Category Archives: Instruments

When it comes to Pakistani classical music, few mention the pakhavaj. Now, of course, all of you must be clamouring to know what exactly a pakhawaj is, but, patience, please. We need to rant first. So, coming back to our original topic, the tabla, the dhol, even the dholak; all of these are much moreContinue reading “The Pakhawaj”

No-one is quite sure what the sarangi’s name is meant to mean. Some argue that it comes from the Persian for ‘three strings’, while others claim that it means ‘a hundred colours’, a reference to its incredible musical range. Whatever it means, one cannot deny that that very name is now synonymous with Pakistani classicalContinue reading “The Sarangi”

Hmm, well, it has a rather curious name, to be sure. Most instruments have names whose etymologies are extremely hard to trace, leading to a delightful (well, only for those who are interested in such things) research spree as one races from one obscure source to the other. The ektara, on the other hand, hasContinue reading “The Ektara”

We hope that all of you know about the dhol, that lovable cuddly little red wolf-like creature … oops, it seems that we picked the wrong dhol. This is what happens when you have too many homonyms in one place! Going on to more serious matters, let’s talk about the real dhol. ‘Door ke dholContinue reading “The Dhol”

At Save the Sitar, we have covered many diverse types of instruments, from sarangis to tablas. Continuing this tradition, today we will cover an unusual yet amazing instrument: the matka, an instrument which may appear to the uninitiated as a … pot?! What’s this? We cover instruments, not cooking utensils! Or at least we thinkContinue reading “The Matka”