A setar (, ) (lit: "Three
Strings") is a
stringed instrument
In musical instrument classification, string instruments, or chordophones, are musical instruments that produce sound from vibrating strings when a performer strums, plucks, strikes or sounds the strings in varying manners.
Musicians play so ...
, a type of
lute
A lute ( or ) is any plucked string instrument with a neck (music), neck and a deep round back enclosing a hollow cavity, usually with a sound hole or opening in the body. It may be either fretted or unfretted.
More specifically, the term "lu ...
used in
Persian traditional music
Persian traditional music or Iranian traditional music, also known as Persian classical music or Iranian classical music, refers to the classical music of Iran (historically known as '' Persia''). It consists of characteristics developed through ...
, played solo or accompanying voice.
It is a member of the
tanbur
The term ''Tanbur'' can refer to various long-necked string instruments originating in Mesopotamia, Southern or Central Asia. According to the ''New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'', "terminology presents a complicated situation. Nowa ...
family of long-necked lutes with a range of more than two and a half
octaves
In music, an octave (: eighth) or perfect octave (sometimes called the diapason) is an interval between two notes, one having twice the frequency of vibration of the other. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referr ...
.
[ Originally a three stringed instrument, a fourth string was added by Mushtaq Ali Shah by the mid 19th century.][ It is played with the ]index finger
The index finger (also referred to as forefinger, first finger, second finger, pointer finger, trigger finger, digitus secundus, digitus II, and many other terms) is the second digit of a human hand. It is located between the thumb and the m ...
of the right hand.
It has been speculated that the setar originated in Persia
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
by the 9th century AD A more conservative estimate says "it originated in the 15th century, or even earlier."[
Although related to the ]tanbur
The term ''Tanbur'' can refer to various long-necked string instruments originating in Mesopotamia, Southern or Central Asia. According to the ''New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'', "terminology presents a complicated situation. Nowa ...
, in recent centuries, the setar has evolved so that, musically, it more closely resembles the tar
Tar is a dark brown or black viscous liquid of hydrocarbons and free carbon, obtained from a wide variety of organic materials through destructive distillation. Tar can be produced from coal, wood, petroleum, or peat. "a dark brown or black b ...
, both in tuning and playing style.
Etymology
According to Curt Sachs
Curt Sachs (; 29 June 1881 – 5 February 1959) was a German musicologist. He was one of the founders of modern organology (the study of musical instruments). Among his contributions was the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which he created with Eric ...
, Persians chose to name their lutes around the word ''tar'', meaning string, combined with a word for the number of strings. Du + tar is the 2-stringed dutār, se + tar is the 3-stringed setār, čartar (4 strings), pančtār (5 strings).
The modern Iranian instrument's name سهتار ' is a combination of سه '—meaning "three"—and تار '—meaning "string", therefore the word gives the meaning of "three-stringed" or "tri-stringed".
In spite of the instrument's name implying it should have three strings, the modern instrument actually has four strings. One was added in the 19th century.[ Strings however are grouped so that musicians are still dealing with three groups or courses of strings, instead of four separately played strings.
]
Sharing a name
Other tanbur-family instruments share the setar name. Sharing the name may not mean a direct connection between the musical traditions.
In Tajikistan
Tajikistan, officially the Republic of Tajikistan, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Dushanbe is the capital city, capital and most populous city. Tajikistan borders Afghanistan to the Afghanistan–Tajikistan border, south, Uzbekistan to ...
, the Pamiri Setor is larger than the Iranian setar. It has 3 playing strings and sympathetic string
Sympathetic strings or resonance strings are auxiliary strings found on many Indian musical instruments, as well as some Western Baroque instruments and a variety of folk instruments.
They are typically not played directly by the performer (ex ...
s (as many as 8–12).[ It is played with a "thimblelike metal ]plectrum
A plectrum is a small flat tool used for plucking or strumming of a stringed instrument. For hand-held instruments such as guitars and mandolins, the plectrum is often called a pick and is held as a separate tool in the player's hand. In harpsic ...
" worn on a finger.
In Baluchistan
Balochistan ( ; , ), also spelled as Baluchistan or Baluchestan, is a historical region in West and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. This arid region of de ...
, the setar is larger than the Iranian setar, and is a "rhythmic drone" instrument to accompany singing. Its three strings are set up to resemble the dutar
The ''dutar'' (also ''Dotara, dotar''; ; ; ; ; ; ; ) is a traditional Iranian long-necked two-stringed lute found in Iran and Central Asia.
Its name comes from the Persian language, Persian word for "two strings", دوتار ''do tār'' (< � ...
