The Romantic Guitar Agency Your Wedding

The Sitar is a long necked string instrument played in North Indian classical music, film music from India, and Western fusion music. This instrument belongs to the lute class of chordophones. Ravi Shankar has popularized this instrument around the world.

It has three to four playing strings and three to four drone strings. The drone strings are almost never played but they vibrate whenever the corresponding note is sounds. The playing strings are plucked with a wire finger plectrum called mizrab usually with the right hand.

These melodic playing strings are pulled by the player usually with the left hand to make the pitch slide. The fingers touch these melodic strings between the frets. The frets are metal rods bent into crescents and are movable so that the scale can be altered.

There are also a series of sympathetic strings lying under the frets. The total number of melodic playing strings, drone strings, and sympathetic strings is usually 17. The main resonator, located at the bottom of the instrument, is usually made of a gourd, and there is sometimes an additional resonator attached to the top end of the neck.

About the Sarod:

The Sarod is much smaller than the Sitar. It sits comfortably in the player’s lap and is leaner and cleaner in sound, without that predominant jangling of sympathetic strings. The Sarod has resonant sympathetic strings, but they are fewer and far less prominent. Still, it’s no less demanding to play.

The sound of the Sarod as we know it today is distinctly Indian in character, but it links to the sinewy, muscular style of the Afghan Rabab - a wooden Central Asian lute, covered with skin.

For a Sarod player, it’s the tone quality that’s the attraction: the skin makes the sound very human - it’s not wooden. It has flexibility, sensitivity and depth.

The sound of the Sarod is dominated by the singing, vocal tone of its melodic strings.

Many instrumentalists - including Violinists, Clarinettists, Sarangi and Sitar players - like to compare the sound of their instruments to the human voice. And Sarod players are no exception.

One of the principal modifications of the Sarod from the Afghan Rabab is its long metal fingerboard, which allows slides between the melody notes. This is something you can’t do on fretted instruments. This is a big advantage of the Sarod over the Sitar. On the Sitar you have to pull the string sideways to create the slides. And you can’t pull that far - not more than 3 or 4 notes. But on the Sarod you can slide over 7 notes or more, skating up the fingerboard

The strings are not plucked with the fingers, but with a java or coconut-shell plectrum. This plectrum can be a hammer or a feather, you can play very loud, or give it just a feather touch, skimming gently across the strings. The range of colours that a player can get out of the instrument is quite incredible and is certainly why it’s found such an important role in classical Indian instrumental music.

There are two schools of Sarod playing – one in which the strings are stopped by the fingertips and the other in which the strings are stopped by the finger-nails of the left hand. This is what makes the clear ringing sound and is one of the things that make it rather demanding to play.

Hand drums from India

Used in Northern Indian Classical Music. Set of two drums played by hand. The larger drum usually made of copper or clay is called a Bayan, and the smaller drum is called a Tabla. The set is referred to as a Tabla Set. Two of my favorite players are Zakir Hussein and Trilok Gurtu.

The heads on these drums are usually made of goat skin. The heads have three distinct parts and is able to produce a variety of separate tones depending on how and where it is struck. The main head which is stretched across the drum is the Sur or maidan, a ring of skin (on top of the Sur) around the outer edge of the head is called the Kinar or kani, and the round black circle is called the Gab.

The Gab is made of iron filings and rice paste which is constructed of circular layers decreasing in size. In addition, the pitch of the Bayan is typically modulated by pressure from the wrist.

One of the most interesting aspects of tabla music is the use of bols (syllables) which represent specific strokes. This enables players of tabla music to recite entire compositions or short excercises to each other.

Consequently, the music has been passed down as an oral tradition and only in this century have written compositions using thes bols become generally available. On the smaller drum (tabla) the stroke "ta" is most often used for a stroke on the outer edge which produces a ringing or open tone. The stroke "Ge" on the larger drum (bayan) is also an open tone. "Dha" is the bol used when "Ta" and "Ge" are played at the same time.

The tabla is tuned by adjusting the tension on the head using leather straps and wooden pegs. They can easily fall out of tune during a performance and it is common to see a performer tune the drum (using a hammer on the tabla or the heel of his hand on the bayan) during a piece.

Authentic Indian Musicians

We offer some of the very best Indian Musicians and singers in the UK

Solo Sitar and Sarod Players

Duets with Tabla, Sarod, Tanpura

Singers with Sitar, Tabla, Tanpura

Complete Bollywood bands

We do not employ amateurs.

Don't leave your weeding music to chance - contact us and hire the best artists at reasonable rates.

Agency ref: KO-01 Click the photo to hear the Demo CD

Style:

Indian Sarod Soloist and (optional) Sarod / Tabla Duet. Also available a Tabla soloist.

Agency Comment:

A widely-respected Sarod player who is acknowledged as one of the most accomplished of the musicians playing Indian music in the South West of England. Suitable for small stages at Indian/Asian Weddings, festivals, village halls, medium sized Arts centres etc.

