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Sitar

The sitar is a fretted long-necked lute made with gourd resonators ("tumba"). This example is a five string lute with a single hemispherical tumba, and a one-piece neck and pegbox made of wood (usually tun or teak wood), covered with a wooden top and fretboard respectively. At the present state, the instrument has sixteen quadruple-tied, adjustable gut frets. Two wooden pegs with heart-shaped knobs still remain on the sides, but there are no strings (usually of metal wire), and the jawari bridge is also missing. The nut is a plain rectangular wooden piece and the tailpiece has a small protruding spike, also of wood.

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  • Decorative elements:Bone, mastic and wood marquetry inlay around the edges of the top and pegbox. Five carved leaves (patta) on the back of the gourd.
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  • Hornbostel-Sachs category:321.321 Necked bowl lutes
  • Repository:Swindon Museum & Art Gallery
  • Measurements:Height: 1295mm; Width: 320mm; Depth: 240mm