's two strings: one bass string and a pair of strings tune "a 4th higher."[
In ]Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
, there exists the Chitrali sitar with 5 strings in 3 courses, with melody played on the top two strings.
In Xinjiang
Xinjiang,; , SASM/GNC romanization, SASM/GNC: Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Sinkiang, officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People' ...
, China, '' Satar'' (; zh, 萨塔尔, ''Sàtǎ'ěr'') is an important instrument in 12 muqam
A Muqam (; zh, s=木卡姆, p=Mùkǎmǔ) is the melody type used in the music of the Uyghurs, that is, a musical mode and set of melodic formulas used to guide improvisation and composition.
Twelve muqams
The twelve muqams are:
#Rak (; , ...
. It is a bowed lute with 13 strings, one raised bowing string and 12 sympathetic strings
Sympathetic strings or resonance strings are auxiliary strings found on many Indian musical instruments, as well as some Western Baroque instruments and a variety of folk instruments.
They are typically not played directly by the performer (ex ...
, tuned to the mode of the muqam
A Muqam (; zh, s=木卡姆, p=Mùkǎmǔ) is the melody type used in the music of the Uyghurs, that is, a musical mode and set of melodic formulas used to guide improvisation and composition.
Twelve muqams
The twelve muqams are:
#Rak (; , ...
or piece being played.
In India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
, the Sitar
The sitar ( or ; ) is a plucked stringed instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in Hindustani classical music. The instrument was invented in the 18th century, and arrived at its present form in 19th-century India. Khusrau K ...
is an instrument with many forms. Its name is "an Urdu
Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...
transcription of the Persian ''sihtār''".[ The Indian instrument was likely adapted from instruments brought by Muslim empires and then developed locally.][
]
Construction
1.
Peghead or
headstock
A headstock or peghead is part of a guitar or similar stringed instruments such as a lute, mandolin, banjo, ukulele and others of the lute lineage. The main function of a headstock is to house the tuning pegs or other mechanism that holds the s ...
2.
Pegs
3.
Fret
A fret is any of the thin strips of material, usually metal wire, inserted laterally at specific positions along the neck or fretboard of a stringed instrument. Frets usually extend across the full width of the neck. On some historical inst ...
above nut
4.
Nut
5. Main
Fret
A fret is any of the thin strips of material, usually metal wire, inserted laterally at specific positions along the neck or fretboard of a stringed instrument. Frets usually extend across the full width of the neck. On some historical inst ...
s
6. Side Frets or Secondary Frets
7.
Neck
The neck is the part of the body in many vertebrates that connects the head to the torso. It supports the weight of the head and protects the nerves that transmit sensory and motor information between the brain and the rest of the body. Addition ...
8. Bowl
9.
Sound hole
A sound hole is an opening in the body of a stringed musical instrument, usually the upper sound board.
Sound holes have different shapes:
* Round in flat-top guitars and traditional bowl-back mandolins;
* F-holes in instruments from the viol ...
s
10.
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...
11. String holder or wire holder
12.
String
String or strings may refer to:
*String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...
s
The instrument can be categorized as a neck-bowl instrument. Strings run from the pegs at the top of the neck, across a bone or plastic nut that has grooves to separate them, down the neck, across the bowl, over the bridge and are secured to a string holder at the end of the bowl. The pegs are inserted directly into the end of the instrument's neck, similar to a headstock
A headstock or peghead is part of a guitar or similar stringed instruments such as a lute, mandolin, banjo, ukulele and others of the lute lineage. The main function of a headstock is to house the tuning pegs or other mechanism that holds the s ...
.
The bowl is structurally similar to the bowl of the tanbur
The term ''Tanbur'' can refer to various long-necked string instruments originating in Mesopotamia, Southern or Central Asia. According to the ''New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'', "terminology presents a complicated situation. Nowa ...
, but smaller and pear-shaped. The length of the bowl is from 26 to 30 cm, its width is between 12 and 16 cm and its depth is about 13 cm. It is usually made of mulberry
''Morus'', a genus of flowering plants in the family Moraceae, consists of 19 species of deciduous trees commonly known as mulberries, growing wild and under cultivation in many temperate world regions. Generally, the genus has 64 subordinat ...
or walnut wood. The structure of the bowl can be either a single piece of wood or made of separate and glued pieces. The soundboard of the bowl is made of thin sheets of wood. It has sound holes to let the sound escape the bowl. The musician's hand may be placed on it while playing.
