sitar

Large long-necked lute used mainly in North Indian (Hindustani) music. The hollow neck is made of wood, and the body is half a hollow gourd with a thin wooden belly. Some instruments have a small gourd resonator attached to the upper end of the neck. The neck has 16 to 24 curved, movable frets made of metal. Modern sitars have 6 or 7 playing strings (5 melody and 2 for drone and rhythmic punctuation) and 12 or more sympathetic strings. The sitar is the best-known solo concert instrument in the tradition, where it is usually accompanied by the tabla drum pair, and is also well known outside India.