Sarod
(सरोद)A fretless plucked lute from North India, the sarod spans three octaves on a steel fingerboard with 19 to 25 strings, played in Hindustani music with a coconut-shell plectrum.
£800 - £5,000
Student sarods from established Indian makers start around £800, and professional concert instruments from master workshops in Kolkata or Gwalior cost £2,000 to £5,000. Compare designs too: count the melody, drone, chikari and sympathetic strings, since layouts differ by maker and lineage.
Explore the discipline
Meet the musical tradition, its practitioners and ways to learn.
History & Origins
What is a sarod?
The sarod is the fretless plucked lute of Hindustani classical music, and ours suits the serious student and the performer. A goatskin belly covers a carved teak bowl, and the player stops the strings on a polished steel fingerboard, for a clean, bell-like tone with a sharp attack and long decay. With no frets, meend (continuous slides) runs the whole fingerboard. A sarod carries 19 to 25 strings: four or five melody strings, drone and chikari strings, and up to 15 sympathetic strings, the tarab, tuned to the raga and ringing as the melody sounds. The right hand plucks with the java, a triangular coconut-shell plectrum. The left stops the strings with fingernails or fingertips, by school; nails on steel give the ringing tone. Where the java strikes, near or far from the bridge, moves the tone from warm to cutting. Down- and upstrokes with pull-offs give its articulation; nail angle and pressure set the pitch, and tabla players track where each meend lands, a fraction off the beat. In drut gat its gamak and fast meend carry the rhythmic weight.
The sarod grew from the Afghan rabab. The Senia Bangash and Lucknow-Shahjahanpur lines shaped it in the 19th century, and in the 20th Hafiz Ali Khan (1888–1972) and Allauddin Khan (c. 1862–1972) of Maihar fixed its classical form. Amaan and Ayaan Ali Bangash carry on the Senia Bangash line of their father Amjad Ali Khan.
The sarod's ancestry runs through the Afghan rabab, a short-necked lute played across Central Asia, Afghanistan and the Pashtun belt in folk, court and devotional contexts. Afghan musicians arrived at the Mughal court from the 18th century, bringing the rabab with them. Ghulam Bandagi Khan Bangash settled in Lucknow in the late 18th century and adapted the instrument for Hindustani classical performance: he removed the gut frets, fitted a smooth steel fingerboard, added sympathetic strings and deepened the resonating bowl. His son Ghulam Ali Khan Bangash continued the refinement. These adaptations produced the instrument that their descendants carried into the 19th century as the Senia Bangash gharana.
Two figures of the 20th century fixed the sarod's classical form. Hafiz Ali Khan (1888–1972) trained in the Bangash lineage and built the formal repertoire of alap, jor and gat compositions. Allauddin Khan (c. 1862–1972) reconstructed the instrument with a larger teak body, a wider fingerboard and an expanded sympathetic string set, which increased projection and sustain. He trained a generation of musicians at Maihar: his son Ali Akbar Khan and son-in-law Ravi Shankar both performed in Europe and North America from the 1950s. The sarod became one of the first Hindustani instruments known abroad. The Maihar gharana, Allauddin Khan's teaching lineage, remains the dominant tradition in contemporary sarod performance.
Amjad Ali Khan, the son of Hafiz Ali Khan, has given the instrument its widest public profile in the post-independence period. His recordings, television appearances and concerts across India and abroad from the 1970s made the sarod a headline instrument at Hindustani concerts. His sons Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash also perform on sarod; the Bangash family line on the instrument now spans six generations. Aashish Khan, Ali Akbar Khan's son, continued the Maihar tradition; Partho Sarothy extended the sarod into jazz and world music collaborations from the 1990s.
Construction & Craftsmanship
Construction Process
Makers carve the sarod from a single block of teak (Tectona grandis) or tun (Toona ciliata); most are teak, whose density and grain give a warm, focused, projecting tone, and some makers use mulberry. A narrow upper section carries the neck and a deeper lower bowl forms the resonator, covered by stretched goatskin as the soundboard. Most makers work in Kolkata, where goatskins are easy to find.
