Basic Differences Between A Veena And A Sitar

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Sitar and Veena, the famous stringed instruments of India, differ from one another with respect to the style of playing, the build, and so on. Carnatic music is played on the Veena whereas Sitar is used for playing Hindustani music. Both the instruments have a long hollow neck and a gourd resonating chamber and appear almost similar. Sitar concerts are performed mostly in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. It gained worldwide popularity due to the incessant efforts of Pandit Ravi Shankar, the Sitar stalwart.

Veena

Veena is seen in the hands of Saraswati, the goddess for learning and education. Sage Narada was known to be an expert in Veena. Veena has found a mention in the epic saga of Ramayana and Mahabharata and hence it is a proof that Veena is more ancient compared to Sitar. Someone who plays the veena well is known as a vainika. Mysore Doreswamy Iyengar, Chittibabu, Emani Shankara Sastri, Dhanammal, were among the great doyens of music who strove to popularise the instrument of Veena in the West.

Structure

Veena is about 4 feet long, with a hollow neck that reaches the resonator called Kudam at the top. There are two ivory or plastic rosettes affixed to the top board of the resonator. Each veena has seven steel individual strings. The veena is played by sitting cross-legged while the sitar is balanced between the player's left foot and the right knee. Made of Jackwood, Veena has a large body with a wide neck, and has a dragons head called Vyaali at the other end. At the underside of the neck, you can find a small resonator. There are 24 frets unlike Sitar, that are embedded in Beeswax. Veena is also known by names such as Saraswathi veena, Rudra veena and Vichitra veena. The veena has a bottom gourd which has been replaced, over the years, with a wooden pear.

Sitar

Both sitar and Veena are known to come under the category of Plucked Stringed instruments. Sitar is a preferred choice for contemporary North Indian musical performances. The origin of Sitar can be traced back to 13th century and it is known to be a modified version of the tritantri veena. Legendary players of Sitar from the past include names like Vilayat Khan, Rais Khan, Sharif Khan, and Balram Pathak.

Structure

Sitar has one huge bridge called Bada goraa and one little bridge called Chota gora. Badaa gora is used for general playing & for strumming drone strings. Chota goraa comprises of the sympathetic strings whose strumming gives rise to spectrum of enchanting tones that emanate from the group of strings. Sitar is about four feet long, with a pear-shaped gourd body, a long wide hollow wooden neck coupled with front and side tuning pegs. There are 20 arched frets on the sitar are moveable. The parts of Sitar are actually named as dand, tumba, tabli and gulu. The finger board is made of Shisham wood.

During the times of Tansen, the famous musician in the court of Akbar, people used to play a Tampura that worked like sitar. Probably modern-day sitar is a modified version of this Tampura that descended down from Mughal period to modern times.