There are seven main playing strings and eleven to thirteen sympathetic strings. These strings are tied with a nail-shaped string holder called langot at the lower end and that pass through the fingerboard. The five main strings go through another bridge called meru or aad at the upper end before being finally tied up to their respective pegs, whereas the sympathetic strings pass through the little holes drilled into the covering of the fingerboard to their respective pegs fixed on the right side of the sitar. The two chikari strings have their pegs fixed on the side portion of the fingerboard below the peg box and just before the sympathetic string pegs; these strings rest on two small pins made of bone or stag horn which act as the bridge for these chikari strings. It was also theorized in Muslim tradition that the sitar was invented, or rather developed by Amir Khusrow ( c.1253–1325), a famous Sufi inventor, poet and pioneer of Khyal, Tarana and Qawwali, during the 13th century. [7] [9] [10] [11] However, the tradition of Amir Khusrow is considered discredited by some scholars. [12] Whatever instruments he might have played, no record exists from this period using the name "sitar". [10] Lavezzoli, Peter (2006). The Dawn of Indian Music in the West. New York, NY: Continuum. pp.174–175, 180. ISBN 0-8264-2819-3. India’s rich cultural heritage is epitomized by its classical music, and one of the most iconic instruments that captures the essence of this tradition is the sitar. With its mesmerizing sound and intricate craftsmanship, the sitar has earned global recognition as a symbol of Indian classical music. This enchanting instrument is not only a marvel of artistry but also a vehicle for artistic expression, transporting listeners to a world of emotions and spirituality.

Well relax! This is natural. As a matter of fact, to make sure you practice playing your sitar more than you spend time tuning it, the traditional way is to have a sitar student buy a sitar without sympathetic strings. Some teacher might even recommend removing or muting them in the initial stages of your study. This then keeps the students mind on practice and gradually, as you start getting used to the instrument and gain practice with the upper strings, you can start delving into the sympathetic tuning. When tuning a sitar first locate the middle C note on a keyboard, piano or guitar. If you have a tuned guitar, the middle C note is located on the 2nd string (B string) 1st fret. On a full sized midi keyboard (88 keys) or piano the middle C note is located in the middle of the piano. Some midi keyboard manufacturers, such as M-audio, have middle C labelled as ‘C3’ on their full sized keyboards. You will use the middle C note as a reference point to tune the sitar. The 2nd, 4th, 6th and 7th main strings of your sitar will be tuned to the tonic note.A sitar can be tuned a variety of ways and can be tuned to different keys usually from B to D. A fairly standard tuning is the key of C; however, certain performers such as Ravi Shankar tune their sitars to C#. Also note that various ragas demand that the sitar be re-tuned to a different key. For most beginners, especially westerners, it is recommended to start out with the key of C.

The main bridge of the sitar called ghurach is one of its vital parts. It is flat in shape, and its length, width and height are about eight centimetre, three and two centimetres respectively. The bridge used for sympathetic strings is rather small in size and fixed just before the main bridge. Both of these and the upper bridges (meru) are made of stag horn or camel bone. The point where the strings touch the main bridge is actually responsible for the tonal quality of the sitar, and thus, special care is taken to ensure that the surface does not get a mark or a groove because of the continuous pressure of the main playing strings. If this point gets abrased, the surface is filed. This filing is called javari setting, and it is a very skilled and technical task which can be performed only by an experienced person. Thanks to its booming popularity, other famous bands started using the instrument to add a little flair to their songs. The Kinks' 1965 single " See My Friends" featured a "low-tuned drone guitar" that was widely mistaken to be a sitar. [5] Crosby's band, the Byrds, had similarly incorporated elements of Indian music, [20] using "only Western instrumentation", on their songs " Eight Miles High" and " Why" in 1965. [32] Psychedelic music bands often used new recording techniques and effects and drew on non-Western sources such as the ragas and drones of Indian music. The Electric Prunes appeared in early ads for the Vox Wah wah pedal, which touted the effect's ability to make an electric guitar sound like a sitar [33] The sitar is a modal instrument – meaning that depending on the key you are playing in you may need to re-tune the instrument. Also, to complicate matters if you are playing certain scales you will need to move certain frets to play certain notes. (note: frets are moveable on a sitar).To make this tuning compitible with Ravi Shankarji's sitar, you simply need to change the number 4 string to our #4 bass bronze string cat# BRSIT4BS and tune it to low Sa, 2 octaves below middle C (or 1 octave below the #2 Sa string).