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Summary: Learn how the Saranghi is used to accompany Hindustani vocal music in this free online video voice lesson on the traditional Indian singing style.
Views: 2,920 | Tags: sitar, hindustani, vocal, voice, indian, ancient, tabla
About the Expert
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
The instrument most commonly played to accompany vocal music are harmonium as I already showed and there is another very noble instrument called Saranghi. It is a bowed instrument covered with a skin and it is very difficult to play and there are fewer and fewer Saranghi players because Saranghi players were historically low status musicians even though they had great amount of knowledge and they often taught the women they accompanied. Because they were accompaniest moving from one place to another and often accompanying the singing and dancing women, they had a low social status and they got paid less and many of them continued to get paid less so there are less and less Saranghi players. This is an instrument that is so essential to North Indian music and to vocal music because this is an instrument that can imitate the human voice.