The steel fingerboard is polished to a mirror so nails slide without catching. Four or five metal-wound melody strings, with a bronze lowest string on some, run over a bone or ivory bridge to the tailpiece. Chikari drone strings sit higher on the right, tuned to tonic and fifth; sympathetic strings pass through holes in the bridge and run beneath, each tuned to a note of the raga, 19 to 25 strings in all.
The java plectrum is a rounded triangle of coconut shell, or ebony, horn, bone or Delrin, held between thumb and index finger. Players who stop with the nails grow them to length, file them to a smooth curve and keep them free of chips, since a chipped nail breaks meend.
Maintenance & Care
- Tuning: Tune every string before each session with a chromatic tuner and peg key; the fine sympathetic strings go sharp in dry air and take time, so build them into your routine.
- Goatskin: The teak takes heat and cold; the goatskin does not. Keep the skin away from damp and sudden humidity swings; a wet skin goes slack. After humid playing, rest the sarod face-up in a dry room. In dry weather a thin wipe of coconut oil along the edge, not the centre, keeps it supple.
- Fingerboard: Wipe it dry after each session, as rust forms in humid weather and drags the nail; never use water or solvent. Lift light rust with fine steel wool, then a light coat of camellia oil.
- Nails: File the stopping nails every two to three days to a smooth, even curve; guitarists' nail hardeners help.
- Storage: Use a hard case with the neck supported, never a car in sun or cold, and keep the sympathetic strings at tension so the bridge and string alignment stay true.
Technical Specifications
Detailed specifications for the Sarod
Physical dimensions
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Body length | 95–105 cm |
| Body width (lower bout) | 28–32 cm |
| Neck length | 50–55 cm |
| Fingerboard length | 48–52 cm |
| Weight | 2–3 kg |
Body & construction
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Body wood | Teak (Tectona grandis) or tun wood; some makers use mulberry |
| Construction method | Carved single block with separate resonator bowl |
| Resonator covering | Stretched goatskin membrane |
| Fingerboard material | Polished steel |
| Surface finish | Lacquered wood and metal fittings |
String system
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Main playing strings | 4–5 (steel wound with metal) |
| Drone strings (chikari) | 4–5 |
| Sympathetic strings (tarab) | 10–15 |
| Total strings | 19–25 |
| String material | Wound metal (main), with a bronze lowest string on some sarods; plain steel (sympathetic) |
Playing equipment
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Plectrum name | Java (javaa) |
| Plectrum material | Coconut shell; also ebony, horn, bone or Delrin |
| Left-hand technique | Fingernail or fingertip press on the steel fingerboard, by school |
| Fingernail requirement | Ring and index finger nails grown, filed and hardened; stopping fingers vary by player |
| Playing position | Seated cross-legged; instrument across the lap, neck to the left |
Acoustic characteristics
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Tonal character | Sharp attack, warm resonant sustain (sympathetic strings) |
| Sustain | Medium to long (sympathetic string resonance) |
| Meend capacity | Full (fretless fingerboard allows continuous pitch slide) |
| Dynamic range | Whisper to full projection |
| Projection | High (concert hall volume without amplification) |
Available Instruments
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Contact for Custom OrderYour Journey to Sarod Mastery
Follow this structured path from absolute beginner to accomplished performer
Posture, plectrum grip and basic strokes
Beginners join KalaSudha's courses here, at Foundation level. Sit cross-legged with the sarod across the lap, neck to the left, as your teacher sets it; a 19th-century V&A label shows the wide end on the right thigh. Grip the java, the coconut-shell plectrum, between thumb and the side of the index finger, and practise slow downstrokes and upstrokes until each is even.
Fingerboard navigation and nail technique
Meend and gamak ornaments
Raga development and composition
Performance practice: alap to drut gat
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the sarod, and where does it come from?
The sarod is a fretless plucked lute of Hindustani classical music, classed by museums as a necked bowl lute. A goatskin belly covers the face of a wooden bowl, usually teak, and the player stops the strings on a smooth metal fingerboard. Its immediate precursor is the Afghan rabab, carried into North India by Pashtun musicians.
How can a beginner, a child or an adult returning after a long break start learning the sarod?
You can learn the sarod with KalaSudha online and in workshops, starting at Foundation level. That first stage teaches your posture and the grip on the java, the coconut-shell plectrum, with slow, even strokes. Children learn with us as well as adults: ask us about a starting age, and about a sarod size for a younger learner.
