INDIAN MUSIC FORUM ARCHIVES: Sitar Forum: My Surbahar arrived!!

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My Surbahar arrived!!

Feb 14, 2004 04:09 p.m.

Hi everyone!
I'm totally thrilled today!! My Kanai Lal surbahar arrived today. I've been playing it now for several hours and am dumbstruck: what a sound!!! I was wondering if someone of the forum bought the KL-surbahar from Beenkarji. If it's of the same quality as mine the new owner must be a very happy guy!! My instrument has older bladestyle frets (like a rudraveena) and is made from teak. I hope to post some pics in the near future. Right now I have tuned it to G#. How do the other surbaharplayers of this forum tune it? OK I'm off now: I figure I'll be playing a lot the coming days!!!

Peace,

Remco

Re:My Surbahar arrived!!

Feb 14, 2004 04:20 p.m.

Congrats Remco! Man, a KL, that must have set you bad a few. I look forward to seeing pics.

Remco (Feb 14, 2004 04:09 p.m.):
Hi everyone!
I'm totally thrilled today!! My Kanai Lal surbahar arrived today. I've been playing it now for several hours and am dumbstruck: what a sound!!! I was wondering if someone of the forum bought the KL-surbahar from Beenkarji. If it's of the same quality as mine the new owner must be a very happy guy!! My instrument has older bladestyle frets (like a rudraveena) and is made from teak. I hope to post some pics in the near future. Right now I have tuned it to G#. How do the other surbaharplayers of this forum tune it? OK I'm off now: I figure I'll be playing a lot the coming days!!!
Peace,
Remco

stephen

Re:My Surbahar arrived!!

Feb 14, 2004 05:22 p.m.

I tune to somewhere between G and A. I use a G tuning fork (low G, for banjo) as a reference, and just tune up a hair from there to get that sweet sound. Basically, you are tuning up to the point where the low Sa produces good sound and then tune the rest with that tonic. I was told that the surbahar that Beenie was selling wasn't his, but a guy that he knew that is in India now. I talked to him about it and it is in some warehouse in Chicago now. He was asking 5K, but I don't know how much he was adding on as his commission.

Matt

Re:My Surbahar arrived!!	Feb 14, 2004 05:45 p.m.
Congratulations, Remco. Have FUN!

andowe

Re:My Surbahar arrived!!

Feb 15, 2004 03:49 a.m.

Congradulations Remco!!!! I'm glad it arrived safe and sound. Sooner than you expected? I went to the web site you recommended and saw/read surbahars. Yes, they are BIG. I'm interested in seeing pix of yours. You're tuning about a fourth lower than a sitar? Or an octive plus 4th?
After listening to the meditative music on your web site I'm very interested in hearing what you play and record on subahar.

Peace,
Andy

Remco

Re:My Surbahar arrived!!

Feb 19, 2004 04:22 p.m.

Hi
Can ayone tell me how to attach a photo to a post? I remeber a topic on this but cannot find it!

Peace,

Remco

Re:My Surbahar arrived!!

Feb 19, 2004 04:40 p.m.

Hey Remco,
you have to drop the image on a server somewhere that can be reached from the web, e.g.
(I'm testing, hope it works)

Ok, that worked, square bracket img=URL close sq. br.

Or view the source of this thread.

Remco

Re:My Surbahar arrived!!

Feb 19, 2004 04:52 p.m.

eerrr. . .server?. . .source?. . . Huh?. . I'm afraid this is a tad to difficult to understand. . . . .I thought you could attach a pic to a post. .

Peace,

Remco

Re:My Surbahar arrived!!

Feb 19, 2004 05:42 p.m.

Hey remco,
No such luck. You need to have a web server somewhere to serve up that image of yours. Usually, your ISP should give you web space for this sort of thing. Wait a minute. You have a website for your ambient music, right? You could drop your pics in there. e.g.:
http://www.editionblue.com/yourPic1.jpg

If you want, you can email it to me and I'll put the pics on my server. I plan on putting mine there too.
Pb

Remco (Feb 19, 2004 04:52 p.m.):
eerrr. . .server?. . .source?. . . Huh?. . I'm afraid this is a tad to difficult to understand. . . . .I thought you could attach a pic to a post. .
Peace,
Remco

Re:My Surbahar arrived!!

Feb 21, 2004 09:40 p.m.

Hey remco,
have you seen this page? I use the pics for backgrounds on some machines. I would love to have a studio like that! or better yet, those instruments!

http://www.peterpringle.com/studiopg1.html

Remco

Re:My Surbahar arrived!!

Feb 20, 2004 03:32 p.m.

Ok. .let's see if it will work

http://www.editionblue.com/pics/KLsurb.jpg

This (hopefully) is a picture of yourstruly playing his surbahar.

Peace,

Remco

Remco

Re:My Surbahar arrived!!	Feb 20, 2004 03:35 p.m.
errrr. . .

Jeff

Re:My Surbahar arrived!!	Feb 20, 2004 03:39 p.m.
Huhh Whaaaaaa!!!! It didnt work,,, No picture. Jeff

Re:My Surbahar arrived!!	Feb 20, 2004 03:43 p.m.
http://www.editionblue.com/pics/KLsurb.jpg You forgot the img= part.

