Sitar?

[Penny Dreadful]

The Sitar is such a fascinating instrument. I would love to have one of my own just to see what I could do with it, and what sounds I could achieve.
I'm sure they don't come cheap.

Has anyone here played one? What is it like?

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t79aI-I6ucA]George Harrison - sitar lesson with Ravi Shankar - YouTube[/ame]

 

[dazzypig]

I would quite like one.

 

[tex_lt]

The Sitar is such a fascinating instrument. I would love to have one of my own just to see what I could do with it, and what sounds I could achieve.
I'm sure they don't come cheap.

Has anyone here played one? What is it like?

George Harrison - sitar lesson with Ravi Shankar - YouTube

I watched this and then a few clips of Ravi Shankar....frickin' amazing. Looks like it is significantly more complex than guitar. Would like to try one out for sure!

 

[DLChance]

sitar | eBay

eBay has some sitars.

 

[Chilli]

Come on, one of you lot MUST have tried one once?

 

[voodo child]

Come on, one of you lot MUST have tried one once?

I tried one once and it was quite hard to put it down

 

[Mantis]

FAKE IT!!

 

[TOMMYTHUNDERS]

EHX.com | Ravish - Sitar | Electro-Harmonix

easy.

 

[River]

Steve Miller played one of these when I saw him last summer. That's as far as I'd try to go.

 

[Drew224]

A friend of mine has one, I haven't gotten to play it though.

I saw a Beatles tribute called Liverpool Legends, and their George did a 10 minute sitar solo with the keyboardist providing various intrumental backing, but I don't really recall it being any Beatles song I've heard, y'know you'd think they'd do "Within You, Without You."

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

I'd love to get one.

I've played a variant of the oud. It had 12 nylon strings tuned in pairs, over a fretless neck. I tuned it like a guitar and let go with some Phrygian dom and Gypsy minor licks.

I need to study more Asian instrumentation.

eta: Perhaps my favorite "dingo" tag yet.

 

[Cruznolfart]

Back in early '70 I jammed some with a friend in Germany who had a double-gourd sitar. He was very into the Beatles and had purchased it with the intention of learning to play, rather than just to dick around. I tried it a few times but found it far too complex and awkward to even noodle on. Fun for a few minutes but anything beyond that would require some specific knowledge of the instrument. By the time I'd left Germany he'd sold the sitar and gone back to strictly guitar playing.

 

[bscenefilms]

Never touched one. Love the sound tho - Lemon Pipers always comes to mind for me:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIAzQ6M2Bow]THE LEMON PIPERS- " GREEN TAMBOURINE " - YouTube[/ame]

Metallica also used one:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWlSw5Kb0dg]Metallica - Wherever I May Roam - YouTube[/ame]

Steve Howe played a Danelectro Coral Electric Sitar with Yes as well:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCXEsysLfDQ]Siberian Khatru by Yes in HD - YouTube[/ame]

But the Coral really has little to do with a sitar - basically a guitar with drone strings.

The Dan used one for the solo in Do it again to superb effect IMO:

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfXwQeA-kU4[/ame]

They are a total babe magnet tho:

 

[Drew224]

Green Day and Smashing Pumpkins have used them. SP only really threw it in on Siamese Dream, the songs Hummer and Luna, namely.

 

[mudfinger]

Ya, the tag is genius!

I've spent mebbe a couple hundred hours playing Sitar and Sarod.

What would you wanna know? Are they easy to play? NO.

 

[Groove Toad]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPVUa29kHu8]The Rolling Stones - Paint It Black - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Phoenix59]

I remember messing with a Coral Electric Sitar back in the 70s. It's not a perfect sitar sound, but it's got the essence. Very cool.

 

[Cpt Matt Sparrow]

Deepblue,

Are you close to scoring one? I have always loved the sitar too! it is an instrument that I feel I could really enjoy. I played classical guitar with an Indian ensemble in 2010 on the radio. We were thrown together and encouraged to improvise which we all loved very much!

It was fun mixing the sounds of Spain and India! My next non guitar instrument I am after is a Lute, so the sitar will have to wait, but one day!

Matt

 

[Penny Dreadful]

Ya, the tag is genius!

I've spent mebbe a couple hundred hours playing Sitar and Sarod.

What would you wanna know? Are they easy to play? NO.

What is the most challenging part?

Deepblue,

Are you close to scoring one? I have always loved the sitar too! it is an instrument that I feel I could really enjoy. I played classical guitar with an Indian ensemble in 2010 on the radio. We were thrown together and encouraged to improvise which we all loved very much!

It was fun mixing the sounds of Spain and India! My next non guitar instrument I am after is a Lute, so the sitar will have to wait, but one day!

Matt

No, not at all. I would love to have one to try for a month or two, but I wouldn't even know where to get one. I don't do the e-bay gamble.
I was watching a George Harrison documentary and it looked like it would be fun. I'm sure you could make it sing Matt, do the Sitar first and the Lute later! lol

 

[bscenefilms]

What is the most challenging part?




No, not at all. I would love to have one to try for a month or two, but I wouldn't even know where to get one. I don't do the e-bay gamble.
I was watching a George Harrison documentary and it looked like it would be fun. I'm sure you could make it sing Matt, do the Sitar first and the Lute later! lol

I would suspect fine muscle control for pitch as you "fret" the instrument has to be a huge challenge. Yngwie probably has no issue with that