--- url: 'https://kalasudha.com/en-pk/instrument/sarangi' title: Sarangi author: name: drupler url: 'https://kalasudha.com/en-pk/user/1' date: '2025-06-13T22:41:54+00:00' updated: '2026-11-06T00:29:31+00:00' type: product summary: 'The sarangi is a short-necked bowed instrument of North India, close to the human voice. It has three gut strings and up to 37 sympathetic strings that ring…' tags: - Chordophones - Sarangi - 'Solid Tun Wood' - 'Goat Skin Parchment' - 'Polished Bone Bridge' - 'Rosewood Tuning Pegs' - 'Fingerboard Navigation' - 'Bowing Styles' - 'Meend (Lateral Pulling)' - 'Vibrato Mastery' - 'Gamaka (Oscillation)' - 'Zamzama (Grace Notes)' image: 'https://files.kalasudha.com/styles/d12_standard/public/2026-02/Sarangi-Indian-Music-Instrument.jpg?h=ec12f684&itok=S_asQFE7' published: true og: site_name: KalaSudha 'image:url': 'https://files.kalasudha.com/styles/d12_standard/public/2026-02/Sarangi-Indian-Music-Instrument.jpg?h=ec12f684&itok=S_asQFE7' 'image:secure_url': 'https://files.kalasudha.com/styles/d12_standard/public/2026-02/Sarangi-Indian-Music-Instrument.jpg?h=ec12f684&itok=S_asQFE7' 'image:type': image/jpeg 'image:width': '1200' 'image:height': '675' 'image:alt': Sarangi-Indian-Music-Instrument --- Hindustani instrument · Bowed chordophone # Sarangiसारंगी The sarangi is a short bowed instrument with three gut playing strings, which players stop with their fingernails, and around 35 sympathetic strings. [Ask for a quote](/en-pk/form/custom-instrument-quote?instrument_id=80) [Learn the sarangi ](#learn) ## Buy from KalaSudha £400 to £8,000 - Sold by quote or made to order - Packed for shipping and delivered worldwide - Serviced and repaired by us, wherever you bought it FamilyBowed chordophone BodyCarved seasoned tun wood RoleVocal accompaniment and solo OriginNorth India Buy from us ## Choose your sarangi [Ask about a custom order ](/en-pk/form/custom-instrument-quote?instrument_id=80) - Student ### Student sarangi From £400 [Ask for a quote](/en-pk/form/custom-instrument-quote?instrument_id=80) - Mid-range ### Mid-range sarangi £1,500 to £3,000 [Ask for a quote](/en-pk/form/custom-instrument-quote?instrument_id=80) - Concert grade ### Concert grade sarangi £4,500 to £8,000 Master-made concert sarangis come from Meerut or Delhi makers. [Ask for a quote](/en-pk/form/custom-instrument-quote?instrument_id=80) ### What to look for When buying a student or professional sarangi, look at how the body and neck are made, then at the bow. In The Voice of the Sarangi, Joep Bor records a body carved from one block of tun seasoned for a year. On costlier sarangis, inlays where the fingers touch keep the fingerboard smooth and stop wear. Bor also found the players of his day using light shisham bows while telling students to practise with a heavy one, which takes more control. KalaSudha sells student sarangis and master-made concert sarangis from Meerut and Delhi makers. Ours suit the accompanist and the soloist: ask us for a quote, or for a sarangi made to order. ### After you buy Delivered worldwideWe pack every instrument for international shipping; ask us about cases and insurance. Service and repairWe service and repair any sarangi, wherever you bought it, worldwide: ask us. Strings, parts and casesAsk us for strings, spare parts and cases, and about a size for a younger learner. Help with your instrumentAsk us through the chat on any page, or by email, for help with your instrument. Gifts, schools and travelAsk us about gift vouchers, class sets for schools, and flight cases and travel help. Read the sarangi care guide - **Humidity:** Keep 45–60% relative humidity, checked with a hygrometer. Dry air tightens and cracks the skin; damp slackens it. Store the sarangi in a cloth bag, not a sealed case, with a small open water bowl nearby in a dry winter. - **Skin and bridge:** Never oil or polish the skin, which changes how it vibrates, and wipe rosin dust off it after playing for the same reason. Check that the main bridge sits on its leather strap. - **Strings:** The fine sympathetic strings, the highest above all, break often: keep spares and learn to restring them. Replace gut strings when they fray at the bridge or sound dull, and check tuning every session, as gut shifts with humidity and can snap in dry air. - **Pegs:** Turn them regularly and use peg compound so they move smoothly and hold. - **Bow:** Rosin before each