--- url: 'https://kalasudha.com/en-int/instrument/indian-slide-guitar' title: 'Indian Slide Guitar' author: name: drupler url: 'https://kalasudha.com/en-int/user/1' date: '2023-07-03T22:33:31+00:00' updated: '2026-11-03T23:53:01+00:00' type: product summary: 'The Indian slide guitar is a lap-held guitar played with a slide and tuned for raga. Brij Bhushan Kabra brought it into raga music, and sympathetic strings…' tags: - Chordophones - 'Indian Slide Guitar' image: 'https://files.kalasudha.com/styles/d12_standard/public/2025-06/Slide-Guitar-Frets.jpg?h=d1cb525d&itok=boeNh249' published: true og: site_name: KalaSudha 'image:url': 'https://files.kalasudha.com/styles/d12_standard/public/2025-06/Slide-Guitar-Frets.jpg?h=d1cb525d&itok=boeNh249' 'image:secure_url': 'https://files.kalasudha.com/styles/d12_standard/public/2025-06/Slide-Guitar-Frets.jpg?h=d1cb525d&itok=boeNh249' 'image:type': image/jpeg 'image:width': '1200' 'image:height': '675' 'image:alt': Slide-Guitar --- Chordophones Chordophone / slide guitar Advanced India: early 20th-century adaptation of the Hawaiian steel guitar, in raga music from the 1960s Hindustani classical Fusion & world music # Indian Slide Guitar (भारतीय स्लाइड गिटार) The Indian slide guitar is a lap-held guitar played with a slide and tuned for raga. Brij Bhushan Kabra brought it into raga music, and sympathetic strings give it sustained resonance. Practitioners 1 Courses 2 Videos 6 Price Range £300 - £4,000 Entry-level adapted lap steel or resonator guitars for Indian slide technique cost £300 to £600. Specialist instruments with sympathetic strings cost £800 to £2,000. Custom concert instruments with sympathetic and drone strings, which we commission from specialist builders in India, cost £2,000 to £4,000. [ Request Quote ](/en-int/form/custom-instrument-quote?instrument_id=39) [ View Courses ](#courses-section) ## Explore the discipline Meet the musical tradition, its practitioners and ways to learn. - [ Indian Slide Guitar · Hindustani Classical ](/en-int/instrumental/hindustani-classical/indian-slide-guitar) ## History & Origins ### What is the Indian slide guitar? The **Indian slide guitar** is a guitar laid flat across the lap and played with a steel or glass slide, built to sing Hindustani raga, and ours suits students and concert players. The slide moves freely along the strings, so the player shapes **meend** (a glide between notes), gamak, andolan (a slow oscillation) and the microtones of raga, as the vichitra veena and sarangi do. Concert instruments add **sympathetic strings** (tarab), tuned to the raga and ringing whenever the player sounds one of their notes, plus plucked drone strings (chikari). Their ring gives alap, a raga's slow, free opening, its meditative air. A deep hollow body of teak or mahogany with a spruce or cedar top sustains the low notes; some add a resonator cone for volume. Built for sustain over portability, they outweigh standard guitars. High action of 5–8 mm and heavy strings (0.013–0.056 or 0.014–0.060) keep the slide clear of the frets. Designs differ in where the chikari sit: at the back, near the body, struck with the thumb, or at the front, played with the fingers. The largest carry about 22 strings in all. Drawing the slide across several strings gives chordal swells for drama. Hollow bodies want 45–55% relative humidity, against top cracks in dry weather and loose braces in the monsoon, and sympathetic strings drift with temperature, so retune them just before you play. The Hawaiian steel guitar reached India through gramophone records by Sol Hoopii and other Hawaiian players in the 1910s and 1920s; urban listeners heard them, and Indian musicians noted its pitch glides. From the 1930s Bombay and Calcutta film composers soon took up lap steel players for background scores, at first only as decoration. Its sighing, bending tone suited the romantic and devotional songs of Hindi film, on hundreds of recordings