SITAR WORKSHOPS: 

An Introduction to the 'King of North Indian Instruments' 

History 
The “Sahtar” (sah = three / tar = string), dates back at least 700 years. Originating in ancient Persia, the instrument is said to have been invented by Amir Khusro. With the Persian invasions of India came the meeting of the arts and musics of the two cultures. By the 14th Century the innovation of combining the Sahtar with the Veena, the ancient Vedic instrument, took hold. This “Sitar” was a new and strange instrument which did not catch the musican’s fancy immediately. Over the next 400 years the Sitar underwent further refinements, with the addition of more strings and a bridge of sympathetic resonating strings. By the late 18th Century, there came a blossoming of the instrument under the masterful hands of Ustad Imdad Khan and Allauddin Khan of Maihar. 

Ustad Allauddin Khan is the famous teacher of Sarod maestro Ali Akbar Khan (his son). He is also the teacher of Ravi Shankar, the famed Sitarist who taught George Harrison (of the Beatles) the instrument. Other famous Sitar masters are Ustaad Vilayat Khan and Nikhil Bannerji. 

Our workshop covers the following topics: 
Construction of the Sitar 
Strings, Gauges and the Replacement of Strings 
Care of the Sitar 
Holding the Sitar / Yoga 
Tuning of the Sitar / Listen for the Microtone 
Sargam and Raga Notation 
Raga Demonstration 
Questions and Answers

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