After a long break, our courses let you start again where you left off, because they run in levels. Your teacher reviews where you stand first.
What materials is a sarod made from?
Most sarods have a teak body, and some are made of mulberry. Goatskin stretched across the face of the bowl forms the belly. The fingerboard is a metal plate, polished stainless steel or chrome- or nickel-plated cast steel, and bone serves for the bridge on one museum example. The triangular plectrum, the java, is most often coconut shell.
How long and how heavy is a sarod?
Catalogued sarods measure from 84.4 cm to 108 cm long and about 24.5 to 29 cm wide. A Kolkata sarod of 1877 measures 84.4 cm and weighs 2.7 kg, while the V&A's Varanasi sarod of about 1850 measures 96 cm. A modern Kolkata instrument in Berlin measures 108 cm and weighs 5.04 kg.
How many strings does a sarod have, and how are they arranged?
A conventional sarod carries 17 to 25 strings, and the larger Maihar design carries 25. Amjad Ali Khan's sarod has four melody strings, usually tuned doh, fa, doh, mi, with the lowest in bronze, plus two drone strings, two chikari strings and 11 sympathetic strings. Other players use more sympathetic strings.
How is the sarod held and played?
The sarod player plucks with a triangular plectrum, the java or jaba, most often of coconut shell. The V&A describes the seated position: the instrument held in front of the body with its wide end resting on the right thigh. The smooth metal fingerboard lets the player slide across many notes, which a fretted instrument such as the rabab cannot do.
Who are some of the best-known sarod players?
Ali Akbar Khan (1922 to 2009) trained on the sarod with his father from childhood, and in 1955 visited the United States at Yehudi Menuhin's invitation. Amjad Ali Khan, born in Gwalior in 1945, is the son and pupil of Hafiz Ali Khan and describes himself as the sixth generation of sarod players in his family. His sons Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash are the seventh.
Who invented the sarod, and when?
The origin of the sarod is contested. The Bangash family says Ghulam Ali Khan Bangash, a Gwalior court musician, transformed the Afghan rabab his grandfather had brought to India. Amjad Ali Khan says his forefathers replaced the rabab's fretted wooden neck with a steel fingerboard and its gut strings with steel. A V&A sarod made in Varanasi about 1850 shows the name was in use by the mid-19th century.
How does the Maihar sarod differ from a conventional sarod?
The Maihar sarod is a larger design with 25 strings, usually tuned to C. The conventional sarod carries 17 to 25 strings and is usually tuned to B. A third design, from the school of Radhika Mohan Maitra, may carry a second resonator. All three keep the goatskin belly and the smooth metal fingerboard.
How does the sarod differ from the Afghan rabab?
The Afghan rabab is the immediate precursor of the sarod, carried into North India by Pashtun musicians. The rabab has a fretted wooden neck; in Amjad Ali Khan's account, his forefathers replaced it with a smooth steel fingerboard and changed gut strings for steel. That fingerboard lets a sarod player slide across many notes, which the fretted rabab cannot do.
Which type of sarod should I buy?
When buying a sarod, choose the design first. The conventional sarod carries 17 to 25 strings and is usually tuned to B. The Maihar design is larger, with 25 strings, usually tuned to C, and instruments of Radhika Mohan Maitra's school may carry a second resonator. Most sarod makers work in Kolkata, where goatskins are readily available.
Where can I buy a sarod outside India, with international shipping, strings and repair or service after the sale?
KalaSudha sells the sarod worldwide, by quote or made to order, so you can buy one outside India and have it delivered. Your sarod leaves us packed for international shipping, and we can advise on cases and insurance.
We service and repair any sarod, wherever you bought it and wherever you live. Strings and spare parts come from us as well. For help with your sarod after the sale, use the chat on any page or email [email protected]. Ask us also about gift vouchers or class sets for schools, and about a flight case for travel.
How do I book a sarod player for a concert, a private event or a recording session?
Yes, you can book a sarod player through KalaSudha for a concert, event or recording. Send your request through our page to book Indian classical musicians. To hear our artists before you book, browse KalaSudha's recordings and concert videos.
Have more questions? Contact our support team and we'll be happy to help!
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