labelled "Hawaiian guitar". Pandit Brij Bhushan Kabra (1937–2018), a student of Ali Akbar Khan, brought it into Hindustani raga in the 1960s; his 1967 album *Call of the Valley* reached a wide audience. The mohan veena, an archtop with added sympathetic and drone strings, followed. [Pandit Debasis Chakroborty](/en-int/artist/debasis-chakroborty) is the senior-most disciple of Brij Bhushan Kabra, and his playing reflects Kabra's style. He also trained under Barun Kumar Pal and Jotin Bhattacharya, of the [Senia-Maihar gharana](/en-int/gharana/senia-maihar-gharana). He teaches on [Indian Slide Guitar](/en-int/course/indian-slide-guitar/debasis-chakroborty), a course KalaSudha designed in consultation with him. > " > > On the slide, the string does not merely vibrate; it speaks. The soul of the raga finds its voice in every glissando, and the silence between notes carries as much meaning as the sound itself. > > — Pandit Debasis Chakroborty > > Senior-most disciple of Brij Bhushan Kabra ## Construction & Craftsmanship ### Construction Process An Indian slide guitar has a **hollow or semi-hollow body** built for resonance. Teak or mahogany back and sides pair with a spruce or cedar top, 10–15 cm deep, deeper than a standard guitar. Modified X or ladder bracing is reinforced where the extra string sets bear down, and some bodies add a Dobro-style spun aluminium cone for projection. **High action** is built in: nut and saddle stand 5–8 mm above the fretboard, against 1.5–2.0 mm on a standard guitar, on bone or synthetic nuts and raised saddles. The frets act only as position markers; some necks are fretless, with scribed lines. On the largest designs a reinforced headstock carries 20 or more pegs. The **sympathetic strings** run in their own channel through small runners, which set their height and spacing, to secondary pegs and a separate tailpiece, clear of the slide. On the mohan veena their tuners sit on the side of the neck, with a gourd behind it. Their pull adds load that the bracing must carry. Kolkata luthier Bhaba Sindhu Biswas, of the Concord workshop, built instruments for Barun Kumar Pal and other slide guitarists. ### Maintenance & Care - **Slides:** Check glass slides for rim chips, which cause string noise. Polish metal slides with a dry cloth after each session and keep them in a padded pouch. Many players keep lighter glass for alap and heavier steel for fast jor. - **Sympathetic strings:** Change them once they sound dull, often within two to three weeks in humid weather. Retune them at the start of each session and whenever you change raga. Replace a runner when its groove is deeper than the string, and oil metal contact points lightly. - **Humidity:** Keep 45–55% relative humidity year-round, with a soundhole humidifier in dry months and silica gel in the case in the monsoon. A rise behind the bridge means damp is loosening the braces; a sink below it means the top is drying. Both need repair: bring the instrument to us. - **Storage:** Store the instrument flat on a padded support; standing upright, the string sets pull the headstock forward. ### Quick Facts Category Chordophones Family Chordophone / slide guitar Difficulty Advanced Origin India: early 20th-century adaptation of the Hawaiian steel guitar, in raga music from the 1960s Classification Chordophone: slide guitar String count 6 main playing strings (3 to 7 by design); up to 14 sympathetic and drone strings, and about 22 in all on the largest designs Slide material Glass (borosilicate) or metal (steel, brass, chrome); the steel bar is the usual Hindustani choice, and the material shapes tone and sustain Key figures Pandit Brij Bhushan Kabra (pioneer); Pandit Debasis Chakroborty, Kabra's senior-most disciple; Barun Kumar Pal. