Tanpura

[1] Visually, the tanpura resembles a simplified sitar or similar lute-like instrument, and is likewise crafted out of a gourd or pumpkin.The instrument's four strings are tuned to specific notes of a given scale or musical key, normally the fifth (Pa; Solfège, “So”) and the root tonic (Sa; “Do”).Tanpurists must keep true to their own rhythm for the duration of the composition, which may be over an hour in some cases, as their drone is critical to the entire musical foundation of the performance.The sequence of string-plucking is generally (according to pitch) 5-8-8-1, with the fourth and final string plucked being given a slight “rest”, usually two to three seconds, before repeating the cycle.Northern and central-Indian Hindustani musicians favor the term tanpura (often used within the context of languages such as Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Sindhi, Punjabi, etc.Stephen Slawek notes that by the end of the 16th century, the tanpura had "fully developed in its modern form" and was seen in the miniature paintings of the Mughals.
A male-pitched tanpura
A woman playing the tanpura, ca. 1735
A pair of female-pitched tanpuras (smaller)
Tanjore-style Carnatic tambura
Side view of tanpura bridge
Top view of tanpura bridge
Tanbur (disambiguation)ISO 639 codeSanskritromanizedstringed instrumentIndian subcontinentIndian musicpumpkinmelodymusical keySolfègebourdonovertonesHindustani musiciansBengaliGujaratiSindhiPunjabiCarnatic musiciansKannadaMalayalamTeluguminiature paintingselectronic tanpuraovertoneJivaribridgetuningsargamHindolresonatorsouth IndianJack woodrosewoodTata Institute of Fundamental ResearchIndian musical instrumentsBansuriKarnayKuzhalNadaswaramShankhaShehnaiShruti boxSringaTharaiDotaraEktaraGottuvadhyamRudra veenaSantoorSaraswati veenaSeni RebabSurbaharSwarabatSwarmandalVichitra veenaDilrubaSarangiSarindaViolinAnandalahariChandeChendaDamaruDholakDholkiEdakkaKanjiraKhamakMardalaMizhavMridangamNagadaPakhawajSambalJori (instrument)UdukaiChimtaGhatamGhungrooJal tarangKartalKhanjaniKhartalManjiraMorsingBharatiya Sangeet VadyaIndian classical musicMusic of IndiaĀlāpiṇī vīṇāEka-tantri vinaKinnari vinaPinaka vina