session with light colophony, never dark double-bass rosin. Rehair once or twice a year, or when the hair thins, breaks or stops gripping despite fresh rosin. - **Hand:** Talcum powder helps the nail slide. KalaSudha Academy ## Learn the sarangi with us [All courses ](/en-pk/courses) You can start the sarangi with KalaSudha online or in a workshop, at Foundation level. Foundation sets your posture and the sarangi's stop, made with the side of the fingernail, never the finger pads. We teach children and adults alike: ask us what age suits a child starting the sarangi, and about a size for a younger learner. After a long break, you can return where you left off. Our courses run in levels, and your teacher first reviews where you stand. [Ask about learning the sarangi](/en-pk/form/learner-enquiry?source_entity_type=node&source_entity_id=80) ### Your route, stage by stage 1. 1 Foundation and posture Beginners start here, at Foundation, the first of the levels in KalaSudha's courses. Sit with the sarangi upright in front of the chest, its peg box near the left shoulder. Stop the strings with the side of the fingernail, just below the cuticle, or the skin above it, never the finger pads. This unusual stop takes years of conditioning; talcum powder helps the nail slide. 2. 2 Bowing fundamentals Master the pull and push of the heavy horsehair bow, held underhand with pressure set by the first two fingers. Manage its weight, speed and distance from the bridge for vocal continuity, without catching the sympathetic strings. Ram Narayan taught very slow, full-length strokes, starting each phrase with an up-bow. 3. 3 Pitch navigation Practise scales across the octaves against open strings tuned Sa-Pa-Sa or Sa-Ma-Sa. With no frets, muscle memory for distance and pitch is critical. Fingering systems differ between schools: old Delhi, new Delhi, Banaras and Udaipur. Ram Narayan relied on the second and third fingers. 4. 4 Meend and vocal ornamentation Coordinate left-hand slides with bow pressure for meend and the ornaments of the gayaki ang, the vocal manner of playing. Ram Narayan played consecutive notes with one finger so the slide stayed audible. As an accompanist, learn to track a singer's improvised line in real time and fill the spaces the voice leaves. 5. 5 Advanced solo art Master complex rhythmic play and fast runs, and build a full solo recital of alap, jor, jhala and gat. Retune the sympathetic set to each raga between items, or keep it chromatic to follow any singer. Learn the upkeep of the goatskin and bridge alignment, using the care list. The instrument ## About the sarangi ### What makes a sarangi ### What is a sarangi? The **sarangi** is the short-necked, fretless bowed instrument of Hindustani classical music, and ours suits the accompanist and the soloist. Sarangi players call it the instrument closest to the human voice. Makers carve body, neck and head from one block of **tun** wood (Toona ciliata) and stretch skin over the belly. Three gut playing strings run over a wide, flat bridge, above 35 to 40 **sympathetic strings** of fine steel or brass that ring with every note and never meet the bow. The player sits with the sarangi upright on the lap and stops the strings with the side of the fingernail, sliding between pitches for **meend** and the exact microtones of a raga. The skin gives a warm, soft fundamental, and the sympathetic strings, retuned to each raga, ring on around the melody. This is the **gayaki ang**, the vocal style: for centuries the sarangi shadowed khayal and thumri singers as their chief accompanist in North Indian music, and carried the melody for Kathak dance. The accompanist listens and answers the singer's improvisation in the moment, often in a raga met for the first time on stage, which takes deep knowledge of raga and sharp ears, with fine control of bow and nail. Ram Narayan, born in 1927, began as an All India Radio studio accompanist and in the 1950s made the sarangi a solo concert instrument; Sultan Khan followed him onto the solo stage. ### History The A'in-i Akbari of 1588-89 first describes the sarangi, and Mughal paintings show bowed instruments at court. Its modern form had developed by the 17th century. Older, smaller folk sarangis live in Rajasthan, where the Langa musicians' Gujaratan sarangi is the classical prototype, and in the Punjab hills; the Nepali sarangi is a separate group. By the 