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, a renowned player with his own style, plays the mohan veena he designed. Sympathetic strings Unstruck tarab strings tuned to the raga that ring in resonance, enriching sustain and harmonic colour Origin Hawaiian steel guitar, adapted in India from the early 20th century; in raga music from the 1960s, with purpose-built classical designs from the 1970s ### Price Range £300 - £4,000 Entry-level adapted lap steel or resonator guitars for Indian slide technique cost £300 to £600. Specialist instruments with sympathetic strings cost £800 to £2,000. Custom concert instruments with sympathetic and drone strings, which we commission from specialist builders in India, cost £2,000 to £4,000. [ Request Quote ](/en-int/form/custom-instrument-quote?instrument_id=39) ### Statistics Practitioners 1 Courses 2 Videos 6 ## Technical Specifications Detailed specifications for the Indian Slide Guitar Physical dimensions Body and resonator Slide & fret setup String configuration Acoustic characteristics Physical dimensions Physical dimensions specifications | Specification | Value | |---|---| | Overall length | 1000–1100 mm (varies by instrument type) | | Body length | 500–540 mm | | Body depth | 100–150 mm (deeper than standard guitar) | | Body width | 380–420 mm | | Total weight | 3–6 kg | Body and resonator Body and resonator specifications | Specification | Value | |---|---| | Top plate | Spruce or cedar | | Back & sides | Teak or mahogany | | Internal bracing | Modified X or ladder pattern, reinforced at multi-string stress points | | Resonator type | Optional Dobro-style spun aluminium cone; a gourd behind the neck on the mohan veena | | Surface finish | Lacquer or oil | Slide & fret setup Slide & fret setup specifications | Specification | Value | |---|---| | Action height (12th fret) | 5–8 mm | | Nut material | Bone or dense synthetic | | Nut height | Custom-raised (5–8 mm string clearance) | | Fret function | Position markers only; the slide does not press to the fretboard, and some necks are fretless | | Slide material | Glass (borosilicate) or metal (steel, brass, chrome); the steel bar is most common | String configuration String configuration specifications | Specification | Value | |---|---| | Main playing strings | 6 (heavy gauge); 3 to 7 by instrument | | Main string gauges | 0.013–0.056 or 0.014–0.060 | | Sympathetic string count | 8–14 (varies by instrument; 12 on the mohan veena) | | Sympathetic string gauges | 0.008–0.011 | | Drone strings | 2–5 by design (4 to 5 chikari on the mohan veena) | Acoustic characteristics Acoustic characteristics specifications | Specification | Value | |---|---| | Frequency range | ~82 Hz–5 kHz (playing strings) | | Sustain | 4–8 seconds with resonator; 6–12 seconds with sympathetic strings | | Sympathetic resonance | Ambient harmonic shimmer tuned to raga scale | | Tonal character | Warm, sliding, vocal; open-body construction enriches bass | | Amplification | Acoustic or piezo pickup (under saddle or through resonator) | ## Available Instruments Browse our curated selection of Indian Slide Guitars Showing 1 instruments ### Indian Slide Guitar £300.00 [ Request Quote ](/en-int/form/custom-instrument-quote?instrument_id=39&product_id=32) [Get Details](/en-int/product/32) ### Looking for Something Unique? Contact us for custom-made instruments tailored to your specific requirements [ Contact for Custom Order ](/en-int/form/custom-instrument-quote?instrument_id=39) ## Your Journey to Indian Slide Guitar Mastery Follow this structured path from absolute beginner to accomplished performer 1 ### Slide technique, posture and open tuning Beginners start here: Foundation is the first level of KalaSudha's [courses](/en-int/courses). Sit with the instrument flat across your lap. Hold the slide parallel to the frets and set it directly above the fret wire for true intonation, plucking with fingerpicks on three or four fingers. Take an open drone tuning from your teacher, such as open D or open G (Kabra tuned D-A-D-A), and move between scale positions without buzzing. 