Sarangi

The Sarangi is a highly expressive instrument. Its name means 'a hundred colors,' referring to the range, depth, and subtlety of its sounds. Sarangi has a box-like structure that is carved from a single piece of wood (Cedar). It has three gut melody strings and up to 40 metal sympathetic strings. The body has a goatskin face on which an elephant-shaped bridge of ivory rests. The Sarangi is held vertically, keeping the neck on the top. It is played by moving the heavy bow across the strings. Earlier, Sarangi was mainly in folk music which became an essential accompanying classical instrument when the Khayal Gayaki and Thumri emerged.