We all wish there was a shortcut, but there is none. Hopefully, this video will give you some tips about what to do when your sitar has been jolted around on a bumpy road, or if you’ve had to change a string. Maybe there’s been a deadline at work that made practice take a back seat in your life. Regardless of the reason, if you’re not playing regularly, the sitar will often need 30 minutes or more of your dedicated time to bring those 20 strings back into a vibrantly resonating state. It’s a meditation with many symbolic applications. It’s a practice of deep listening and patience to help something that’s worthy of your love, sing again. Filmed on January 19th, 2021 - Miranda Stone
The shorter, five-minute tuning video can be found here: tinyurl.com/SitarTuning5min
If you are interested in using the Khamaj Alap practice video playlist for sitar, here's the link: tinyurl.com/KhamajAlapPractice
Recommended Tuners:
iStroboSoft - this is a reliable (but costing $9.99) app for tuning with hertz - tinyurl.com/iStroboSoftTuner
Pano Tuner - this is a reliable (and free) app for tuning with hertz - tinyurl.com/PanoTuner
Boss Chromatic Tuner: For this tuner (unless you get the new app version that is available) you need a pickup in your sitar with a quarter inch output. This has been my preferred tuner since 1987 and it still works perfectly. It needs a 9-volt battery. It does not show frequencies so your ear has to know what octave you are aiming for - tinyurl.com/BOSSTuner
You can also use a clip-on tuner which senses the vibration in your instrument, an excellent choice in noisy environments. Snark makes quite a few models. Peterson StroboClip HD is also an excellent one.
Sitar Tuning Chart Showing Frequencies in Hertz (Kharaj-Pancham or Ravi Shankar Style)
Hz = hertz
A number after a note, like D2, indicates which octave the D is in. For example, D4 is 'Sa' which in western solfege is called 'Do,' or the tonic. D4 is played on the 1st string (Playing String/Baj ka Tar) at the 7th fret. D2 would be two octaves lower than D4 and is the lowest note on a Ravi Shankar style sitar played on the open 4th string. This style of sitar was also played by Nikhil Banerjee.
1st String - Bāj ka Tar (the Playing String) - G3 - 196.00 Hz
2nd String - Jori ka Tar (the Joḍ String) - Ṣa - lower D3 - 146.83 Hz
3rd String - Pancham - P̣ạ - lowest A2 - 110.00 Hz
4th String - Kharaj - Ṣạ - lowest D2 - 73.42 Hz
5th String (Pancham Chikāri) - Pa - A3 - 220.00 Hz
6th String (Sa Chikāri) - Sa - D4 - 293.66 Hz
7th String (High Ṡa Chikāri) - Ṡa - D5 - 587.33 Hz
Tarab Strings tuned to ragas related to Khamaj. There are many configurations of tarab string tuning, and each artist has their own preference in every raga. I sometimes tune the 3rd tarab to a low Komal Ni4 - C4 - 261.63 Hz.
1st Tarab - Sa - D4 - 293.66 Hz
2nd Tarab - Shuddh Ṇi4 - C#4 - 277.18 Hz
3rd Tarab - Sa - D4 - 293.66 Hz
4th Tarab - Re - E4 - 329.63 Hz
5th Tarab - Shuddh Ga - F#4 - 369.99 Hz
6th Tarab - Ma - G4 - 392.00 Hz
7th Tarab - Pa - A4 - 440.00 Hz
8th Tarab - Shuddh Dha - B4 - 493.88 Hz
9th Tarab - Komal ni - C5 - 523.25 Hz
10th Tarab - Shuddh Ni - C#5 - 554.37 Hz
11th Tarab - High Ṡa - D5 - 587.33 Hz
12th Tarab - High Ṙe - E5 - 659.25 Hz
13th Tarab - High Ġa - F#5 - 739.99 Hz
Filmed by Miranda Stone
Edited by Miranda Stone and Chris Hale
Audio recording by Chris Hale
If you have any questions, comments, or inquiries about lessons, feel free to write to Chris through his website at ChristopherHaleSitar.com/contact
25 фев 2021