20% 2 ### Scale and gamaka practice Map Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni onto your tuning. Practise meend, a sustained glide, across a second, a third and a fourth. Develop andolan, a slow oscillation, by rocking the slide within a narrow range, then add gamak, a forceful oscillation, as your control grows. 40% 3 ### Raga alap Tune the sympathetic strings to one raga and play a free-time alap, bringing in its notes in order and stressing the vadi and samvadi, its two most important notes. Let the sympathetic strings sustain the atmosphere between phrases, and resolve each phrase cleanly before the next. 60% 4 ### Compositions in taal Learn at least two gat compositions in teentaal, a 16-beat cycle, and one in ektaal, and play them with tabla. Keep the rhythm exact where the slide covers large intervals fast, and practise the move from alap through jor to gat without losing the raga's character. 80% 5 ### Concert repertoire Build a concert programme of 45 to 90 minutes with a morning and an evening raga, sustaining alap for 20 minutes before rhythm enters. Study [Pandit Brij Bhushan Kabra](/en-int/legendary-masters/brij-bhushan-kabra)'s *Call of the Valley* (1967), which reached a wide audience and which Premier Guitar calls perhaps the first studio recording of Hindustani slide guitar. Listen for phrasing and the balance of melody and resonance. 100% ## Media Gallery Watch performances, see details, and explore the Indian Slide Guitar in action [ Live Performance 4:38 ### Meditative State \| Dhun \| Raag Charukeshi \| Pt. Debasis Chakroborty 5 months ago ](/en-int/video/meditative-state-dhun-raag-charukeshi-pt-debasis-chakroborty) [ Live Performance 5:20 ### Raag Miyan ki Malhar \| Jhaptaal \| Slide Guitar & Tabla \| Debasis Chakroborty, Akram Khan \| KalaSudha 6 months ago ](/en-int/video/raag-miyan-ki-malhar-jhaptaal-slide-guitar-tabla-debasis-chakroborty-akram-khan-kalasudha) [ Live Performance 8:08 ### Awakening \| Raag Bhairavi \| Pt. Debasis Chakroborty \| Slide Guitar Live at Hoxton \| KalaSudha 6 months ago ](/en-int/video/awakening-raag-bhairavi-pt-debasis-chakroborty-slide-guitar-live-at-hoxton-kalasudha) [ Live Performance 13:46 ### Raag Madhuvanti Alaap \| Debasis Chakroborty & Giuliano Modarelli 7 months ago ](/en-int/video/raag-madhuvanti-alaap-debasis-chakroborty-giuliano-modarelli) [ Live Performance 10:24 ### Raag Bhairavi \| Trinity Trio \| Live at Kala Festival 2025, Cambridge 8 months ago ](/en-int/video/raag-bhairavi-trinity-trio-live-at-kala-festival-2025-cambridge) [ Live Performance 8:50 ### Raga Unison \| Indian Slide Guitar & Guitar \| Debasis Chakroborty & Giuliano Modarelli \| Edinburgh 9 months ago ](/en-int/video/raga-unison-indian-slide-guitar-guitar-debasis-chakroborty-giuliano-modarelli-edinburgh) #### Pagination 1 [ Next ›› ](/en-int/markdownify/node/39?page=1 "Go to next page") ## Featured Artists Renowned Indian Slide Guitar players and performers ## [Debasis Chakroborty ](/en-int/artist/debasis-chakroborty) Pandit Debasis Chakroborty, an Indian slide guitarist of the Senia-Maihar gharana, is the senior-most disciple of Pandit Brij Bhushan Kabra, and his playing reflects Kabra's style. Indian Slide Guitar Senia-Maihar Gharana [ ](https://www.facebook.com/DebasisGuitar "Facebook") [ ](https://www.instagram.com/debasis.chakroborty/ "Instagram") [ ](https://x.com/debasisguitar "Twitter") ## Learning Courses Master the Indian Slide Guitar with expert-led courses ### [Indian Slide Guitar ](/en-int/course/indian-slide-guitar) Indian slide guitar course online with Foundation, Intermediate and Advanced levels. Follow a shared core and teacher-set topics across nine modules. [ Learn More ](/en-int/course/indian-slide-guitar) ### [भारतीय स्लाइड गिटार ](/hi-int/course/indian-slide-guitar) फाउंडेशन, इंटरमीडिएट और एडवांस्ड स्तरों वाला ऑनलाइन भारतीय स्लाइड गिटार कोर्स। नौ मॉड्यूलों में साझा मूल विषयों और शिक्षक के तय किए विषयों पर चलें। [ Learn More ](/hi-int/course/indian-slide-guitar) ## Notable Practitioners Legends who shaped the Indian Slide Guitar tradition [ ### Brij Bhushan Kabra 1937–2018 Pandit Brij Bhushan Kabra (1937–2018) adapted the slide guitar to Hindustani raga. A disciple of Ali Akbar Khan, he recorded Call of the Valley in 1967. ](/en-int/legendary-masters/brij-bhushan-kabra) ## Past Events Browse our archive of past performances [ ](/en-int/event/rhythms-of-india-kalasudhas-cultural-odyssey-1) ### [ Rhythms of India: KalaSudha's Cultural Odyssey (#1) ](/en-int/event/rhythms-of-india-kalasudhas-cultural-odyssey-1) Date SAT, MAY 6 Time 6:30 PM - DC [Debasis Chakroborty](/en-int/artist/debasis-chakroborty) **Britannia Village Hall** Early Bird [ View Details ](/en-int/event/rhythms-of-india-kalasudhas-cultural-odyssey-1) [ ](/en-int/event/music-without-boundaries-debasis-chakroborty-deepak-shah-durjay-bhaumik) ### [ Music Without Boundaries ](/en-int/event/music-without-boundaries-debasis-chakroborty-deepak-shah-durjay-bhaumik) Date THU, AUG 17 Time 7:30 PM - DC [Debasis Chakroborty](/en-int/artist/debasis-chakroborty) • - DS [Deepak Shah](/en-int/artist/deepak-shah) • - DB [Durjay Bhaumik](/en-int/artist/durjay-bhaumik) • - DL [Dr Lovely Sharma](/en-int/artist/dr-lovely-sharma) **West Road Concert Hall** Early Bird [ View Details ](/en-int/event/music-without-boundaries-debasis-chakroborty-deepak-shah-durjay-bhaumik) [ ](/en-int/event/concert-for-harmony-and-peace-debasis-chakroborty-deepak-shah-durjay-bhaumik) ### [ Concert for Harmony & Peace ](/en-int/event/concert-for-harmony-and-peace-debasis-chakroborty-deepak-shah-durjay-bhaumik) Date SAT, AUG 19 Time 8:00 PM - DC [Debasis Chakroborty](/en-int/artist/debasis-chakroborty) • - DS [Deepak Shah](/en-int/artist/deepak-shah) • - DB [Durjay Bhaumik](/en-int/artist/durjay-bhaumik) • - DL [Dr Lovely Sharma](/en-int/artist/dr-lovely-sharma) **The Bhavan** Early Bird [ View Details ](/en-int/event/concert-for-harmony-and-peace-debasis-chakroborty-deepak-shah-durjay-bhaumik) [ ](/en-int/event/instrumental-journey-through-nature-debasis-chakroborty-deepak-shah-durjay-bhaumik) ### [ An Instrumental Journey Through the Nature ](/en-int/event/instrumental-journey-through-nature-debasis-chakroborty-deepak-shah-durjay-bhaumik) Date WED, AUG 23 Time 8:00 PM - DC [Debasis Chakroborty](/en-int/artist/debasis-chakroborty) • - DS [Deepak Shah](/en-int/artist/deepak-shah) • - DB [Durjay Bhaumik](/en-int/artist/durjay-bhaumik) • - DL [Dr Lovely Sharma](/en-int/artist/dr-lovely-sharma) **Norden Farm Centre for the Arts** Early Bird [ View Details ](/en-int/event/instrumental-journey-through-nature-debasis-chakroborty-deepak-shah-durjay-bhaumik) [ ](/en-int/event/trinity-trio-debasis-chakroborty-deepak-shah-durjay-bhaumik-darlington-trust-hall) ### [ Trinity Trio: Debasis Chakroborty, Deepak Shah, and Durjay Bhaumik ](/en-int/event/trinity-trio-debasis-chakroborty-deepak-shah-durjay-bhaumik-darlington-trust-hall) Date SUN, AUG 27 Time 7:30 PM - DC [Debasis Chakroborty](/en-int/artist/debasis-chakroborty) • - DS [Deepak Shah](/en-int/artist/deepak-shah) • - DB [Durjay Bhaumik](/en-int/artist/durjay-bhaumik) **Dartington Trust Hall** Early Bird [ View Details ](/en-int/event/trinity-trio-debasis-chakroborty-deepak-shah-durjay-bhaumik-darlington-trust-hall) [ ](/en-int/event/echoes-of-tradition-indian-slide-guitar-tabla-instrumental-duet) ### [ Echoes of Tradition: Indian Slide Guitar, Tabla & Instrumental Duet ](/en-int/event/echoes-of-tradition-indian-slide-guitar-tabla-instrumental-duet) Date FRI, SEP 12 Time 6:30 PM - AK [Akram Khan](/en-int/artist/akram-khan) • - DC [Debasis Chakroborty](/en-int/artist/debasis-chakroborty) • - HK [Hanif Khan](/en-int/artist/hanif-khan) • - SP [Satwinder Pal Singh](/en-int/artist/satwinder-pal-singh) **The Bhavan** Early Bird [ View Details ](/en-int/event/echoes-of-tradition-indian-slide-guitar-tabla-instrumental-duet) [ ](/en-int/event/reading-raga-resonance-slide-guitar-piano-tabla-solo-splendour) ### [ Reading Raga Resonance: Slide Guitar, Piano & Tabla Solo Splendour ](/en-int/event/reading-raga-resonance-slide-guitar-piano-tabla-solo-splendour) Date SUN, SEP 14 Time 5:30 PM - AK [Akram Khan](/en-int/artist/akram-khan) • - DC [Debasis Chakroborty](/en-int/artist/debasis-chakroborty) • - DS [Deepak Shah](/en-int/artist/deepak-shah) • - HK [Hanif Khan](/en-int/artist/hanif-khan) • - SP [Satwinder Pal Singh](/en-int/artist/satwinder-pal-singh) **The Great Hall, Reading** Early Bird [ View Details ](/en-int/event/reading-raga-resonance-slide-guitar-piano-tabla-solo-splendour) [ ](/en-int/event/east-meet-west-pianist-raymond-yiu-deepak-shah-with-tabla-slide-guitar) ### [ East meet West: Pianist Raymond Yiu × Deepak Shah with Tabla & Slide Guitar ](/en-int/event/east-meet-west-pianist-raymond-yiu-deepak-shah-with-tabla-slide-guitar) Date WED, SEP 17 Time 7:00 PM - RY [Raymond Yiu](/en-int/artist/raymond-yiu) • - DS [Deepak Shah](/en-int/artist/deepak-shah) • - DC [Debasis Chakroborty](/en-int/artist/debasis-chakroborty) • - AK [Akram Khan](/en-int/artist/akram-khan) **Hoxton Hall** Early Bird [ View Details ](/en-int/event/east-meet-west-pianist-raymond-yiu-deepak-shah-with-tabla-slide-guitar) ## Frequently Asked Questions What is an Indian slide guitar, how is it played, and where can I learn it? The **Indian slide guitar** is a guitar laid flat across the lap and stopped with a steel bar instead of fingers on frets. It is an instrument of **Hindustani classical music**, the classical music of North India. Sympathetic strings ring underneath the melody unstruck, and the player plucks extra drone (chikari) strings. The bar never leaves the string, so one note travels into the next without a break. For its history and players, see the [Indian slide guitar](/en-int/instrument/indian-slide-guitar) page. You can learn it with KalaSudha in the [online academy](/en-int/courses). How can a beginner, a child or a player returning after a long break start learning Indian slide guitar? Beginners learn [Indian slide guitar](/en-int/instrumental/hindustani-classical/indian-slide-guitar) with KalaSudha online and in workshops, starting at **Foundation** level. The first stage sets your posture, with the guitar flat across your lap, and teaches the slide in an open tuning. We teach children as well as adults; ask us about a starting age and about a size for a younger learner. Players returning after a long break start again where they left off. Our [courses](/en-int/courses) run in levels, and your teacher first checks where you stand. What are the tarab and chikari strings on an Indian slide guitar? On an **[Indian slide guitar](/en-int/instrument/indian-slide-guitar)**, tarab strings are sympathetic strings tuned to the notes of the raga. They ring when the matching note sounds on a played string, so players retune them when the raga changes. Chikari strings are plucked drone and rhythm strings; on traditional plucked raga instruments they sit on the side nearest the player and are struck with the thumb. How is an Indian slide guitar tuned? No single standard tuning appears in the sources for the **[Indian slide guitar](/en-int/instrument/indian-slide-guitar)**; tunings vary by player. Brij Bhushan Kabra tuned his main strings D-A-D-A, while a 2020 Premier Guitar lesson uses open C, C-G-C-E-G-C. The sympathetic tarab strings are tuned to the notes of the raga, and players retune them for each raga. Who pioneered the slide guitar in Hindustani music? [Pandit Brij Bhushan Kabra](/en-int/legendary-masters/brij-bhushan-kabra) (1937 to 2018), a geologist by training who studied with the sarod master Ali Akbar Khan, pioneered the **[Indian slide guitar](/en-int/instrument/indian-slide-guitar)** in Hindustani music. He played a Gibson Super 400 archtop fitted with a drone string and a high nut, laid flat and played with a bar. His 1967 album Call of the Valley, with