Surasingar

The sursingar is a rare musical instrument played in Northern India. It is a lute-derived Sarod, except it is larger in size and produces a deeper sound. It is a distant descendant of the Saraswati Veena. It preceds the Sarod chronologically.

Construction

The main body is made of wood and not leather (the material used in earlier instruments). The sound producing mechanism of the instrument is formed by a gourd. The gourd is attached to a hollow wooden handle. The handle is sometimes covered with a metal plate to facilitate the glissando. It has four main strings and four rhythmic drones (chikari). The strings are usually made of brass (instead of catgut used in earlier instruments). These modifications resulted in the increase of resonance in the instrument and thereby in its popularity.

The instrument is supported by the left shoulder, as the Veena and is played with a plectrum (mezrab) or tab (and sometimes with a bow). It is used to play music in the Hindustani style Dhrupad.