ilovefuzz.com

so i've become infatuated with the awesomeness of indian music, and just how awesome the sitar is. does anyone here play one? any advice on where to get one, and if it's similar to guitar in any way. i checked out the digitech "weapon" and the sitar imitator is complete shit, so i guess i might as well just go for the real thing. i mean, how many people can claim to play the sitar?

You may want to check this out:

the closest you could say for similarity is that they're both stringed haha

you should definitely check out a sitar guitar. the sound's kinda similar and they're interesting instruments.

unownunown wrote:the closest you could say for similarity is that they're both stringed haha

you should definitely check out a sitar guitar. the sound's kinda similar and they're interesting instruments.

I played one of those the other day, was definatley an expereince, I don't know how usable one would actually be in a band setting, I'd go for a real Sitar anyway - A friend of mine has one, it's pretty awesome. On a related note I saw Ravi Shankhar and his daughter a couple years ago, 'twas pretty amazing-He recently played here for his 90th Birthday.

Backbow?

the sitar is a very complicated instrument, and really doesn't resemble a guitar in any meaningful way at all. for starters, the scale length is far longer, there's no fret board, and the fret positions are individually adjustable as one manner of compensation for the different scales of Indian music. the vibrato and note bending are produced by pushing down on the string between the frets a la a guitar with a scalloped fingerboard, but the strings are much heavier. my impression is that, to paraphrase Frank Zappa, a sitar is something you don't want to fuck with. however, if you're braver than me, don't let that discourage you. if nothing else, you can always lay it flat on the ground and play it like a koto or use it as the world's most peculiar slide guitar

my impression as a guitarist is that a simpler Indian instrument to approach might be the sarod, the instrument that Ali Akbar Khan played. the sarod has a fretless metal fingerboard which seems like it would be easier for a guitarist to work with. if you've heard the Indian-music piece from the George Harrison Concert for Bangla Desh recording/album, you've heard AAK dueting on the sarod with Ravi Shankar on sitar.

masked elwood wrote:

Way cool!

what was the brand-name again, cause there are cheapo's and more expensive brands that seem better..

I went through a phase about a year ago, to the chagrin of my wife where I wanted to buy a real fucking sitar and play it all the time - I went and tested out a couple and they were hella fun to play, but really fucking expensive, too much to justify on a crazy impulse purchase. Even though at one of the places here that sells sitars the woman was willing to go from 900 to 450 in a heartbeat since "it'd been sitting there for 2 years" and I bet I could have bargained her down to 300 bucks...... still too much to risk possible divorce. My advice? What until one pops up on craigslist that some other crazy white motherfucker has the same idea and realized it was insane and he'll never be George Harrison...... man that crazy white motherfucker knew how to really play a sitar.......... and pick up some Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan and hell even Magic Carpet, they had a sitar in their band it it was okay except for the singing, but on the bonus CD they do a hella tight Raga, for 20 minutes....... I suggest maybe Live At Monterey as the best Shankar album.........

Also maybe just learn to tune your guitar like a sitar, it's somewhat possible but I forget the tunings right now.......

Saw a sitar on CL yesterday, guy wanted $2250 for it! What kind of a nut job buys a (presumably) $4000 sitar and decides to try and hock it!? What kind of a nut job is going to pay that much for a sitar on CL? I bet that guy is going to be one sad MF at the next RAGA........

i've also found lately that i can get an interesting sitar-esque effect playing single notes against a treble drone on a Strat through a ring modulator on a relatively gentle setting. a tiny tad of chorus on top is nice too.

I've been playing sitar now for about four and a half years. I got mine from India from a reputable Indian sitar maker (V.H. Mendhale & Sons), so I can't really comment on how you're going to procure one.

However, I can tell you this: it's SO much fun to play, and the sounds I can get out of it are absolutely godly. It is one of the purest instruments I feel that can channel what I hear in my head, to what I can actually play. That being said, it is MUCH more difficult to play than guitar. The comments above are valid, but that's only looking at it from a structural standpoint. First of all, if you learn sitar you HAVE to learn how traditional Indian music works. To give you an idea of how vast this is, there are eighty-seven scales used in western music. In traditional Indian music, there are over a thousand. There are certain scales that are supposed to lead into one another, there are scales you are supposed to play as the sun rises in the morning... it's a lot to digest. You can bypass this, but I have to URGE you not to. The sitar is a very spiritual and very personal instrument, and to bypass this would be to miss out on what is the most significant and rewarding aspect imo in playing the sitar.

But if you're dedicated enough to do it, I urge you by all means to do so. It is my second favorite instrument to play (behind guitar), and it is once again one of the most rewarding elements of my life.

Ravi Shankar is sooooo mainstream. Ananda Shankar is where it's at.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpJK6TQi-70[/youtube]