The length of the neck is 40 to 48 cm long and 3 cm wide. A 12 cm section at the top is set aside for the pegs. The neck may be decorated with camel bone, covering the neck to make it more beautiful and to extend its useful life.
The wooden bridge is between 5 and 6 cm long and its height is less than 1 cm. It has shallow grooves for the strings to rest in. The strings, after passing over the bridge from the neck, are secured on the wire holder. The neck has frets made from thin threads made of animal intestines or silk. They are tied in 3 or 4 strands across the neck, and are responsible for dividing the neck into lengths, allowing the musician to find notes. There may be 26 frets, one of which is at the nut and not used to create a note.
Characteristics
The setar belongs to the tanbur
The term ''Tanbur'' can refer to various long-necked string instruments originating in Mesopotamia, Southern or Central Asia. According to the ''New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians'', "terminology presents a complicated situation. Nowa ...
family, but today it is very close to the tar
Tar is a dark brown or black viscous liquid of hydrocarbons and free carbon, obtained from a wide variety of organic materials through destructive distillation. Tar can be produced from coal, wood, petroleum, or peat. "a dark brown or black b ...
, having the same neck (and same number of frets and tuning system
In music, there are two common meanings for tuning:
* Tuning practice, the act of tuning an instrument or voice.
* Tuning systems, the various systems of pitches used to tune an instrument, and their theoretical bases.
Tuning practice
Tun ...
).[
The setar has a pear-shaped body, made (like those of the ]lute
A lute ( or ) is any plucked string instrument with a neck (music), neck and a deep round back enclosing a hollow cavity, usually with a sound hole or opening in the body. It may be either fretted or unfretted.
More specifically, the term "lu ...
or oud) from strips of thin mulberry
''Morus'', a genus of flowering plants in the family Moraceae, consists of 19 species of deciduous trees commonly known as mulberries, growing wild and under cultivation in many temperate world regions. Generally, the genus has 64 subordinat ...
wood lathes, glued together into a bowl. Alternatively, the bowl could be carved from a block of wood.[ The bowl is approximately 25 cm long and 15 centimeters at the widest point, and 15 centimeters deep.][
The neck of the instrument is long and narrow, long enough to support a 62–70 cm-long string (minus the 25 cm where the string passes over the bowl after leaving the neck). The neck has gut strings wrapped around it which function as ]fret
A fret is any of the thin strips of material, usually metal wire, inserted laterally at specific positions along the neck or fretboard of a stringed instrument. Frets usually extend across the full width of the neck. On some historical inst ...
s, which can be positioned to change the notes that the musician will hit upon fingering at the fret
A fret is any of the thin strips of material, usually metal wire, inserted laterally at specific positions along the neck or fretboard of a stringed instrument. Frets usually extend across the full width of the neck. On some historical inst ...
. The ''New Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments'' says that there are between 25 and 27 frets.[ Another source, mentions between 22 and 28 frets, placed according to the musician's ear.][
The instrument is strung with four strings. From top to bottom the strings are (4) bam or bass string, (3) drone string, (2) yellow string, and (1) silver string.
The top-two strings, referred to together by the one-string's name —''bam'' (بم)— function together as a pair and are played together. The other two strings are known as the gold string and the silver string. The silver string is the melody string. Historically, only the (4) bam string, the (2) yellow string and the (1) silver string existed. The need for the additional fourth string was recognized centuries ago, by intellectual thinkers such as Abu Nasr al-Farabi (ca. 872-950 AD), Abu Ali Sina (980-1037 AD), Safi al-Din Ermavi (ca. 1216-1294 C.E.), and (in the 20th century) the late Abul Hassan Khan Saba.
The new string is sometimes referred to as the "fourth string" because it is the last of the four strings to be added to the instrument. However, it was inserted between the yellow string and bass string; today when looking at the modern instrument being played, it is the (3) drone string, the third string from the bottom. The newest string is also known as the Mushtaq (مشتاق) string, because it was first used by Mushtaq Ali Shah, according to a narration of ]Abolhassan Saba
Abolhasan Saba (; April 15, 1902 – December 19, 1957) was a renowned Iranian composer, violinist, and setar player.
Biography
He was born in Tehran to Abul Qasim Khan ''Kamal ol-Saltaneh'', son of Mohammad Jafar Khan ''Sadr ol-Hekma'', son of ...
.
Playing the setar
The setar is played with the musician sitting, held at a 45- degree angle on the right thigh. Normally, the musician uses the fingers of the left hand on the frets to choose notes on the white string, bottom-most string) The right hand plays the setar, usually using only the index finger.
