A WORLD OF MUSIC SINCE 1974

Notes on your new Sitar

Hi, I’m David, the technician here at Lark in the Morning, and want to thank you for your purchase of one
of our sitars. As both a member of the Lark team and an amateur sitarist myself I am happy to help you
enjoy playing this wonderful instrument.

Our sitars are made by carefully chosen craftsmen in Delhi, India, where the sitar was developed several
centuries ago. Unlike many similar-looking sitars which are actually intended to be decorative items but
are sold in the USA as playing instruments, our sitars are made to be work correctly and are some of the
best instruments available at this price range. We focus less on the decoration and more on the sound and
durability.

I’ve already done most of the basic adjustments to your sitar, that is setting the bridge and frets for
intonation and getting it ready to play. I tuned it and played it a bit to make sure it works, but in shipping
some of the parts may have moved slightly.

You will have to fine tune and adjust the sitar yourself anyway, as this is part of the playing. You will
need to move certain frets and such as you play various ragas, so understand this is a natural and impor-
tant part of being a sitarist.

As for the stringing, this batch arrived set up with #2 gauge on the baj (main string) and is ideal for the
beginner, occasional player, or if you wish to tune up to SA=D.

They seem to have the main string set up in a relatively new combination of the traditional and gayaki ang
style, that is:

1 MA
2 SA
3 low PA
4 thin GA
If you wish to tune to the Maihar Gharana tuning used by artists like Ravi Shankar, then you will need to
replace string 4 with heavier brass so as to tune to low SA.

If you have any questions please ask me, 707-964-5569 or david@larkinam.com.

David M. Brown

PO Box 799 Fort Bragg, CA 95437

(707) 964 5569 Fax (707) 964 1979
info@larkinam.com
www.larkinthemorning.com