How to Play a Hindustani Tanpura

The tanpura is a drone instrument used to accompany Hindustani vocal music. The drone of an instrument functions to give a nice harmonic base for the singer. The tanpura is among the oldest stringed instruments with usually only 4 strings, sometimes 5. Though the tanpura has strings, it has no frets. It usually has a base made from a gourd.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Tune the strings to different pitches. The instrument's bridge is wide and round to achieve the buzzing sound from the strings. From a seated position, hold the tanpura straight up with your left hand.

2. Play the tanpura with 2 fingers of the right hand. Pluck the strings or you can simply strum through them in a slow tempo for a continuous drone sound. Produce a drone to accompany the singer by sounding 1 or more notes. Levels of dissonance and consonance in the harmony will result from the interaction of the different tones within the harmonic drone.

3. Produce harmonic effects by using 2 or more notes. The most simple drone uses a lone note that is repeated indefinitely. The single note will always be the Sa note. For more complex harmonies, spread all the notes of the 7 scale across many octaves. Be careful to keep the notes distinct.

4. Perform with the tanpura in the Hindu sacred style of singing that is Dhrupad. The lone harmonic drone note resonates while the Dhrupad comes to the recital of praise in this form of Hindustani.