the.com/tanpura
the four strings that hum forever so a raga never forgets where home is
means A long-necked, fretless Indian string instrument, usually with four (sometimes more) strings, played in a continuous looping drone to provide the tonal foundation for a raga performance.
from From Hindi/Urdu tanpura, also tambura, a name shared across South Asia for drone instruments. The 'tambura' family of words travels widely — related forms turn up in Persian, Arabic, Turkish and beyond — and many trace it back to the ancient Greek pandoura, a name for a long-necked lute, though the exact route of borrowing is debated. Whatever the path, the instrument and its name settled deep into the Indian musical tradition, where the tanpura became the ever-present hum beneath the melody.
- no melody
- It plays no tune, only a sustained sonic floor
- buzz by design
- A cotton thread under strings creates its shimmering drone
- overtone factory
- One pluck releases dozens of audible harmonics
- gourd body
- Traditionally built from a dried hollowed pumpkin
- meditative anchor
- Drone tunes the singer's ear and nerves alike
ravi shankar's tanpura — the sitar master's signature instrument used in thousands of raag performances from 1950s onward
mohan veena tanpura variant — slide guitar created by hari prasad chaurasia that incorporates tanpura-like sympathetic strings, india
vilayat khan's tanpura — legendary sitar player whose tanpura accompaniment defined lucknow gharana sound since 1930s