Ultra Quality Paloma Kashmir Santoor Santur. Artiste Edition. Hardcase + Training DVD Set

Different forms of the zither or dulcimer are common all around the world. The Indian Santoor which is played with sticks or hammers has developed from a folk music instrument in Kashmir and it took a long time until it gained recognition in classical Indian music as well. Especially the Santoor virtuoso Shivkumar Sharma has developed a differentiated stroke technique which contributed considerably to the acceptance of this instrument as a classical solo instrument.

The Indian Santoor differs from the Persian Santoor in that it has a slender and high corpus. The instrument is placed on the lap while sitting cross-legged and is played with two heavy wooden sticks. On the surface of the instrument there are 15 or 16 wooden bridges facing each other, stringed with 2 or 3 strings each. The strokes are played towards the middle of the instrument. Our model by Sarabjit Singh has in total 31 notes and 93 strings as well as movable bridges. The strings are mounted on metal tuning pegs on the sides of the instrument and can be turned by a special tuning tool. A common tuning uses a diatonic scale for the row of bridges on the right-hand side. The strings on the left then complete the half-tones that are missing in the diatonic scale. Alternatively, in order to produce particularly full and resonant sounds, the complete instrument can be tuned to the pentatonic scale.

The Santoors offered by us are made of solid wood and so differ considerably from the ones frequently offered in India which are often made of cheap plywood. This model come in a robust case with a plastic coating that is mostly black, together with a pair of sticks and a tuning tool.