How to Tune a Sitar

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Part of the video series: How to Play the Sitar

Alankars Technique for the Sitar

Cultural & Spiritual Connections...

Sitar Performance Demonstration

Using Tanpuras for Accompaniment

Women & the History of the Sitar

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Summary: Learn how to tune a sitar in this free online music lesson on how to play the sitar.

Views: 9,674 | Tags: online, india, technique, sitar, string, instrument, tune, song, hindu, shankar

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About the Expert
Contact: sangeetmillennium.org.com

Amelia Maciszewski Amelia Maciszewski has dedicated her entire life to studying and teaching Hindustani instrumental and vocal music. She has a Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology and has... read more

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Video Transcript

How to Tune a Sitar

When you tune you always start by tuning the Sah. As you can see here I am fine tuning using this Swan bead. And you can also fine tune by pulling on the string. The sympathetic strings are very hard to tune and you start with Sah and then you go down to the seventh scale degree or the Ti or in Indian music Me. So one seven again Sah so these two are the same and the rest are tuned to this scale of the Raga. In this case I’m tuning a major scale. Tuning is part of our music; we are always tuning our instruments even when we are performing. Often we move the Frets, like here I have the Fret set for a flat Re a flat second so to get the natural I need to move it here. You can also fine tune by adjusting the Frets and you often have to. The instrument you will know is in tune when the note that you play on the Fret resonates with the sympathetic string.