The setar (Persian: سه‌تار, pronounced [seˈt̪ʰɒːɾ]) is a stringed instrument, a type of lute used in Persian traditional music. It is played alone or to accompany singing. The setar belongs to the tanbur family, which includes long-necked lutes. It has a range of more than two and a half octaves. Originally, the setar had three strings. In the mid-19th century, a fourth string was added by Mushtaq Ali Shah. The instrument is played using the index finger of the right hand.

Some people think the setar was first created in Persia by the 9th century AD. Others believe it originated in the 15th century or even earlier. Although the setar is related to the tanbur, in recent centuries, it has changed so that it now sounds and is played more like the tar, both in how it is tuned and how it is played.

Etymology

According to Curt Sachs, the Persians named their lutes using the word tar, which means "string," combined with words for numbers. For example, du + tar becomes the two-stringed dutār, se + tar becomes the three-stringed setār, čartar has four strings, and pančtār has five strings.

The modern Iranian instrument called setār is made up of the word se, meaning "three," and tar, meaning "string." This name shows that the instrument is "three-stringed" or "tri-stringed."

Although the name suggests the instrument has three strings, the modern setār actually has four strings. A fourth string was added in the 19th century. However, the strings are grouped into three sets, or courses, so musicians still play them as three groups instead of four separate strings.

Sharing a name

Other instruments from the tanbur family also have the name "setar." However, having the same name does not always mean the musical traditions are directly connected.

In Tajikistan, the Pamiri Setor is larger than the Iranian setar. It has three main strings and up to 12 sympathetic strings. Musicians play it using a small metal pick worn on a finger.

In Baluchistan, the setar is larger than the Iranian setar and functions as a "rhythmic drone" instrument that supports singing. It has three strings arranged similarly to the dutar, with one bass string and two strings tuned a fourth higher.

In Pakistan, the Chitrali sitar has five strings grouped into three courses. The top two strings are used to play the melody.

In Xinjiang, China, the Satar (Uyghur: ساتار; Chinese: 萨塔尔, Sàtǎ'ěr) is a key instrument in the 12 muqam. It is a bowed lute with 13 strings, including one raised bowing string and 12 sympathetic strings. The strings are tuned to match the musical mode of the muqam or piece being played.

In India, the Sitar is an instrument with many variations. Its name comes from an Urdu version of the Persian word "sihtār." The Indian Sitar was probably adapted from instruments introduced by Muslim empires and later developed in India.

Construction

• Peghead or headstock 2. Pegs 3. Fret above nut 4. Nut 5. Main Frets 6. Side Frets or Secondary Frets 7. Neck 8. Bowl 9. Sound holes 10. Bridge 11. String holder or wire holder 12. Strings

The instrument is a type of neck-bowl instrument. Strings are attached to pegs at the top of the neck. They pass through a nut made of bone or plastic, which has grooves to keep the strings separate. The strings travel down the neck, across the bowl, over the bridge, and are fastened to a string holder at the end of the bowl. The pegs are inserted directly into the end of the neck, like a headstock.

The bowl is similar in shape to the tanbur but smaller and pear-shaped. It measures 26 to 30 cm in length, 12 to 16 cm in width, and about 13 cm in depth. It is usually made of mulberry or walnut wood. The bowl can be made from a single piece of wood or from separate pieces joined together. The top of the bowl is made of thin wood and has sound holes to allow sound to escape. A musician may place their hand on the bowl while playing.

The neck is 40 to 48 cm long and 3 cm wide. The top 12 cm of the neck is used for the pegs. The neck may be decorated with camel bone to improve its appearance and durability.

The wooden bridge is 5 to 6 cm long and less than 1 cm tall. It has shallow grooves to hold the strings. After passing over the bridge, the strings are attached to the wire holder. The neck has frets made from thin threads of animal intestine or silk. These threads are tied in groups of 3 or 4 across the neck. They divide the neck into sections, helping the musician locate notes. There are 26 frets in total, with one located at the nut and not used to create a note.

Characteristics

The setar is part of the tanbur family. Today, it is very similar to the tar, sharing the same neck, number of frets, and tuning system.

The setar has a pear-shaped body. This body is made from thin strips of mulberrywood, which are glued together to form a bowl shape. Alternatively, the bowl can be carved from a single block of wood. The bowl is about 25 centimeters long, 15 centimeters wide at its widest point, and 15 centimeters deep.

