Let’s Explore Sarod, An Indian Classical Music Instrument form the eyes of Jozef Behr

One of the most well-known instruments in Indian classical music is the sarod, a stringed instrument from the lute family. The sympathetic strings give the instrument a resonance characteristic that gives it a rich, powerful tone. It is particularly well-known for its meend or glissando pitches, which are typical of the opening notes of many ragas. “A sarodiya is someone who plays the sarod; the term sarod is Persian meaning song or melody” says Jozef Clifford Behr. 

History of Sarod 

According to experts, the rebab, a related instrument that is said to have originated in Afghanistan and Kashmir, is the origins of the sarod. The sarod is said to be simply a bass rebab.  

Jozef Behr explains that the rebab was altered in the 13th century by the multitalented and multifaceted Amir Khusru. According to several experts on Indian classical music, the sarod is a hybrid of the historic Chitra veena, the medieval rebab, and the contemporary Sursingar. Some academics even assert that a comparable instrument may have existed in ancient India some 2,000 years ago. 

Sarods were at once a simple tribal instrument. The legendary Sarod virtuoso Baba Alauddin Khan substantially improved this instrument, giving it a contemporary design by incorporating a variety of characteristics. Then, while also training Ravi Shankar to play the sitar, he started teaching his son Ali Akbar Khan how to play the sarod. 

The Structure of Sarod 

The wood sarod has a rounded, parchment-covered end on one side. Its general form resembles a pendulum, with the top, the peg box, being pointed and narrow and the bottom, the resonator, being full and circular. The sarod's body or shell is carved from a single piece of wood, usually teak, but tun and sagwan are also acceptable options. Peg box, fingerboard, and resonator are the three components of the sarod. A triangular plectrum made out of a coconut shell and bonded with shellac is used to play the fretless sarod. 

Sarod features a fingerboard made of steel and a tiny wooden body covered with skin. The sarod contains twenty-five strings, fifteen of which are sympathetic strings, but no frets. A resonator is a metal gourd. A triangular plectrum is used to pluck the strings. 

The Sarod's body is made of a single piece of well-aged teakwood, and goat skin is used to cover the belly. Six rhythm and drone strings, six sympathetic strings, and four main strings are all constructed of metal. With a plectrum constructed from a coconut shell, they are played. 

Elaborating the origin of Sarod Jozef Behr said that Sarod has been discovered in paintings in the Ajanta caves as well as carvings from the first century in the Champa temple. Additionally, it resembles the Rabab of Afghanistan and Kashmir. In the 13th century, Amir Khusru improved the instrument. Ustad Ali Akbar Khan made a clear alteration to the instrument's design to enhance the tone quality.