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Sarangi is an ancient stringed instrument of India and belongs to lute family. In the middle of the 17th century Sarangi popularized while accompanying Vocal classical. In today Sarangi is a popular solo instrument beside of other classical instruments of India. For its unique melancholy sound Sarangi is the choicest instrument of all music lovers.

If you just begun Sarangi playing or want to learn how to play Sarangi Divya Music offers you online class lessons on Skype or Google hangouts http://sarangilessonsonline.com . Learn how to play Sarangi with our individual, live, one-on-one, real time online class lessons or regular classes at Divya Music Center

Structure and playing method of Sarangi

There was a controversy about the origin of the word Sarangi. Few believe that ‘Sa’ is referring as a two or hundred or seven strings and rangi means color. So the Sarangi means colors of strings.

Sarangi is almost 64 cm long and carved out of a single piece of Tun wood. Sarangi has 3 melody strings and 35 sympathetic strings or Taraf made of gut. Strings pass over a bridge and the bridge rests on a leather strap. A bow of rosewood is used for bowing the strings.

Playing strings are stopped with fingernails of the left hand. And right hand used for bowing.

Strings are tuned on Pa, Sa, Pa format or on Ma, Sa, Ma format. Sympathetic strings are tuned as per composition’s need.

How to tune Sarangi:

The Sarangi has a relatively wide pitch range and can be tuned from C sharp to F sharp. Hence, there are two basic tuning system: a) Chargha, keytone-fifth octave (S P S) the most common tuning which by transposition becomes fourth key tone fourth (M S M) and is called madhyam that. b) keytone fourth octave (S M S) which by transposing becomes fifth key tone fifth (P S P) and is called thath. Sometimes the kharaj is lowered a whole tone so that the tuning becomes fifth key tone fourth (P S M). This is to extend the lower register. The tuning of the sympathetic striings also follows two basic systems, one for accompaniment and the other for solo. In both the main tarabs are tuned chromatically.

Famous Sarangi maestros, Sarangi players, Sarangi performers and Sarangi musicians are Rehman Bakhs, Pt Ram Narayan, Ghulam Sabir and Ustad Sultan Khan. 

Before 19th century Sarangi was used as a folk instrument but in the middle of 18s, Hindustani classical vocal performers used this instrument as an accompanied instrument for its unique tonal quality and its rare capacity for reproducing the gamak which established this instrument very near to vocal music. In the present era Sarangi mostly used for Vocal accompany and it is also established himself as a solo instrument of North Indian Classical music besides Sitar, Sarode.

Divya Music offers regular training classes for learning Sarangi at Divya Music centre or Sarangi playing online music lessons on Skype or Google hangouts for all Sarangi lovers over the world.