The Music and Musical Instruments of Southern India and the Deccan c11.149

c11.149

The Sur-s'ringâra—shown upon the left of the plate—is somewhat like the rabôb in shape, but with a wooden belly, and played with an iron plectrum. There are, as a rule, two frets only, the finger-board below the frets being generally of metal, so that the fingers may slide easily over it. The length of the instrument is about 4 feet, and its tone is rich and mellow, somewhat like that of the pizzicato notes of the violoncello. It is tuned thus, and has usually seven sympathetic strings tuned to the intervals of the râga in which the performer is playing; the melody string is that upon the right, tuned to G:—