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The Veena
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Featured February 23 , 2007
The veena is an ancient Indian stringed instrument sacred to Saraswati
 The veena is an ancient stringed instrument akin to the lute. The best veenas are hollowed out from a single block of jackwood (Artocarpus integrifolia}, but the more common instruments are made from three pieces of wood. There are several kinds of veenas, the most popular being the Saraswati Veena, so named for the Hindu goddess Saraswati, who is patron of learning and the arts, and of music, and who is typically depicted holding this instrument. The Saraswati veena has twenty-four frets and seven strings. Four main strings pass over the frets and are attached to the pegs on the neck of the instrument. The other three are side strings which pass over an arched brass bridge and are secured to the main bridge, lying flat over the body of the instrument. These three strings are used as a rhythmic accompaniment to the main melody, which is plucked, rather than strummed. The musician sits cross-legged on the floor to play and holds the veena in front, the bulk of the body resting on the ground. Other variations of the veena are the Rudra veena, Mahanataka veena, Vichitra veena, and Gottuvadhyam veena, sometimes called the Chitra veena. There is also a Mohana veena which is really a form of a guitar. There are two forms of traditional Indian music: Hindustani and Carnatic. The latter dates back about 2500 years and is the form most commonly played upon the veena. Carnatic music is totally melodic and emphasizes vocals. Sources: wikipedia-Veena webIndia123 Veenas Public domain image from wiki-commons |
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