The Music and Musical Instruments of Southern India and the Deccan c11.144

c11.144

But besides the sitar just described, there is another form of the instrument to be met with in Southern India. This might be called the Karnâtik-sitar, and it differs from the ordinary sitar in that it is confined in its intonation and is generally made with a much thinner and shorter neck. Its capability is, of course, much less. It is usually shaped somewhat like a tamburi, the body of the instrument being made either of gourd or of wood. The manner of stringing is peculiar. The first and second strings only pass over frets, which are about ½-inch wide, and raised from the finger-board; these strings are tuned in unison, and they are placed very much nearer together than the other strings. The third string is tuned in unison with the first, but does not pass over frets. The fourth string passes round a small ivory bead about half way up the finger-board, whence it passes obliquely under the strings to its tuning peg. The fifth string is placed in a similar way, the ivory peg being in this case a little nearer to the bridge. The sixth and seventh strings pass straight up the finger-board in the ordinary manner. With the exception of the seventh, which is of brass, the strings are of steel, and are secured either as those of the tamburi or vina.