notes in the sympathetic strings to the best
of ones ability.
VIDEO:
UPDATED: June 23, 2009