Sitar

North India’s resonant lute, shimmering with sympathetic strings under curved movable frets.

Core Principles & Analysis

• A dozen or so sympathetic strings ring untouched beneath the played strings, creating its halo.
• Curved brass frets slide to retune for each raga’s scale.
• Ravi Shankar’s influence reached The Beatles — "Norwegian Wood" put a sitar on a rock record in 1965.

Specifications & Metrics

• FAMILY: Plucked string (long-necked lute)
• RANGE: ~3 octaves (movable frets)