Surbahar (Hindi pronunciation: [s̪urbəhɑːr]; translated as "Springtime of Notes") is also called the bass sitar. It is a string instrument played by plucking the strings and is used in Hindustani classical music from South Asia. The Surbahar is similar to the sitar but produces a lower sound. Its pitch is usually two to five whole steps below that of a standard sitar, depending on the instrument's size.
Overview
The surbahar is over 130 cm (51 inches) long. It uses a dried gourd as a resonator and has a neck with very wide frets. These frets allow a sliding sound called a glissando or "meend" of up to an octave on the same fret by pulling the string. The neck is made of toona or mahogany wood. The instrument has 3–4 rhythm strings (chikari), four thick playing strings (the widest are 1 mm), and 10 to 11 sympathetic strings. There are two bridges: the playing strings pass over the larger bridge, which connects to the tabli (soundboard) through small legs glued in place. The sympathetic strings pass over the smaller bridge, which is directly glued to the tabli. Both bridges have a slightly curved top surface that matches the strings’ vibration, creating a buzzing sound called jawari. The body is similar to a sitar, made from a large dried gourd with a carved wood face attached to the neck by a carved wooden yoke called "gulu." The surbahar differs because its gourd is larger and tilted 90º, placing the gourd’s bottom toward the back of the instrument. This shape makes the body shallower and rounder, improving the bass sound.
The player uses a bent steel wire plectrum called a mizrab, attached to the right hand’s index finger. Three plectrums are used on the first three fingers to play the dhrupad style of alap, jor, and jhala. In dhrupad style, the musician plays slow compositions instead of sitarkhani and masitkhani gats, often accompanied by pakhawaj.
Some researchers believe the surbahar was invented around 1825. At that time, the veena, a sacred instrument linked to the goddess Saraswati, was taught only to descendants of veena players. The surbahar’s creation was partly inspired by the desire to produce a lower sound similar to the veena.
The surbahar was invented by Omrao Khan Beenkar, whose grandson was Wazir Khan of Rampur. Ghulam Mohammad was his student. The invention is also credited to Ustad Sahebdad Khan. Recent research suggests that Ustad Ghulam Mohammed, a Lucknow-based sitarist, may have also been the inventor. A similar instrument called the Mahakachhapi Vina is believed to have existed during the same period.