By Jon Barlow
Ektara to Tanpura
One string is plucked, and a world is set in motion.
The Shadja or Sur – the fundamental, tonic or drone – the central tone. The symbol of the Universe.
At the heart of our music is the vibration of one string. Containing all the elements of melodic unity in its field of harmonic overtones is the ancient one-stringed Ekatantri Veena. This is the primal source of our modern instruments, particularly the Tanpura with its four open strings. The first tuned at low Sa, then one at Pa, and two at the first octave above low Sa.
The Turkoman Tambur was remodeled in the 16th C to join the family of Indian Veenas. It became known as the Tamboura or Tanpura. When Tanpura’s strings are brought to life with a fine “jawari,” they buzz like an orchestra of busy musical bees, making a dense web of interwoven notes permeated with the principles of Samvad – the harmonic integrity that supports intelligible melodic discourse. This ocean, sky, or landscape of tonality, where music manifests, is the first thing one hears in a performance.