Sitar standard tuning

Subject: RE: Sitar standard tuning
From: Rex
Date: 16 Jan 02 - 12:03 PM

The links that Malcolm listed show how to tune the instrument well enough. Particularly clear is the first one (Tuning the Sitar). There are several standard musical scales used for the sitar. Fortunately, a popular one follows the western scale and you'll find the frets for many sitars set up for that. While overall tuning in C# is common, you can see why tuning in C allows you to play western tunes. If the links are not clear to you, let us know if you want more information on tuning or whatever.

Rex

Subject: RE: Sitar standard tuning
From:
Date: 15 Jan 02 - 05:11 PM

hello there...not sure if you'll see this, but I'll give it a whirl. your message came up on a search i did for sitars. i'm looking to buy an inexpensive one. if you happen to not be using yours, i am interested! rita

Subject: RE: Sitar standard tuning
From: GUEST,Banjo Johnny
Date: 16 Jun 00 - 04:34 PM

Thanks, Marion. It's a good tune, maybe even a great song, the first 2,000 times. It's like the big band players who are sick of playing In the Mood. Johnny in OKC.

Subject: RE: Sitar standard tuning
From: GUEST,ray
Date: 16 Jun 00 - 10:58 AM

looked after a sitar for a while.took ages to tune it.then again thats part of the experience.

Subject: RE: Sitar standard tuning
From: Marion
Date: 16 Jun 00 - 09:55 AM

Thanks folks, this is very interesting. The beast looks wilder by the minute. I don't really want to become a sitar player, but while I have it in the house I'll have to do something about it.

And Banjo Johnny - I'm of the school of thought that anything worth doing once is worth doing over and over again - but don't worry, I won't make you listen to it :).

Marion

Subject: RE: Sitar standard tuning
From: Ed Pellow
Date: 15 Jun 00 - 01:57 PM

Marion,

As Malcolm's links show - the tuning of a sitar is fairly alien in terms of the western musical scale.

However, it has the huge advantage of having movable frets. If I was lucky enough to have a sitar sitting around the house, and wanted to play western tunes, I think that I'd 'cheat' and move the frets to western intervals (using a good electronic tuner if I couldn't do it by ear)

I'd then tune it in a 'western' style, tuning the sympathetic strings to tonics and dominants of whichever key the main strings felt most comfortable in.

This may well sound like sacrilege to purists, but it would be a lot easier to play western songs with the sitar sound.

Ed

Subject: RE: Sitar standard tuning
From: GUEST,Banjo Johnny
Date: 15 Jun 00 - 01:23 PM

I wish you the very best with your sitar, a beautiful instrument. But PLEASE not another rendition of "Amazing Grace". Hasn't it been done to death?

Subject: RE: Sitar standard tuning
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 14 Jun 00 - 10:40 PM

There seem to be several! Here are some online resources you may find useful:

Tuning the Sitar

Sitar Care, Stringing, and Maintenance.
Online Sitar Tutorial for Beginners
How to Tune a Sitar

Malcolm

Subject: Sitar standard tuning
From: GUEST,Marion
Date: 14 Jun 00 - 08:47 PM

Hi folks. My roommate has just dragged home a sitar that somebody gave her. It's a pretty wild-looking beast, but since it's a stringed instrument I just have to learn something on it - maybe just Amazing Grace.

Does anyone know what the standard tuning for sitar is?

Thanks, Marion