Hi,
it is about 8 C here now, and when I went to my instructor's place, he forgot to turn the heat on in the lesson area. So it was cold, I had to rub my hands a bit to get warm. Anyway, when I tuned up, my sitar sounded great. There were all kinds of microtones and that nice twang sound that I like was there in abundance. This is the first time I noticed this.
When I went home the nice tones were gone because I had the heat on. Maybe I have to start playing in the garage? My wife would be happier :-)
So, my guess is that the cold shrinks the wood a bit giving it the sound of older wood. Maybe this is a good test for a sitar to see if it will sound good in 10 years?
You can be right about this, heat expands molecular structures.
I notice a big difference in the sound just by moving around in my living room. I have 2 different places i enjoy to sit when im playing all based opon the resonance my Sitar delivers in that particulare environment. The sound in the room with the carpet si more open, that room is a little colder that the other room.
I have a nice spot in the hallway (?) that room is more naked with wooden walls (Oil based paint on the walls).and the sound is stronger and louder in a way. . If i open a box of canned pineapple and put the box under the kitchen table containing only the juice. And i move the pineapples (on a plate) in a sirculare motion, i get the strangest overtones without even touching my sitar. .
I'd say that the temperature caused your neck to bend more (or less) than usually and thus change the jawari (or the angle of the strings on the bridge). This way your sitar sounds different. A couple of degrees won't change molecules or something (unless you play near the absolute zero. .) Wouldn't recommend this. . .
Hey Remco,
I just read a good article pertaining to acoustic guitars and humidity.
http://www.angelfire.com/pa2/STONEMANGUITARS/humidity.html
To summarize, wood gives or takes moisture from the air around it to balance its moisture content, so the colder it is the less humidity so the wood shrinks. Thus, the sound change. So, this will affect all the wood (and the strings). This doesn't strike me as strickly a neck bending issue.
The article makes me think about getting a humidifier for the winter though.
Pb
Remco (Oct 29, 2003 01:12 p.m.):
I'd say that the temperature caused your neck to bend more (or less) than usually and thus change the jawari (or the angle of the strings on the bridge). This way your sitar sounds different. A couple of degrees won't change molecules or something (unless you play near the absolute zero. .) Wouldn't recommend this. . .
Right now the weather is changing here in Holland and I've turned on the heating system in the house. After a day or so my sitar gave a loud (LOUD) snap and my whole tuning was a half tone higher. This also happend last year. I'm really carefull with my instrument, but the humidity seems to have great effect on my sitar. A couple of months ago Kartar Hari Chant did some work on the bridge. It plays FAB at this moment. . .hope it stays that way.
Snap, maybe it was a peg letting go?
Apparently 50% humidity is perfect for guitars, and probably not too bad for sitars. Maybe I'll have to play in the basement in the winter and keep an in-line humidifier going.
Speaking of Kartar Chand, does anyone have his address so I can mail him. My friend has a wonderful sitar made by him, as they were the best of friends when they lived together in New Delhi, however I want to contact him myself. Does he still also do good work, or has it declined?
Beenkar Ted Ceplina
I really like my sitar (made by Kartar Hari Chand). My teacher brought it with several others from India for new students. Two years ago I started my lessons and picked this one out. The others were VK-style sitars. I'm fond of dhrupad and the lower string. I was told by several people that mine is a good sounding sitar (exept for the cracking sound :-)). I'll contact my teacher and ask for the adress.
Hi Ted,
here the adress:
Sri Harichand Sharma, from Kartar Chand Hari Chand sitars, specialists in repairs, 9050 Multani Dhanda Gali Nr1, Paharganj, New Delhi 110055
I got this adress from an old post from this forum. It was done by Ananda from Belgium:
E-Mail: ananda@tiscali.be
Maybe he has more info