The instrument is played using the index finger of the right hand, using an " oscillating motion" This differentiates it from the tanburs, which are plucked with multiple fingers or with a homemade plectrum
A plectrum is a small flat tool used for plucking or strumming of a stringed instrument. For hand-held instruments such as guitars and mandolins, the plectrum is often called a pick and is held as a separate tool in the player's hand. In harpsic ...
, made from plastic, quills or razor blades.
In more complicated works the musician may use the index, middle, ring and sometimes the little finger of the left hand to fret notes, and may use the thumb
The thumb is the first digit of the hand, next to the index finger. When a person is standing in the medical anatomical position (where the palm is facing to the front), the thumb is the outermost digit. The Medical Latin English noun for thumb ...
to pick notes on the bass strings.
Tuning the setar
The instrument is most commonly tuned c c' g c' using Helmholtz pitch notation
Helmholtz pitch notation is a system for naming musical notes of the Western chromatic scale. Fully described and normalized by the German scientist Hermann von Helmholtz, it uses a combination of upper and lower case letters (A to G), and t ...
.[
The strings are tuned in multiple ways, to match a music's tonality or a singer's voice.
]
Example
A basic example showing one of the tuning patterns, listed in scientific pitch notation
Scientific pitch notation (SPN), also known as American standard pitch notation (ASPN) and international pitch notation (IPN), is a method of specifying musical Pitch (music), pitch by combining a musical Note (music), note name (with accidental ( ...
, top to bottom: C3 C4 • G3 • C4. The lowest pitch strings played together as a course (C3 C4) are the bass string (made of bronze or phosphor-bronze) and the drone (made of steel). The highest pitch strings are the "yellow" G3, made of bronze or phosphor-bronze and the "white" G3 made of steel.
Movable frets
Players not only tune the strings of the setar, but also move the gut or nylon frets that are tied around the neck, between the neck and the strings. Since these frets are moveable, players can move them to set notes closer or farther apart. The instrument is designed to play microtones, pitches between the standard western pitches on the piano keyboard.
A Koron lowers and a Sori raises the pitches by quarter steps (flats and sharps are half-steps).
Setting strings for a ''Dastgâh''
Strings are tuned to meet the tonal requirements of Dastgâh.
The instrument's four strings are not always set the same. Tones are not absolutes (unless playing with instruments that are set, such as a western-instruments with standardized and unchangeable pitches). Rather, the strings are intervals, what one string sounds like when compared to the first string.
Setting the frets
The table below can be used to position the frets on the instrument's neck; the frets are made of tied string and are moveable. The instrument used to create the measurements had a scale length of 66 centimeters, from nut at the top to bridge at the bottom.
The table contains the names and playable samples of notes, for a string set to C.
The instrument has microtones; in western music the musical scale
In music theory, a scale is "any consecutive series of notes that form a progression between one note and its octave", typically by order of pitch or fundamental frequency.
The word "scale" originates from the Latin ''scala'', which literal ...
is made of tones and half-tones.
In Persian music, there can be quarter tones as well, marked koron or sori. These are quarter tones. Koron is 1/4 step flat. Sori is 1/4 step sharp.
For example, in the photo there is an E4, E4 flat, and between the two an E4 koron. Between the F4 and the F4 sharp is the F4 sori.
The setar in recorded media
The setar was first recorded for the Gramophone Company
The Gramophone Company Limited was a British phonograph manufacturer and record label, founded in April 1898 by Emil Berliner. It was one of the earliest record labels.
The company purchased the His Master's Voice painting and trademark righ ...
in the winter of 1888-1889 (1306 AH) by Arthur James Twain. He recorded singer Batool Rezaei (stage name: Banoo Machol Parvaneh, mother of Khatereh Parvaneh) playing setar, accompanied by Habibollah Samaei on santur
The santur ( ; ) is a hammered dulcimer of Iranian origin.--- Rashid, Subhi Anwar (1989). ''Al-ʼĀlāt al-musīqīyya al-muṣāhiba lil-Maqām al-ʻIrāqī''. Baghdad: Matbaʻat al-ʻUmmāl al-Markazīyya.
History
The santur was invented ...
, Ghavam Al-Sultan on tar
Tar is a dark brown or black viscous liquid of hydrocarbons and free carbon, obtained from a wide variety of organic materials through destructive distillation. Tar can be produced from coal, wood, petroleum, or peat. "a dark brown or black b ...
and Agha Mehdi Navai on ney
The ney ( ; ) is an end-blown flute that figures prominently in traditional Persian, Turkish, Jewish, Arab, and Egyptian music. In some of these musical traditions, it is the only wind instrument used. The ney has been played for over 4,500 ye ...
