Sarangi: The Sounds of Sorrow
- Nemaste Nepal
- Dec 29, 2020
- 2 min read
Dear Nemaste,
One of the most important aspects of Nepalese culture is music. As a kid growing up outside of Nepal, I had very little appreciation for traditional Nepalese music. It wasn’t until a year or two ago that I started to pay more attention to the unique sounds of my own heritage!
There are countless instruments used in our country, but today, I'll be exploring the Sarangi, one of the instruments that I personally love the most.
The Sarangi
The Sarangi is the Nepalese version of the violin. Like its Western counterpart, the Sarangi has four strings. The body is made of many different types of carved wood, such as the Saaj wood, Sisau (Indian Rosewood), and Tuni (Toona wood). All of these woods are found in the Himalayan Range in Nepal. The bows are made of bamboo, and bowstrings of horsehair. However, the strings have been upgraded to nylon in order to “modernize” the instrument. There is also use of metal strings with Sarangis of different sizes. After tuned, the instrument does not generally require much maintenance.
What drew me to this instrument was its sorrowful voice. The Sarangi is usually played in Nepali folk music during festivals and holidays.
History
The Sarangi was used by people in the Gandaki region which is in the Himalayan region between Nepal and India. Many people who lived in this area, the Gandharvas (also known as Gaine people), were bards. They used the sarangi as an instrument for accompaniment as they sung their stories and messages to other people.
Playing the instrument
Have you ever seen people play the violin? If you have, then you know that we would use one hand to bow the instrument and with the other hand, use our fingers to press on the strings to change notes. With the Sarangi, you touch the side of the strings with the nails of your fingers while bowing to produce the beautiful, sorrowful tone of the sarangi. A variety of sounds can be made when playing the instrument - one can pluck the strings or even tap on the neck of the sarangi to create drum beats!
Sincerely,
Samriddhi Shrestha
The Sound of Sarangi:
1. Giaine father and son with the sarangi singing:
2. Junkeri (Fireflies)
3. Some Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here Cover by Project Sarangi (Kiran Nepali) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rO9THNriMOA
Citations
1. Project Sarangi Q&A Email w/ Kiran Nepali (2020)
2. Nepali Sarangi, Smithsonian (2018),
3. ‘Making sarangi ‘cool’ again’, tagsplanet (2017), https://steemit.com/writing/@tagsplanet/making-sarangi-cool-again
4. Sarangi: Nepali Violin, lavee (2017),
5. Nepalese Sarangi with bow, Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences (2012), https://collection.maas.museum/object/426882
6. Picture of sarangi, Rana, B
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