Re:My Surbahar arrived!!	Feb 20, 2004 03:44 p.m.
Man that is beast! I like it (the surbahar). Pb

Remco

Re:My Surbahar arrived!!

Feb 20, 2004 04:20 p.m.

Hey!!! Thnx Pb!!!

Peace,

Remco

Alan

Re:My Surbahar arrived!!

Feb 20, 2004 03:57 p.m.

pb (Feb 20, 2004 03:44 p.m.):
Man that is beast! I like it (the surbahar).
Pb

what a great picture the surbahar looks like paul bunyan should be playing it , its huge ,

Remco

Re:My Surbahar arrived!!

Feb 20, 2004 04:24 p.m.

I actually have taken the toptumba off. I definitly notice a difference in sound and volume! But it balances a lot better and is less tiring to play. BTW: I talked to Lars and he's expecting a couple of RR-surbahars!!!

Peace,

Remco

Matt

Re:My Surbahar arrived!!	Feb 20, 2004 04:40 p.m.
Wow, great picture Remco! Now I REALLY want one.

Remco

Re:My Surbahar arrived!!

Feb 20, 2004 06:05 p.m.

http:\\www.editionblue.com/pics/KLsurb2.jpg

another one. Just to scare potential surbaharplayer. The neck is rather wide compared to a sitar. When I switch back to my sitar is feels like playing a broomstick.

Peace,

Remco

Re:My Surbahar arrived!!

Feb 20, 2004 07:03 p.m.

Slashes wrong way
Pb

Remco (Feb 20, 2004 06:05 p.m.):
http://www.editionblue.com/pics/KLsurb2.jpg
another one. Just to scare potential surbaharplayer. The neck is rather wide compared to a sitar. When I switch back to my sitar is feels like playing a broomstick.
Peace,
Remco

Jeff

Re:My Surbahar arrived!!	Feb 20, 2004 06:50 p.m.
WOW! Post some detail pics! I cant view your last pic for some reason?:-)? Jeff

Matt

Re:My Surbahar arrived!!	Feb 20, 2004 11:14 p.m.
Yeah, that neck is thick - reminds of some of the 7-string basses out there. Don't know if my hands could take it! I don't remember seeing this posted, so I'll ask - how old is your surbahar?

Remco

Re:My Surbahar arrived!!

Feb 21, 2004 06:10 a.m.

Hahaha a sevenstringbass. .A friend of mine has ordered a nine string bass: http://www.robvanderloo.com/
He tunes it not only with a low B but even with an extra lower F so its FBEAD. .etc. I played his seven string and the extra low string could not really be heard but rather felt. . . . .

My surbahar is ten years old. The previous owner had to wait for a year to have it built and went over to the shop to pick it up. He sold it because he switched to rudra vina.

Peace,

Remco

Re:My Surbahar arrived!!	Feb 21, 2004 10:35 a.m.
Hey Remco, what is the diameter of the bottom tomba? I think you have to train to be able to hold that thing up for hours. There is definitely a surbahar on my wish list! Pb

Remco

Re:My Surbahar arrived!!

Feb 21, 2004 10:43 a.m.

The widest range from side to side is 17,5 inches. What I do when I play is I put a small matt of some rubbery stuff under my right arm. I got it from my teacher; it makes the resistance between arm and tumba a bit greater so my instrument doesn't slip. Works OK. The balance is something you really have to get used to.

Peace,

Remco

Remco

Re:My Surbahar arrived!!

Feb 22, 2004 09:02 a.m.

Yeah. . .that's a weird site. I mean the connection between Kanai Lal and Nana Mouskouri!!!

Peace,

Remco

Alan

Re:My Surbahar arrived!!

Feb 22, 2004 05:17 p.m.

pb (Feb 21, 2004 09:40 p.m.):
Hey remco,
have you seen this page? I use the pics for backgrounds on some machines. I would love to have a studio like that! or better yet, those instruments!
http://www.peterpringle.com/studiopg1.html
Pb

what a cool web site , i had heard of the theramin but never new what it was , as far as an instrument went , nice surbahar to , wish i had that music room what a great place to hang an practice huh .

Jan

Re:My Surbahar arrived!!

Feb 23, 2004 07:32 a.m.

Pb[/quote] wish i had that music room what a great place to hang an practice huh .[/quote]

Have you ever tryed closing your eyes? t

still i must admit it looks great, but i cant have a place like that, there is simply not room for it : ) so i close my eyes.

jan

Re:My Surbahar arrived!!	Feb 23, 2004 09:48 a.m.
That is why I have it set as a background on my work computer, day dreaming. I have a great audio head phone system set up at work, so that helps too! Pb

Aanaddha

Re:My Surbahar arrived!!

Feb 23, 2004 11:15 a.m.

For more on exotic instruments:

http://www.mindspring.com/~kbhybrid/

An interview with Ken Butler and instrument demonstrations:
Click on the audio icon next to 'Ken Butler' on the right at

http://www.wnyc.org/studio360/show.html

Aanaddha

Re:My Surbahar arrived!!

Feb 23, 2004 12:02 p.m.

You can see movie clips of Ken playing the umbrella and snowshovel at:

http://www.smithsonianmag.si.edu/smithsonian/issues99/apr99/music.html