---
url: 'https://kalasudha.com/en-int/faq/instruments-artforms/what-music-do-surbahar-players-perform'
title: 'What music do surbahar players perform?'
author:
  name: rajeevk
  url: 'https://kalasudha.com/en-int/user/fce96177fd193d3a'
date: '2026-10-19T15:02:46+00:00'
type: website
summary: 'Surbahar players perform alap, jor and jhala in the dhrupad-derived style, sometimes followed by a slow dhrupad composition with pakhawaj.'
tags:
  - 'Instruments & artforms'
image: 'https://kalasudha.com/themes/custom/music_agency/assets/icon/logo.svg'
published: true
og:
  site_name: KalaSudha
  'image:url': 'https://kalasudha.com/themes/custom/music_agency/assets/icon/logo.svg'
  'image:secure_url': 'https://kalasudha.com/themes/custom/music_agency/assets/icon/logo.svg'
  'image:type': image/svg+xml
  'image:alt': KalaSudha
---
 

 FAQ · Instruments & artforms

# What music do surbahar players perform?

 Updated 19 October 2026

 

The **[surbahar](/en-int/instrument/surbahar)**'s core repertoire is alap, jor and jhala in the dhrupad-derived style, and a player may follow with a slow dhrupad composition accompanied by pakhawaj. In the Imdad Khan family, musicians played a rudra-veena-style alap on surbahar and then the composed bandishes on sitar. In Annapurna Devi's gharana the surbahar was used for alap-jod-jhala, occasionally with tar paran and dhrupad compositions.



 

 Was this answer helpful? [  ](/en-int/user/login?flag_anon=faq_helpful-871&destination=/en-int/faq/instruments-artforms/what-music-do-surbahar-players-perform)

 [  ](/en-int/user/login?flag_anon=faq_not_helpful-871&destination=/en-int/faq/instruments-artforms/what-music-do-surbahar-players-perform)

 

 Thanks for your feedback!

 

 

## Related pages

 1 page mentions this question

 

 

###  Instruments (1) 

- [   Surbahar A large bass sitar from 19th-century Lucknow, the surbahar specialises in dhrupad-style alap, with deep, sustained tones from a flat-cut gourd, wide frets and…     ](/en-int/instrument/surbahar)
 
  

 

 

   [     Previous question What kind of tabla should a beginner buy?  ](/en-int/faq/instruments-artforms/what-kind-of-tabla-should-a-beginner-buy) [  Next question What paste goes on the left head of the mridangam?     ](/en-int/faq/instruments-artforms/what-paste-goes-on-the-left-head-of-the-mridangam)