The Music and Musical Instruments of Southern India and the Deccan c13.s1.5

c13.s1.5

The string was nearly horizontal. At starting at the nut it was 12 mm. above the finger-board, and at the bridge 13 mm. above the belly, which had curved upwards. But the first fret was 11½ mm. and the last fret only 2 mm. above the finger-board. The string was therefore pressed down only 1½ mm. for the first, but 12½ mm. for the last; consequently, the tension greatly increased as we ascended the scale, so that if we had taken the octave at half the length of the string it would have been much too sharp.