Re: droning questions

[Richard Zvonar <zvonar@zvonar.com>]

At 11:04 AM -0500 3/31/01, James Pokorny wrote:

>I've seen this type of guitar and have to chime in (pun fully 
>intended) that these type of strings are not truly sympathetic 
>strings.  That is, they don't really resonate when the main strings 
>are plucked.

They resonate on mine. In fact, they have their own pickup and 
tone/volume knobs, and if I turn off the main pickups and play the 
regular strings I get output from the sympathetic strings. Granted 
it's not the glorious swell and shimmer of a real sitar, but it does 
work.

>I think the intention of that design is to imitate the multiple 
>strings of the sitar...My feeling is that they're included on this 
>type of instrument to simulate the tinkling, cascading zither-like 
>sound called "jhankar" that we associate with the rapid brushing of 
>the sitar's sympathetic strings.

I'd dispute that. The "normal" tuning for these sympathetic strings 
is chromatic, E to E. The instrument seems to have been  designed 
more as a regular guitar that sounds something like a sitar than as a 
guitar-like emulation of a sitar (if you get the distinction).

-- 

______________________________________________________________
Richard Zvonar, PhD                     zvonar@zvonar.com
(818) 788-2202 voice                    zvonar@LCSaudio.com
(818) 788-2203 fax                      zvonar@well.com

                 http://www.zvonar.com

   <http://www.live365.com/cgi-bin/directory.cgi?autostart=rz>