FAQ · Instruments & artforms

How is a sitar tuned?

Updated

A sitar has no fixed pitch for Sa, the tonic, so the player sets it; Grinnell's example sets Sa at C4. The main playing string (baaj) is tuned to Ma, a fourth above Sa, and the second string (jod) to Sa. The sympathetic strings run beneath the frets and are tuned to the notes of the raga.

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