The neck of the instrument is long and narrow. It is long enough to hold a string that is 62 to 70 centimeters long (excluding the part that passes over the bowl). The neck has gut strings wrapped around it, which act as frets. These frets can be moved to change the notes the musician plays. Some sources say there are between 25 and 27 frets, while others mention between 22 and 28 frets, depending on the musician’s preference.

The instrument has four strings. From top to bottom, the strings are: (4) a bass string, (3) a drone string, (2) a yellow string, and (1) a silver string. The top two strings, called "bam," are played together as a pair. The other two strings are known as the gold string and the silver string. The silver string is used to play melodies.

Historically, the setar had only three strings: the (4) bass string, the (2) yellow string, and the (1) silver string. Later, a fourth string was added. This change was suggested by scholars such as Abu Nasr al-Farabi, Abu Ali Sina, Safi al-Din Ermavi, and Abul Hassan Khan Saba in the 20th century.

The fourth string is sometimes called the "fourth string" because it was the last to be added. It was placed between the yellow string and the bass string. On modern instruments, it is now the third string from the bottom, known as the (3) drone string. This string is also called the "Mushtaq" string, named after Mushtaq Ali Shah, according to a story shared by Abolhassan Saba.

Playing the setar

The setar is played while the musician sits, holding the instrument at a 45-degree angle on the right thigh. The left hand uses its fingers to press the frets, which are metal strips on the bottom string, to select notes. The right hand plays the setar, typically using only the index finger.

The right hand moves the index finger in a back-and-forth motion to create sound. This method is different from tanburs, which are plucked using multiple fingers or a homemade plectrum made from materials like plastic, quills, or razor blades.

In more complex music, the left hand may use the index, middle, ring, and sometimes the little finger to press notes on the white string. The right hand may also use the thumb to pluck the bass strings.

Tuning the setar

The instrument is usually tuned using the notes C, C', G, and C' in Helmholtz pitch notation.

The strings can be tuned in different ways to match the musical style or a singer's voice.

A simple example of one tuning pattern, written in scientific pitch notation from top to bottom, is: C3, C4, G3, C4. The lowest two strings (C3 and C4) are played together as a group. These are the bass string (made of bronze or phosphor-bronze) and the drone string (made of steel). The highest two strings are the "yellow" G3 (bronze or phosphor-bronze) and the "white" C4 (steel).

Players adjust the tuning of the setar's strings and also move the gut or nylon frets tied around the neck. These frets can be shifted to make notes closer or farther apart. The instrument is designed to play microtones, which are pitches between standard Western notes on a piano.

A Koron lowers a pitch by a quarter step, and a Sori raises a pitch by a quarter step.

The strings are tuned to fit the tonal requirements of Dastgâh.

The instrument's four strings are not always set to the same pitch. Tones are not fixed (unless playing with instruments like Western ones that have unchangeable, standardized pitches). Instead, the strings are tuned in relation to each other, showing how one string sounds compared to the first.

A table can help position the moveable frets on the instrument's neck. These frets are made of tied string. The measurements in the table were taken from an instrument with a scale length of 66 centimeters, measured from the top nut to the bottom bridge.

The table lists the names and examples of notes for a string set tuned to C.

The instrument includes microtones. In Western music, the scale is made of whole tones and half tones. In Persian music, there are also quarter tones, called Koron or Sori. Koron means a note that is 1/4 step lower, and Sori means a note that is 1/4 step higher.

For example, in the photo, there is an E4, an E4 flat, and between them an E4 Koron. Between F4 and F4 sharp is the F4 Sori.

The setar in recorded media

The setar was first recorded for the Gramophone Company during the winter of 1888-1889 (1306 AH) by Arthur James Twain. He recorded singer Batool Rezaei, who was known as Banoo Machol Parvaneh and was the mother of Khatereh Parvaneh, playing the setar. She was accompanied by Habibollah Samaei on the santur, Ghavam Al-Sultan on the tar, and Agha Mehdi Navai on the ney. Joey Walker, a member of the Australian psychedelic rock band King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, played the setar in several songs, especially on the 2016 album Nonagon Infinity.

Notable setarists

• Mirza Abdollah
• Hossein Alizadeh
• Ahmad Ebadi
• Sa'id Hormozi
• Kayhan Kalhor
• Mohammad-Reza Lotfi
• Hamid Motebassem
• Abolhasan Saba
• Dariush Safvat
• Dariush Talai
• Jalal Zolfonun
• Keivan Saket