. Joey Walker of Australian psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...
band King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard (KGLW) are an Australian Rock music, rock band formed in 2010 in Melbourne, Victoria. The band's current lineup consists of Stu Mackenzie (vocals, guitar), Ambrose Kenny-Smith (vocals, harmonica, keyboards), Coo ...
played Setar in various songs, primarily on the album Nonagon Infinity
''Nonagon Infinity'' is the eighth studio album by Australian psychedelic rock band King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard. It was released on 29 April 2016 on ATO Records. The album is designed to play as an "infinite loop" where each song segues in ...
.
Notable setarists
* Mirza Abdollah
Mirza Abdollah, also known as Agha Mirza Abdollah Farahani (; 1843–1918), was a tar and setar player. He is among the most significant musicians in Iran's history. Born in Shiraz, he and his younger brother Mirza Hossein-Qoli started learn ...
* Hossein Alizadeh
Hossein Alizadeh (; born August 24, 1951) is an Iranian musician, composer, radif-preserver, researcher, teacher, and tar, shurangiz and setar instrumentalist and improviser. He has performed with such musicians as Shahram Nazeri, Mohamm ...
* Ahmad Ebadi
* Sa'id Hormozi
Ostad Sa'id Hormozi () (1898–1976) was an Iranian musician who is remembered for his efforts to "promote authentic Iranian music" and pass it to modern musicians. He was born in one of the old neighborhoods of Tehran called Sangalaj. He was a p ...
* Kayhan Kalhor
Kayhan Kalhor (, born on 24 November 1964) is an Iran, Iranian Kurds, Kurdish kamancheh and setar player, and a vocal composer. He has received three Grammy Award for Best Traditional World Music Album nominations. Kalhor has also earned two nom ...
* Mohammad-Reza Lotfi
Mohammad-Reza Lotfi (; 1 January 1947 – 2 May 2014) was an Iranian classical musician renowned for his mastery of the tar and setar. He collaborated with singers such as Mohammad-Rezā Shajarian, Hengameh Akhavan, Shahram Nazeri and Alireza ...
* Hamid Motebassem
* Abolhasan Saba
Abolhasan Saba (; April 15, 1902 – December 19, 1957) was a renowned Iranian composer, violinist, and setar player.
Biography
He was born in Tehran to Abul Qasim Khan ''Kamal ol-Saltaneh'', son of Mohammad Jafar Khan ''Sadr ol-Hekma'', son of ...
* Dariush Safvat
* Dariush Talai
* Jalal Zolfonun
Jalaal Zulfonun (, ; 7 March 1938 – 18 March 2012) was an Iranian musician, Setar (lute), setaar player, and a prominent composer and teacher of Persian traditional music, Persian music.
Collaboration with Maurice Béjart
He has also collabora ...
See also
*Music of Iran
The music of Iran encompasses music produced by Iranian artists. In addition to the traditional folk and classical genres, it also includes pop and internationally celebrated styles such as jazz, rock, and hip hop.
Iranian music influenced oth ...
*Barbat (lute)
The ''barbat'' () or ''barbud'' is a lute of Greater Iran, Greater Iranian or Persian origin, and widespread across Central Asia, especially since the Sassanid Empire. Barbat is characterized as carved from a single piece of wood, including the ...
*Bağlama
The bağlama or saz is a family of plucked string instruments and long-necked lutes used in Europe, Balkans, Caucasus, Middle East, Khazar, Central Asia including Germany, France, Belgium, TRNC, Netherlands, Albania, Greece,Bosnia, Serbia, Croat ...
*Sitar
The sitar ( or ; ) is a plucked stringed instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in Hindustani classical music. The instrument was invented in the 18th century, and arrived at its present form in 19th-century India. Khusrau K ...
* Rubab
*Sataer
The ''Sataer'' (; zh, 萨它尔) is a traditional Uyghur long-necked bowed lute. It is used by Uyghur people in Xinjiang, western China, and is an important instrument to play maqams.
Characteristics
The instrument is a long-necked lute, abo ...
Notes
References
External links
How to tune a setar, tuning patterns for 12 dastgahs.
Video. Setar solo by Kayhan Kalhor in the Abgineh Museum, Tehran, 21 May 2020.
Radif played my Sa'im Hormozi. Has clips of his instrument playing in different dastgah tunings.
{{Authority control
Necked bowl lutes
Azerbaijani musical instruments
Iranian inventions
Persian musical instruments