The Description about the origin & how it developed through ages .The structural changes which happed with the divergence of various gharanas

1. SAROD
A BRIEF PRESENTATION ON THE BASIC ORIGIN & STRUCTURE OF SAROD
Subhrajyoti Sen
Phd Research Scholar
Visvabharati University

2. WHAT IS THE SAROD ?
• The Sarod is a stringed instrument, used mainly in
Hindustani music on the Indian subcontinent. Along with
the sitar, it is among the most popular and prominent
instruments . It is known for a deep, weighty, introspective
sound, in contrast with the sweet, overtone-rich texture of
the sitar, with sympathetic strings that give it a resonant,
reverberant quality. A fretless instrument, it can produce
the continuous slides between notes known as meend
(glissandi), which are important in Indian music.

3. ORIGINS OF THE SAROD
• The word sarod roughly translates to "beautiful sound" or "melody" in Persian. Many scholars of
Indian classical music believe that the sarod is a combination of the ancient chitravina, the medieval
Indian rabab (aka the seniya rabab) and modern sursingar. Some scholars even contend that a
similar instrument may have existed about two thousand years ago in ancient India during the ages
of the Gupta kings. In fact, a Gupta period coin depicts the great king Samudragupta playing a
veena, which many believe to be the precursor of the sarod. The present Indian Traces of similar
Rabab style instruments can also be found in southern India, especially in the states of Tamil Nadu,
Kerala and Karnataka, where it is known as the swarbat. The folk rabab, an instrument popular in
north India, had a wooden fingerboard, its strings were made of silk, cotton or gut, and it was
played with a wooden pick. In history, reference is also made to a Sharadiya Veena from which the
name Sarod have been derived. The sarod is also believed to have descended from the Afghan
rubab, a similar instrument originating in Central Asia and Afghanistan.

4. STRUCTURE OF SAROD
Sympathetic (Taraf) tuning pegs
Chikari ( Rhythm) strings
Jawari strings
Main melody strings
Fretless nickel coated iron fingerboard (Dand}
Soundbox(Payala)
Bridge(Ghuruch)
Goat
skin(Chamra)
String
Holder(Langot)
Resonator(Tumba)
Wooden body
Plectrum(Jawa)

5. TYPES OF SAROD

6. MAIHAR STYLE SAROD
• Bigger in size
• 4 jawari strings
• Tumba present
• Resembles more like a veena
Maihar sarod exponent
Ustad Ali Akbar Khan

7. BANGASH STYLE SAROD
• Smaller in Size
• 2 taraf strings
• Less no. of strings
• Resembles the Rabab
• No tumba
Bangash style exponent
Ustad Amjad Ali Khan

8. SHAJAHANPUR STYLE SAROD
Shajahanpur style exponent
Pt. Radhika Mohan Maitra
• Strings same as Bangash style
• Wooden tumba present

9. THANK YOU