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Looper's Delight
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Martin wrote: >I had once had the chance to play a Sitar-like instrument.Not really a >Sitar-but also an indian instrument.Sorry-I forgot the correct name ! > (Have to do some research in my books) >It could be described,that this instrument is only created for >the player only and not for audients.This instrument has a Sitar look, >with two resonance bodies(bowls?).One Pumpkinsized resonator near to >the headstock and one near the bridge. >Usually this instrument is made according to the body sizes of the >player.A body instrument relation. The instrument you're describing is most likely the Rudra Vina, sometimes also called "been" or "bin." This is perhaps the oldest continuously-played stringed instrument in North Indian classical music. Unfortunately it is becoming rarer and rarer, nearly to the point of "extinction." :-( A photo of the instrument, played by one of it's greatest performers, Zia Mohiuddin Dagar, can be found here: http://www.raga.com/219.html There are some sound files of his playing as well: http://www.raga.com/sound.html These take some time to load, but are worth the wait. >The drastic moment was,when I listened to the play of this instrument >as audient,with a distance of 2 meters to the play.The sound was >incredible thin and went on like "pling pling pling" or a non amplified >electric guitar. >The extreme happened,when I did hold this instrument in my own hands >and tried to play on it.The sound of it was fat and extraordinary. >How could this appear ? First thin and then fat sounding. So true. Despite the huge gourd resonators the sound does not carry well, and needs extremely close miking to be heard in even a small auditorium. >What happens ? This instrument-simply said- is resonating through the >whole body of the player.So he has the experience of a full fat sound. >If you are only audient,then only "Pling Pling" comes to your ear and >you donīt understand why the player is so fascinated about the sound. I study and play the sitar and surbahar (a deep, bass sitar which was invented to mimic the sound of the rudra vina) and I have had somewhat of the opposite auditory effect occur repeatedly -- that while playing the instrument I "hear" a relatively thin and trebly tone, but on listening to recordings of my practice or performance I'm surprised to hear a much deeper overall sound. Both sitar and surbahar have a hollowed gourd as the main resonator, and are often fitted with a second gourd (more often spun wood) resonator attached behind the pegbox. But the greatest amount of resonance actually comes from the hollow wooden neck of these instruments, which has a greater density than the very thin shell of the gourd. Unlike the rudra vina, the sitar/surbahar are not really in contact with one's body while in playing position, except that the sitar's gourd rests on the instep of one's foot. The surbahar gourd generally rests directly on the floor. To further complicate the issue, there is no "sound hole" on these instruments, therefore their projection is nowhere near as loud as an acoustic guitar. Quite a paradox. I sat recently for a surbahar lesson with my teacher, and when playing in the lowest octave I felt the vibration from her instrument very distinctly through the floor, from a distance of about 1 meter! >So the secret of this instrument could be the not only the ear-instrument >interaction.It is also an interaction with the resonating capacity >of the body.Vibrations can be also recognized by the body. I've heard similar stories from an Iranian musician who plays the sehtar, a very small, delicate sounding four stringed long-neck lute, as well as the tar, a larger and somewhat louder lute with a skin face stretched over the wooden resonating chamber. Neither of these instruments have sound holes, and he's told me that he really needs to cradle the instruments against his chest while playing "to get a good sound." James