The sarangi is a bowed, short-necked, three-stringed instrument used in traditional Indian music. It can sound like a human voice by copying vocal techniques such as Gamaks or Gamakam (shakes) and meends (sliding movements). The Nepali sarangi is similar but has four strings and is a simpler folk instrument.

Playing

The music played by sarangi performers is closely connected to vocal traditions. However, a concert featuring the sarangi as the main instrument may include a complete raga performance, beginning with an alap, which is a free-form introduction that explores the raga's sound. The performance then moves through increasing intensity, from alap to jor (a more rhythmic section) to jhala (a fast-paced section), and includes structured pieces called bandish, which have set rhythms and speeds. This style is similar to other instrumental traditions, such as those of the sitar, sarod, and bansuri.

Most sarangi players know the lyrics of many classical compositions. These lyrics are often remembered during performances, and the way the sarangi is played follows the same rules as vocal music, including how the music is organized, how it is developed, the use of rhythm, and the balance between sound and silence. It also includes performances of khyal and thumri, which are types of vocal music. The sarangi's sound is unique and different from the sitar's style, which tries to copy the details of vocal music but usually sticks to structured instrumental pieces called gats (compositions with repeating rhythms).

The Nepali sarangi is a stringed instrument from Nepal, often played by the Gaine or Gandarbha ethnic groups. In Nepal, the instrument and its music are more focused on folk traditions than in India, and it is especially linked to the Gandarbha people.

Structure

The sarangi is carved from a single block of red cedar wood and has a box-like shape with three hollow chambers: the pet (stomach), chaati (chest), and magaj (brain). It is usually about 2 feet (0.61 m) long and 6 inches (150 mm) wide, though sizes can vary. Smaller versions are easier to hold. The lower chamber, called the pet, is covered with parchment made from goat skin. A thick leather strip is placed around the middle of the pet and nailed to the back, supporting an elephant-shaped bridge made of camel or buffalo bone. Originally, the bridge was made from ivory or Barasingha bone, but this is now rare due to a ban in India. The bridge holds the pressure from 35 to 37 sympathetic steel or brass strings and three main gut strings. The three main strings are bowed with a heavy horsehair bow and pressed using the nails, cuticles, and surrounding skin. Talcum powder is used on the fingers to reduce friction. The neck has ivory or bone platforms where fingers slide. The sympathetic strings, called tarabs, number up to 35 to 37 and are divided into four groups with two sets of pegs: one on the right and one on the top. Inside, there is a chromatically tuned row of 15 tarabs and a diatonic row of nine tarabs on the right, each covering a full octave with one to three extra notes. These tarabs pass through small holes in the chaati, supported by hollow ivory or bone beads. Two additional sets of longer tarabs, with five to six strings on the right and six to seven on the left, are placed between the inner tarabs and the main strings. These pass over small, flat bridges to a second set of pegs on the top of the instrument, tuned to the important tones (swaras) of the raga. A properly tuned sarangi produces a humming, crying sound like a melodious meow, with echoes from the main strings. Some sarangis use strings made from goat intestines.

Decline

In the 20th century, the harmonium and violin started to be used more often instead of the sarangi because they are easier to play. In Pakistan, since the 1980s, fewer people have played the sarangi. This decline is partly because many skilled musicians died and because strict religious rules under the leadership of Zia-ul-Haq affected the practice of music.

Notable performers

• Abdul Latif Khan (1934–2002)
• Aruna Narayan (born in 1959)
• Ashique Ali Khan (1948–1999)
• Bharat Bhushan Goswami (born in 1955)
• Bundu Khan (1880–1955)
• Dhruba Ghosh (1957–2017)
• Ghulam Ali (Sarangi) (born in 1975)
• Harsh Narayan (born in 1985)
• Manonmani (born in 2000)
• Ramesh Mishra (1948–2017)
• Ram Narayan (born in 1927 and died in 2024)
• Sabir Khan (Sarangi) (born in 1978)
• Sabri Khan (1927–2015)
• Siddiqui Ahmed Khan (born in 1914)
• Suhail Yusuf Khan (born in 1988)
• Sultan Khan (1940–2011)
• Ustad Faiyaz Khan (born in 1968)
• Moinuddin Khan (musician) (died in 2015)

• Allah Rakha (1932–2000)
• Bundu Khan (1880–1955)
• Nathu Khan (1920–1971)

• Yuji Nakagawa, a Japanese citizen, learned to play the instrument in India with the guidance of Dhruba Ghosh.