What should I look for when buying a student or professional sarod?

Once you have chosen the design, compare a student and a professional sarod by the body wood and the steel fingerboard. Songlines magazine reports Amjad Ali Khan's view that teak gives the sarod a fuller, richer sound. The fingerboard should be smooth, polished steel, because the left hand slides along it, stopping the strings with nail or fingertip.

Professional sarods come from master workshops in Kolkata and Gwalior, and student sarods from established Indian makers. KalaSudha sells both. Ours suit the serious student and the performer: ask us for a quote, or for a sarod made to order.