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Agency ref: MA-02 Click the photo to hear the Demo CD

Style:

Combinations include Solo Sitar, Flamenco Guitar/Sitar duet, Solo Sitar with backing tracks, Sitar with Flamenco Dancer.

Agency Comment:

East meets West in this wonderful and truly authentic Sitar player who brings a fresh and inspiring alternative to traditional choices of background instruments.

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Agency ref: MU-02 Click the photo to hear the Demo CD

Style:

Available only as a Sitar/Tabla Duet ( - not available as a Sitar soloist).

Agency Comment:

A highly talented Sitar player based in on the south coast who plays beautiful Classical, Semi-Classical and melodious Bollywood tunes.

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Agency ref: PA-01 Click the photo to hear the Demo CD

Style:

Available as a soloist or as part of an Indian Duet, playing Indian Tabla & World Folk Music, playing Indian Tablas, Dholki, Naal, Bengoli Khol, Egyptian Rak and Darabouka.

Agency Comment:

He has been playing Tabla at Indian weddings for the last 20 years with a London band and has also performed in Los Angeles, California.

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Agency ref: RA-01 Click the photo to hear the Demo CD

Style:

Classical/Contemporary Sitar, Tabla & Vocalist Trio, playing Indian music, Punjabi folk, Classical music, Dance Fusions & 'Bollywood' style songs. Also available as a 3, 4 or 5 piece Bollywood style band.

Agency Comment:

A diverse and highly-skilled Indian music group who perform authentic, contemporary & traditional Indian music, and who also mix the Classical Indian styles with contemporary World Fusion rhythms. The result is wonderful blend of fine music that crosses many cultural and ethnic boundaries.

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Agency ref: SP-01 Click the photo to hear the Demo CD

Style:

Classical Indian Guitar, Jazz, Blues. Also available as a Guitar / Tabla Duet.

Agency Comment:

On an instrument as widely played as the guitar, it is rare these days to hear a unique "voice" on the instrument. This artist has such a "voice". His style is unique and highly original.

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Multi-stringed instrument used in Classical Indian music

The Sitar is a long necked string instrument played in North Indian classical music, film music from India, and Western fusion music. This instrument belongs to the lute class of chordophones. Ravi Shankar has popularized this instrument around the world.

It has three to four playing strings and three to four drone strings. The drone strings are almost never played but they vibrate whenever the corresponding note is sounds. The playing strings are plucked with a wire finger plectrum called mizrab usually with the right hand.

These melodic playing strings are pulled by the player usually with the left hand to make the pitch slide. The fingers touch these melodic strings between the frets. The frets are metal rods bent into crescents and are movable so that the scale can be altered.

The sound of the Sarod as we know it today is distinctly Indian in character, but it links to the sinewy, muscular style of the Afghan Rabab - a wooden Central Asian lute, covered with skin.

For a Sarod player, it’s the tone quality that’s the attraction: the skin makes the sound very human - it’s not wooden. It has flexibility, sensitivity and depth.

The sound of the Sarod is dominated by the singing, vocal tone of its melodic strings.

Many instrumentalists - including Violinists, Clarinettists, Sarangi and Sitar players - like to compare the sound of their instruments to the human voice. And Sarod players are no exception.

There are two schools of Sarod playing – one in which the strings are stopped by the fingertips and the other in which the strings are stopped by the finger-nails of the left hand. This is what makes the clear ringing sound and is one of the things that make it rather demanding to play.

Hand drums from India

Used in Northern Indian Classical Music. Set of two drums played by hand. The larger drum usually made of copper or clay is called a Bayan, and the smaller drum is called a Tabla. The set is referred to as a Tabla Set. Two of my favorite players are Zakir Hussein and Trilok Gurtu.

The Gab is made of iron filings and rice paste which is constructed of circular layers decreasing in size. In addition, the pitch of the Bayan is typically modulated by pressure from the wrist.

One of the most interesting aspects of tabla music is the use of bols (syllables) which represent specific strokes. This enables players of tabla music to recite entire compositions or short excercises to each other.

The tabla is tuned by adjusting the tension on the head using leather straps and wooden pegs. They can easily fall out of tune during a performance and it is common to see a performer tune the drum (using a hammer on the tabla or the heel of his hand on the bayan) during a piece.

Mendhi and Peethi

Laya (Laja) Homa : The Oblation of Parched Grain

Baarat (Wedding Procession)

The Bridegroom arrives for the wedding along with his family and friends in a procession. They are then received by the bride's family and friends.

Commencement of Marriage

Kanya Danam (Giving Away of the Daughter)

Paanigrahana or Hasta Milap (Holding the Hand)

Vivaaha (Wedding)

Agni Parinaya : The Circumambulation of the Fire

Then the entire rite is repeated twice more, beginning with the rite of the fried grain. At the fourth round she pours into the re all the fried grain from the mouth of the winnowing basket saying: "To Bhaga Svaha!"