The instrument on the top left corner of this page is called a sarod - sometimes spelled sarode. A sarod in many ways is a big brother instrument to the sitar. Because these instruments are so similar in their abilities and sound they often share the same music, stage and teachers, infact, Ravi Shankar's teacher was a famous sarod player. A sarod has up to 25 strings that are intricately stretched over a goat skin head and a chrome (fretless) fingerboard. You produce the clear rich sound of the sarod by pressing the strings down with the tip of your finger nail -- this is unlike the violin family where you use the meat of your finger. The combination of clarity that is achieved by the tip of the fingernail and the depth of resonance that is sustained by the skin head give the sarod a beautifully unforgettable sound.

Sound Sample

• Ahir Bhairav

For more info contact:brandon@kaliproductions.org