Hi, im very new (2 days) to the sitar and have some questions about the 6th and 7th strings . . . how are these strung? its a bit hard to explain, but they seem to have their own nut to rest the string on. one is around the 4th fret, and the other around the 14th. im assuming the 6th string belongs to the one on the 4th and the 7th string goes with the nut on the 14th.
also, if i string the 7th string in this fashion, from the nut to the tuning peg, the string extends outside of the fretboard . . . is it supposed to be 'tucked' somewhere?
Hi Fury;
Always interested in how folks come by their instruments and why . . what kind do you play?
You're correct in the stringing arrangement. Those nuts are called chikari posts (some call them a mogra, but I'm not sure that's right). Yes, the string does extend outside the fretboard. No way to tuck it in,but you can wind the string low on the peg, closer to the body.
I'm curious, does your 7th string post bend a good bit outwards from the neck or is it fairly straight? I'm noticing a distinct bending outwards of that post when under load. Those things are fragile . . .
Hi All: Concerning winding the string closer to the neck. Sitar guru Tony told me to always wind the string as close to the neck/peg hole as possible to avoid unnecessary leverage/stress on the pegs. If you need to wind the string farther out, to avoid peg slippage, then the pegs aren't fitting correctly. :-)
Here's a little intro:
i just got my lefty sitar for christmas! im a 25 year old male, thats been playing guitar for about 13 years. ive been wanting to start this instrument for a long time, so here goes!
im not sure if my sitar was bought from this site, but here's a link to the sitar i have:
Lefty Ultra Professional Sitar
A Christmas sitar, very cool! I also got my latest sitar for Christmas last year (actually a present from my folks for my birthday, but its on Christmas anyway . .).
I played guitar for around 20 years myself, but switched to sitar a few years ago after a very long absense from it. Only problem I have is finding someone else to jam with. No interest in this music where I live.
Russ: Yes, my 7th string chikari post is very slightly angled outside the fretboard. But the 6th string one is straight.
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When my 7th string is tuned, it is extremely tight and im not sure if thats correct. I feel i might snap the string if i put any pressure on it. I believe its the right octive, using the tones from raganet.
Also, I broke my 6th string! Now im staring at a spare set and im used to having my strings color coded :-). any advice in finding it out of the bunch?
Hi Furystylee . . . . .
I checked out your link to your sitar . . . . the original source for that is www.mid-east.com
I would recommend trying to stay in the key of 'C' instead of C# because of the stress on the wood . . . . . you could try a thicker gauge of string as well. To pick your own string gauges try www.fortepiano.com They have a variety of string there, not the best but OK . . . you could try brass string for your 4th and see if that works better or just go with the same gauge/ tuning as your 2nd string. Also, to measure string gauges you could get a set of digital calipers at www.stewmac.com
They come in handy at times . . . . .
Lars
Ashwin Batish founded and runs RagaNet. I bought my second sitar from Ashwin a little over 6 years ago. My 4th string is identical to the 2nd. That's something Ashwin taught me as he also uses that. I also found problems tuning the 4th to the double-low sa. Sounded awful and I never did find a suitable string that sounded good. So, the heck with it.
These days, my second string is at C sharp (tun- wood sitar). So, 6th string is one octave above that, and 7th is two octaves above the 2nd. If your strings break easily at that tuning, something's wrong. Check the strings for kinking or rust spots, very common causes. If the strings are OK, detune and rewind onto the pegs. If you still have a problem, maybe a different brand of strings?
I go more by gauge or string thickness than color. 6th string is steel, so just look for the next one up from the "skinniest". That should be it.