Shivkumar Sharma and Hariprasad Chaurasia, brought slide guitar raga playing to a wide audience. How should I look after an Indian slide guitar? An **[Indian slide guitar](/en-int/instrument/indian-slide-guitar)** is an adapted acoustic archtop guitar, so general acoustic guitar care applies. Keep it at 45% to 55% relative humidity. Cracking, a sinking top, a lifting bridge and protruding fret ends are signs of dryness. Many such guitars have their strings raised at the nut and bridge so the bar clears the frets. How do I choose between a student Indian slide guitar and a professional one, and what should I look for? A student Indian slide guitar and a professional one differ most in their strings. An entry instrument plays raga on its main strings alone, and a concert instrument adds sympathetic and drone strings. In a 2020 Premier Guitar lesson, Ryan Lee Crosby suggests a raised nut so the slide clears the frets of an ordinary guitar played on the lap. KalaSudha sells adapted lap steel and resonator guitars, and specialist instruments with sympathetic strings. We also commission custom concert instruments with sympathetic and drone strings from specialist builders in India. Ask us for a quote, or for one made to order. Where can I buy an Indian slide guitar outside India, with safe international shipping and service after the sale? KalaSudha sells the Indian slide guitar to players outside India, by quote or made to order, and delivers worldwide. Each instrument leaves us packed for international shipping; ask us about cases and insurance. We service and repair any Indian slide guitar, wherever you bought it, anywhere in the world. New strings and spare parts come from us too. For help with your instrument after the sale, ask us through the chat on any page or at . Gift vouchers, class sets for schools and flight cases for travel are also available on request. What can I give someone who is learning to play an Indian classical instrument? A good gift for someone learning an Indian classical instrument suits the instrument they play and the stage they have reached, so ask their teacher if you are unsure. An instrument of their own, or a better one, also makes a gift: KalaSudha sells every instrument by quote or made to order. For something smaller, ask us for a case, or for strings and spare parts to suit their instrument. Lessons make a gift as well. KalaSudha teaches online and in workshops, and beginners start at Foundation level: see our [courses](/en-int/courses). Ask us about gift vouchers. What is a mohan veena? The mohan veena is a form of **[Indian slide guitar](/en-int/instrument/indian-slide-guitar)** with drone and sympathetic strings added to a guitar. Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, a renowned player with his own style, plays the mohan veena he designed. It carries about 19 to 21 strings: three or four melody strings, four or five chikari and 12 sympathetic strings tuned from the side of the neck, with a gourd behind the neck. Premier Guitar says it began as an archtop brought from West Germany, while programme notes from the Smithsonian's Freer and Sackler Galleries say his first instrument was adapted from a Spanish guitar. How do I book an Indian slide guitar player for a concert, a private event or a studio recording? You can book an Indian slide guitar player through KalaSudha for a concert, event or recording. Send your request through our page to [book Indian classical musicians](/en-int/book-indian-classical-musicians). Before you decide, listen to KalaSudha's [recordings](/en-int/releases) and watch our [concert videos](/en-int/videos). Have more questions? Contact our support team and we'll be happy to help! Ready to start learning Indian Slide Guitar? Get personalized quotes and explore courses 2 courses available [View Courses](#courses-section) Stay close ## Keep KalaSudha close. 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