Bhakti Ananda Instruments - The Sitara

We don't see many new musical instruments that reflect the glory of a musical era that lasted thousands, perhaps millions of years in the ancient Vedic civilization of the Far East. We have created many new instruments over the past twenty-five years that imbibe the mysteries of the ancients. The inspired "Sitara" is one of our favorites!i During our sixteen years in India, we were mysteriously led to pieces of an unfinished instrument. Driven by curiosity and our own musical inquisitiveness, we put together our own crude two-stringed instrument. On the path to perfect sound, we spent seven years studying Indian classical music on the sitar, sarangi and bansari flute.

The "Sitara" was created out of the frustration of not being able to play in a Western pitch (the Indian Sitar only tunes up to a C or C#) and due to transporting such a large instrument as the classic Indian sitar with its fragile body (gourd) and thirty odd strings. The sitar's beauty emerges by candlelight on pillows with tassles and an oriental rug, but only after a lifetime devoted to its mastery. Thus, the "Sitara" was born. Often referred to as a mini-sitar, the "Sitara" is actually easy to play because it is a modal style instrument. Modal means you play just what you hear without having to figure out chords to make the note. They are tuned in open D, in fifths or in fourths. However, you can chord it, play it with a slide, guitar pick, fingers, or with a triangular wire pick called a mizrab.

The "Sitara's" wide neck allows for "pulling" or "bending" notes and moveable frets to accomodate a 22 note octave. Standard guitar strings are used as the main strings. We can also put regular guitar tuners on for the main strings and the wooden peg tuners for the other fourteen sympathetic strings. Each instrument is unique in appearance and sound. You may request personal touches such as inlaid stones, bone carvings and customized deities to enhance its character. Each instrument also comes with its own soft cloth case and an instruction booklet. All styles of music can be played on the "Sitara" from Rock to Indian kirtan to Mid Eastern. The possibilties are endless.

Using a variety of woods and thick, homegrown gourds, these instruments are much more durable than their Indian cousins. Black walnut, peduk, koa, monkey pod, teak, ebony, Port Orford cedar, English walnut and jackwood are all shaped by hand and with power tools to create these exotic instruments. We also makes unusual bowed instruments, dulcimers, bamboo and wooden flutes.

Bhakti Ananda Instruments - The Sitara and others - select below to see description, photo and price.

Double Gourded (jackwood) "Sitara"

Gourded "Sitara"

Gourded "Sitara" #2

Double Gourd Shape Wooden Body "Sitara"

Wooden Body "Sitara"

Other Wooden Body "Sitaras"

Thinner Neck and Smaller "Sitaras"

Dulcimer

Bass Dulcimer

Persian Style "Sitaz"

Musician with "Sitara"

All inquiries or to order any of the instruments listed above please e-mail Deva

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