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chandrakantha.com > Indian Music and Dance > Instrumental Music of India > Musical Instruments of India > Dilruba > Stringing and Tuning the Dilruba and Esraj

Stringing and Tuning the Dilruba and Esraj

Section 1: Introduction

by David Courtney working tools

Dilruba and Esraj
STRINGING AND TUNING THE DILRUBA AND ESRAJ
Section 1 – Introduction
Section 2 – Basic Concepts of Tuning
Section 3 – Overview of Strings
Section 4 – Dilruba/Esraj Strings
Section 5 – Tools
Section 6 – Stringing the Base
Section 7 – Stringing the Tuning Pegs
Section 8 – Tightening the Strings

There are a myriad of ways that we can string and tune the dilruba or the esraj.  In this series of web pages, we will deal with the myriad of is­sues.

It would be nice if I could just pontificate by saying “use this gauge here, and that gauge there….”.  Unfor­tunately, things are not so simple.  There is no standard length for these in­stru­ments; there is no standard tuning; there is not even a standard as to how many strings they may have.  There­fore, it is very dif­fi­cult for me to tell you what strings to use and what to tune your instrument to.

Do you STILL want me to sim­ply tell you what to do?  Ok I will.  Go to: “Stringing and Tuning the Dilruba and Esraj: Quickguide“. But if you really want to in­vest some time, I have prepared an ex­ten­sive dis­cus­sion of the topic.

I would like to make a note of one thing.  The dilruba and esraj are so si­mi­lar, that it is pointless to try and divide them up.  In al­most every case, what­ever we say for one instrument, will hold true for the other instrument.  Many of the pic­tures and references will be made to dilruba be­cause it is more com­mon than the esraj.  But whenever something really pertains speci­fically to the dilruba or speci­fically to the esraj, I will make it very clear.

— PROCEED TO NEXT SECTION —

STRINGING AND TUNING THE DILRUBA AND ESRAJ
Section 1 – Introduction
Section 2 – Basic Concepts of Tuning
Section 3 – Overview of Strings
Section 4 – Dilruba/Esraj Strings
Section 5 – Tools
Section 6 – Stringing the Base
Section 7 – Stringing the Tuning Pegs
Section 8 – Tightening the Strings