Meet the Maker #2 – Sitar Makers Series – David Keustermans
Meet the Maker: David Keustermans, Sitar maker from Saint-Agnan-en-Vercors A new interview is live in the Meet the Maker series. In this conversation, I spoke with David Keustermans, whose work moves between European lute building and Indian classical instruments. What interested me from the start was not only what…
How to Tie Frets
How to Tie Sitar Frets – A Practical Guide for Makers and Players Properly binding sitar frets (pardas) is an essential yet often underestimated aspect of the instrument. The position and fit of the pardas determine not only the playability but also the intonation and tone of the sitar.…
Meet the Maker #1 – Sitar Makers Series – Ivan Rügen
Meet the Maker: Ivan Rügen, Sitar maker from Saint Petersburg In a studio in Saint Petersburg, Russia, Ivan Rügen works on instruments and art objects that blur the boundaries between craft, music and visual art. His work stems from a deep fascination with sound, form and material. Combining traditional…
Kanailal joint repair
A very fragile part of the sitar is the joint. It is the connection between the neck and the resonator. The neck (dandi) itself consists of two large parts: the flat top plate and the round bottom part. The resonator consists of three large parts: the gourd (tumba), the…
Buddha Systems in Hiren Roy
Engineer and passionate sitar player Ashok Nair has been making excellent pickup systems for sitar and other acoustic musical instruments for several years. They are sold under the name Buddha Systems and are now used by many well-known musicians worldwide. Matyas Wolter is one of them and has been…
Barun Roy broken joint
One day London based sitarist & composer Jonathan Mayer drove with his car straight from London to SiTAR FAcToRY in Belgium (+/- 8hrs drive). His favorite sitar, recently made by Barun Roy, has a severe joint problem. At first sight the joint has only loosened. A friend of him…
Kabul 1900 sitar restoration – Pt2
In a first part, you can learn about this particular ancient instrument, baptised the Kabul sitar, and read a description of how to check and repair the body and make the missing wooden parts. At that time, it was already clear that other important parts were also missing: at…
Kabul 1900 sitar restoration – Pt1
In April 2020, Matyas Wolter stumbled upon some very old Indian musical instruments for sale on ebay in southern Germany. His eye fell on one of them. The description indicated that the instrument was bought in Kabul, Afghanistan, in the mid-1970s. At that time it was already considered old,…
Sarod Guitar / mod II
Ever fallen in love with a sarod but you couldn’t find one? Personally I love the sound of sarod very much but can’t play it. That’s pretty the same problem. Here’s a way out: A simple solution is to convert an existing old guitar into a Sarod guitar. In…
Dieter Zarnitz website
Dear friends, this year (06/2024) we sadly lost a very special and warm person, Dieter Zarnitz. He was a very talented and inventive musical instrument maker. Passionate about Indian musical instruments, he devoted his time to searching for alternatives to find a better construction and sound for the sitar…
Tom Thumb sitar
A person encounters all sorts of things in life, and so too in the sitar world. I knew that there are children’s sitars (mini sitar or baby sitar) that can also be played, but I had never seen such a gem before. What would you call it? A tiny…
Intonation blocks
Intonation on the sitar (& surbahar) is a very complex aspect for players to master due to its unique structure and intricate tuning system. Unlike Western stringed instruments with standardized frets, the sitar’s pardas (frets) are movable, allowing players to adjust the intervals between notes to suit different ragas…