Meet the Maker #3 – Sitar Makers Series – Kees Verbeek
Meet the Maker: Kees Verbeek, Sitar maker from Eindhoven In our latest blog feature, we take a closer look at the work of Kees Verbeek, a Netherlands-based maker focusing on surbahar and rudra veena — two instruments that sit at the deeper, more introspective end of North Indian classical…
Meet the Maker #3 – Kees Verbeek
Meet the Maker – Kees Verbeek: Sitar making in the Netherlands Intro In the Meet the Maker series, I talk to sitar makers from all over the world. People who bring instruments to life with their hands, their ears and their hearts. Kees Verbeek is a Netherlands-based instrument maker…
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…
Meet the Maker #2 – David Keustermans
Meet the Maker – David Keustermans: Sitar making in France Intro In the Meet the Maker series, I talk to sitar makers from all over the world. People who bring instruments to life with their hands, their ears and their hearts. David Keustermans is an instrument maker and repairer…
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.…
Parda Binding – how to tie sitar frets
How to Tie Sitar Frets (Pardas) Tying frets is one of the most characteristic aspects of the sitar. Unlike fixed frets, sitar frets are movable and are fixed to the neck with thread. This allows for extremely precise adjustment but also requires the right technique. In this instructional video,…
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…
Meet the Maker #1 – Ivan Rügen
Meet the Maker – Ivan Rügen: Sitar making in Russia Intro In the Meet the Maker series, I talk to sitar makers from all over the world. People who bring instruments to life with their hands, their ears and their hearts. In Saint Petersburg, Russia, instrument maker Ivan Rügen…
Meet the Maker – Interviews with Instrument Makers
Meet the Maker: Instrument Makers Around the World This page contains an overview of various instrument makers from around the world. Instrument making is a unique combination of craftsmanship, creativity and a deep understanding of sound. Behind every instrument is a maker: someone who uses wood, tools and experience…
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…
Tabli info
Dear friends, please hereby find some info about different styles of tabli. Clicking on the pictures will show up a drawing presenting the thickness (in mm) on different locations of the tabli and a zoom showing details of the surface finishing on the backside. Notice the increased thickness at…
My Last See-Tar
A random photoreport on the making of my latest and last plexiglass See-Tar. Read more about the making here: The See-Tar story … and here: 2 more Plexitars