18th century it was the chief accompanist to khayal singers. Muslim hereditary players of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, employed by nawabs and rajas, refined it over generations; sons began in childhood, as its demands and raga knowledge needed a long apprenticeship. Accompaniment kept them below singers. Around 1900 the anti-nautch movement and lost court patronage stripped players of work and standing. Ram Narayan turned soloist in the 1950s and reversed the decline: HMV recordings in the 1950s and 1960s and albums and tours from the 1970s proved it could hold a solo recital. Sultan Khan, a Rajasthani film and fusion player, reached popular audiences with Ravi Shankar; he, Sabri Khan, Harsh Narayan and Murad Ali Khan took the solo form into cross-genre work. Concert players remain far fewer than violinists or sitarists; the sarangi survives on Ram Narayan's insistence on its solo voice. How a sarangi is made Makers carve the sarangi from a single block of **tun** (Toona ciliata), a soft, light timber from North India and Nepal whose walls flex with the strings. They hollow the belly from the front and the neck and head from the back, leaving four chambers and walls 7 to 10 mm thick to carry string tension. One piece gives rigidity and a unified tone. Goat or camel skin, dampened, stretched and dried under tension, is glued over the belly; it gives a warm fundamental and fewer high overtones than wood. Rows of sympathetic pegs sit in the sides of the neck. Five bridges carry the strings. The main bridge, the **ghoraj**, is elephant-shaped in bone, ivory, stag-horn or ebony and rests on a leather strap; a misplaced or tilted bridge wears out the skin early. The three playing strings are sheep gut, twisted and dried under tension; their texture under the bow gives the warmth of gut tone, and synthetic gut suits humid climates. The bow, the **gaz**, is a round stick of about 70 cm in ebony, shisham, rosewood, pernambuco or brazilwood, its horsehair tied over a wooden nut with a fixed frog, so pressure sets the tone. ### At a glance OriginNorth India (standardised in the 17th–18th century; classical form c. 1850s, Delhi) Primary roleVocal accompaniment and solo String typeOrganic gut and high-tensile steel, brass or copper Body buildCarved seasoned tun wood MaintenanceStrict humidity and skin-tension care, plus a sound bridge, skin and peg set-up ### Playing techniques - Fingerboard Navigation - Bowing Styles - Meend (Lateral Pulling) - Vibrato Mastery - Gamaka (Oscillation) - Zamzama (Grace Notes) ### Materials - Solid Tun Wood - Goat Skin Parchment - Polished Bone Bridge - Rosewood Tuning Pegs Full specifications #### Physical dimensions Overall length560–610mm (22–24 inches) Body length430–460mm (17–18 inches) Upper bout width130–145mm (5.1–5.7 inches) Lower bout width180–200mm (7.1–7.9 inches) Vibrating string length (playing)380–410mm (15–16 inches) Total string count38–43 (3 playing strings + 35–40 sympathetic strings) #### Material composition Body woodTun wood, Toona ciliata (single-block carved) Resonating membraneGoat skin or camel skin, stretched and glued over the lower chamber Playing stringsSheep gut or nylon synthetic (3 strings) Sympathetic stringsFine steel or brass wire, gauges 0.15–0.30mm Bow stickPernambuco or brazilwood with fixed frog; also ebony, shisham or rosewood Bow hairNatural horsehair (unscreened, light colophony rosin) #### Acoustic characteristics Pitch referenceSet to vocalist's Sa; no fixed concert pitch standard Playing range (main strings)Approximately C3 to C6 (two-plus octaves) Sympathetic resonanceStrings retuned per raga at each performance; vibrate in unison and overtone series with played notes Resonator typeSkin membrane: warm fundamental, less high-frequency content than a wooden soundboard Tonal characterGayaki ang (vocal style): voice-like timbre with sympathetic shimmer BridgeElephant-shaped bone or ivory bridge on a leather strap over the skin; height and angle set for clearance and tone Explore the music ## Hear the sarangi Hear KalaSudha's [recordings](/en-pk/releases) and [concert videos](/en-pk/videos). ### Recordings to start with - [ Ustad Akram Khan \| Tabla Solo in Rupak Taal \| Live in Reading \| Kala Festival 2025 Akram Khan, Satwinder Pal Singh 8:14 ](/en-pk/video/ustad-akram-khan-tabla-solo-in-rupak-taal-live-in-reading-kala-festival-2025) - [ Tabla Solo - Developing Rhythm \| Ustad Akram Khan \| Kala Festival 2025 Akram Khan, Satwinder Pal Singh 7:50 ](/en-pk/video/tabla-solo-developing-rhythm-ustad-akram-khan-kala-festival-2025) ### Players - [ Satwinder Pal Singh Artist ](/en-pk/artist/satwinder-pal-singh) Ask us to book a sarangi player for a concert, event or recording. [Book a sarangi player ](/en-pk/book-indian-classical-musicians) Keep exploring ## More around the sarangi - [ Discipline Sarangi Connect sustained bowing with pitch movement and the detail of a sung phrase. ](/en-pk/instrumental/hindustani-classical/sarangi) Questions ## Sarangi: common questions Buying, learning, care and the instrument itself. ### What is a sarangi? The [**sarangi**](/en-pk/instrument/sarangi) is a short bowed instrument with three gut playing strings and around 35 **sympathetic strings** that resonate beneath them. Players stop the strings from the side with the backs of their **fingernails**. Many musicians hold that, of all Indian instruments, the sarangi sits closest to the human voice. ### How do I start learning the sarangi? You can start the [sarangi](/en-pk/instrumental/hindustani-classical/sarangi) with KalaSudha online or in a workshop, at **Foundation** level. Foundation sets your posture and the sarangi's stop, made with the side of the fingernail, never the finger pads. We teach children and adults alike: ask us what age suits a child starting the sarangi, and about a size for a younger learner. After a long break, you can return where you left off. Our [courses](/en-pk/courses) run in levels, and your teacher first reviews where you stand. ### What is the sarangi made of? A classical **[sarangi](/en-pk/instrument/sarangi)**'s body, neck and head are carved from a single block of wood, usually tun (Toona ciliata), and the belly is covered with the thin skin of a young goat. The arched main bridge, carved as an elephant, is ivory, stag-horn, ebony or bone and carries three gut playing strings. Sympathetic strings were traditionally copper or brass, and steel had become common by the 1980s. ### How many strings does a sarangi have? A classical **[sarangi](/en-pk/instrument/sarangi)** usually has three gut playing strings and about 35 sympathetic strings; some carry 39, and smaller ones 24 or fewer. Classical sarangis have never been standardised, so sizes and string counts vary. The bow never touches the sympathetic strings, which sound only by resonance with the bowed strings. ### How do you tune a sarangi? A **[sarangi](/en-pk/instrument/sarangi)** can be tuned from C sharp to F sharp, sounding best with the first string at D sharp or E, but accompanists tune to the singer's pitch. The main strings take Sa-Pa-Sa or Sa-Ma-Sa, and the main sympathetic set is tuned chromatically. A full tuning, repeated several times, takes a skilled player 5 to 10 minutes. ### Why do sarangi players use their fingernails? **[Sarangi](/en-pk/instrument/sarangi)** players stop the strings with the fingernails pressed sideways, mostly with the part of the nail just below the cuticle; the pads of the fingers are not used. Talcum powder lubricates the left hand, and practice brings heavy callousing and grooves in the nails. The Cretan lyra and the Bulgarian gadulka also use nail-side stopping. ### How old is the sarangi? The word **[sarangi](/en-pk/instrument/sarangi)** names a stringed instrument in Jain texts from 1052, but no early text describes it. The first descriptions come from Akbar's period: the A'in-i Akbari of 1588 to 1589 calls it smaller than the rabab. The earliest painting of a sarangi player dates from the early 17th century, and the large classical form developed in or around Delhi in about the mid-19th century. Its best-known players include Bundu Khan, Ram Narayan, who built a soloist's career from the 1950s, Sabri Khan, who took it to audiences in Europe and North America, and Sultan Khan. ### What is the difference between a sarangi and a violin? A **[sarangi](/en-pk/instrument/sarangi)** has a skin table where the violin has a wooden top, and its player stops the strings with the side of the nail rather than the fingertip. It is held upright in front of the chest by a seated player. It also carries about 35 sympathetic strings that sound only by resonance with its three bowed gut strings. ### Is the Nepali sarangi the same instrument? No: the Nepali **[sarangi](/en-pk/instrument/sarangi)** belongs