Irshad Khan

| |

Music > Instruments

SITAR

Sitar is the most popular string instrument of the lute family invented in India by the great poet/philosopher/musician Ameer Khusroo in the 13th Century. Irshad Khan’s ancestors are largely responsible for the evolution and perfection of the sitar into its present form through numerous modifications.

It has a deep, pear-shaped body, and a fingerboard of about 3-feet long and 3-inches wide. It is fashioned from a seasoned gourd made out of pumpkin with ground wood and teakwood. It has a track of 20 metal frets with six or seven main playing strings.

The instrument is tuned to the Raga (melodic tune) being played, and the main strings are plucked by a wire plectrum worn on the index finger of the right hand.

SURBAHAR

Irshad Khan is internationally recognized as one of the greatest and leading Surbahar exponent of his generation. Irshad Khan’s ancestors are greatly responsible for the Surbahar in its present form. The Surbahar is a bass version of the Sitar and is also known as the larger cousin of the Sitar. Successor of the Katchwa Veena which was invented by Irshad Khan’s great – great grandfather Ustad Sahebdad Khan further developed, standardized and perfected by Irshad Khan’s great grand father Ustad Imdad Khan, through whose name remains the most prominent Gharana (School) of Sitar and Surbahar as the “Imdad Khani Etawa Gharana”. Continuing on the footsteps of his legendary forefathers, Irshad Khan has mastered this regal and majestic instrument and has further maintained and enhanced the real surbahar-ang (technique) to its most advanced heights. Usually the Aalap, Jorh, Jhala of North Indian Classical music is performed on the surbahar. Irshad Khan also performs along with the Pakhawaj (heavy Bass percussion), which is used for accompanying him on his Dhrupad style compositions.

The deep tones resonating sound of this large instrument has more depth and resonance than the sitar and a wide range of over four octaves. Its unparallel sound quality, its richness of overtones and its majesty of utterance can be regarded as “the most magnificent of all Indian plucked instruments”. The most unique feature of the Surbahar is its capacity to pull one full Saptak (7 notes to1octave) from a single note. Surbahar has always been played by only a few handful of musicians as it is more complicated and technically difficult than its relative sitar. The thick strings require sheer physical strength to master and to play it seriously, one must go through a sound basic training of the real “Baaj” (musical and technical style) of this instrument.

The music produced by the Surbahar is however, the glorious blend of deep echoes, vibrations and resonances. The Surbahar-ang (style) of playing is based on Dhrupad, the oldest, purest and the most rigid form of singing which is produced with the long, slurring meends created by pulling of the strings along the frets to give a range of several notes from one note. Normally the Raags (melodic themes) chosen to play on this instrument are mainly of the Bhakti rasa, Veer Rasa or Karuna rasa forms such a meditative, spiritual, heroic or devotional moods.

It has a deep pear shaped body and a fingerboard of about 4 feet long and 5 inches wide. It is fashioned from a seasoned gourd made out of a big pumpkin along with ground wood, tundwood or teakwood. It has a track of 20 thick metal frets and 7 playing strings on the top and 12 sympathetic resonating strings beneath the frets. Irshad Khan has added an extra string on the upper top portion of the Surbahar which adds more resonance and depth to the deep-toned sound. The instrument is tuned to the raga being played; the main strings are plucked by a ‘mizrab’ wire plectrum worn on the index finger of the right hand.

The Accompanying Instruments

TABLA (DRUM)

The Tabla, is a vital part of Indian Music. It comprises two drums with separate heads, each covered with skin fastened to leather loops stretched over the body of the drum by leather braces. A variety of tonal effects can be produced by varying the manner of striking and the area of the drum head struck by hands. A master player can bring out a variety of subtle and graceful rhythmic patterns.

TANPOORA (DRONE)

The Tanpoora has a large body; four strings are attached directly to the narrow ledge fixed to the body. The strings are gently but continuously plucked with the fingers, one after the other, in the same order. The tanpoora is used for drone accompaniment, with its harmonic and resonant drone, it forms the tonic reference for the performer.