The Music of Hindostan c8.s3.14

c8.s3.14

which is a favourite opening; and this gave it a rather ponderous sound. Its frets are but slightly, it at all, moved; and there are no ‘settings’ (thāṭ) for the different modes as on the satār. Consequently much more is left to be done by gamak, especially the ‘Deflect’ (mīṇḍ, called in Bengal mīrh), and this contributes to its grave and dignified tone. There is also a mandolin stroke, double, with the forefinger and little finger each armed with a plectrum (miṣrab), which, though no less irritating as a continuance than the mandolin itself, provides a good occasional contrast. Banerji was fond of contrasting his gamakked and his fretted note, as a violinist likes to contrast his open and his stopped E. The chanterelle is away from the player’s body, i. e. nearest his fingers (it is the other way on the vīṇā), and this seemed to give better opportunity for the Deflect. Altogether there was much more mystery in the sound of this instrument than in that of the rather commonplace satār or the thin-toned North Indian *bīn*, although I certainly did not hear these so well handled.