Sarinda

What is Sarinda?

It can be compared to the Lute type of instrument, with strings and is used in the olden conventional Folk Musics. One can see a Sarinda, is with say has many strings numbering around say thirty or so ad we can play it with a bow.  How is it made?  The lower portion of a Sarinda contains an empty sound box made of wood which is covered with an animal fur and the best posture to play a Sarinda is to sit on the floor in a vertical position and play .

Main areas where we find Sarinda are Northern parts of India, Pakistan and also Nepal.  It can best be compared to Sarangi another famous Indian instrument, rather than being given a separate identity and status as an instrument.  Possibly only thing which differentiates it from Sarangi is its shape.  That is to say Sarinda is round shaped whereas a Sarangi is of square type, also there is some variation in the neck shape of these two instruments.

How did Sarinda Originate?

DHODROBANAM  is an instrument which can be seen in Central, north Western and eastern India, and thus, Sarinda can be traced to this instrument.  Tribal Santhals of West Bengal, Bihar and Orissa States, popularly use this DHODROBANAM in their daily religious functions and thus we can say that Sarangi finds its root in Sarinda.  It is pertinent to add that Sikh Guru Arjan Dev successfully brought the usage of Sarinda in his  Sikh Devotional music.

To quote, racial groups of Bauls of Bengal, who are the famous folk artists of Rajasthan, Assam and Tripura, have used Sarida in their conventional dance and one can find Sarinda being used as a single instrument in Solo or Folk singing events. 

How a Sarinda is designed?

The strings called TAR are used in a Sarinda which The number and function of the strings (known as "Tar") are differently used, however a simple Sarinda has only one string.  Normally we can also find a Sarinda containing three or four strings which are bent, out of which the main is named as BAJ TAR, where as the other strings will function as humming accomplishment.  Also, the other strings are helpful in stretching the instrument, to the bottom level.  Like a Sarangi, certain strings are mildly used, and have no occasion to be bowed any time.   One can conclude that unlike Sarangi, Sarinda is a simple instrument, with less manipulations, also the sympathetic strings would only be very few.

Positions to Play a Sarinda

The best posture to play a Sarinda would be to sit with legs duly crossed, sit on the floor and place the instrument in the chest area.   Managing the left hand while playing the instrument, and also adjusting the bow to bring sync in the overall playing of the instrument is a tough proposition.  Three left hand fingers are uniformly used and in contrast to other instruments which are played through a bow, the left hand finger nails and the string together generate sound.  It is to be noted that the tips of one’s fingers do not play any role, as is the case in other instruments, which are played using a bow.

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