structurally to the sarinda group of the wider sarangi family. It has four playing strings of metal and gut and is played by the Gaine (Gandharva) community; modern instruments often use nylon or steel strings. The classical Hindustani sarangi usually has three gut playing strings and about 35 sympathetic strings. ### Should I buy a new or an old sarangi? Most players use **[sarangi](/en-pk/instrument/sarangi)s** 50 to 100 years old, often inherited, and a new instrument needs about two years to settle. Joep Bor warned that new sarangis made for export or tourists were usually of very poor quality, and that good old instruments and skilled repairers were scarce. Either way, tone depends on set-up: bridge, skin fitting, string height and peg fit. ### What should I check before buying a sarangi? Check the back of a **[sarangi](/en-pk/instrument/sarangi)** behind the string holder, where most old sarangis are bent or cracked. Check the set-up too: bridge placement and contour, skin fitting, string thickness and height, and peg fit. Sizes vary, because players ordered larger sarangis to accompany male singers and smaller ones for women singers. Instruments by the Meerut makers Masita and Abdul Aziz Behra were the most prized. ### What should I look for when buying a student or professional sarangi? When buying a student or professional sarangi, look at how the body and neck are made, then at the bow. In The Voice of the Sarangi, Joep Bor records a body carved from one block of tun seasoned for a year. On costlier sarangis, inlays where the fingers touch keep the fingerboard smooth and stop wear. Bor also found the players of his day using light shisham bows while telling students to practise with a heavy one, which takes more control. KalaSudha sells student sarangis and master-made concert sarangis from Meerut and Delhi makers. Ours suit the accompanist and the soloist: ask us for a quote, or for a sarangi made to order. ### Where can I buy a sarangi outside India? KalaSudha sells sarangis to players outside India, by quote or made to order, and delivers worldwide. We pack each sarangi for international shipping; ask us about cases and insurance. We also service and repair any sarangi worldwide, wherever you bought it. Strings and spare parts come from us too. Whenever you need help with your sarangi after the sale, ask us through the chat on any page or at . Ask us, too, about gift vouchers, class sets for schools or a flight case for travel. ### What is a good gift for someone learning 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-pk/courses). Ask us about gift vouchers. ### Can I book a sarangi player for a concert, event or recording? Ask KalaSudha to book a sarangi player for a concert, event or recording. A sarangi player can accompany a singer or a Kathak dancer, or play solo, so say which you need when you [book Indian classical musicians](/en-pk/book-indian-classical-musicians) with us. You can hear our artists first in KalaSudha's [recordings](/en-pk/releases) and [concert videos](/en-pk/videos). ### Who are the best-known sarangi players? Well-known **sarangi** players include Ram Narayan (1927 to 2024), who became a solo concert artist in 1956 and showed that the sarangi could hold a solo recital. Bundu Khan and Gopal Mishra also fought for it as a solo instrument. Sultan Khan (1940 to 2011), of the Sikar gharana, toured with Ravi Shankar on George Harrison's 1974 Dark Horse tour. Sabri Khan (1927 to 2015), of the Senia gharana, was a staff artist at All India Radio. ### Still have questions? Our support team can help you find the right answer. [Contact support](/en-pk/form/learner-enquiry?source_entity_type=node&source_entity_id=80) Talk to us ## Tell us about the sarangi you want Ask for a quote on an instrument made to order, or about learning to play it with our teachers. [Ask for a quote](/en-pk/form/custom-instrument-quote?instrument_id=80) [Ask about learning](/en-pk/form/learner-enquiry?source_entity_type=node&source_entity_id=80) Stay close ## Keep KalaSudha close. Receive news of concerts, learning opportunities, recordings and the work taking shape at KalaSudha. - Concert news - ·Learning opportunities - ·Recordings and stories We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe at any time. Buy a sarangi from KalaSudha [Ask for a quote](/en-pk/form/custom-instrument-quote?instrument_id=80)