I like sitting in a Chair because it's more comfortable, what I do rather cleverly is attach a Guitar Strap (I simply replace the Bottom Tailpiece Screw w/ one that has a Guitar Strap Button) so I could keep the instrument in playing position. I actually use a Cello Bow because I could hold it overhand. I also like using the Dilruba Bows which have the same horse hair but to make them respond to the steel strings, I had to get Clarity Rosin (it's a Synthetic Rosin), it's 5 times as Sticky as Regular Violin Rosin.
You are very welcome. I just purchased one this week. Unfortunitly it arrived damaged. However I'm trying to work it out with the seller. Bottom line I love world musical instruments and learning how to play them. When I find a calm instructional intelligent instructional video, I feel I had struck gold. Yours is one of those. It isn't some young kid doing a sloppy job at a review. It is a truly instructional learning video. Again keep up the great work. I have subscribed to yours so that as you learn and pass that on, I will learn also!! Thank you so much for trying to pass on your learning/teaching information. James
I was also looking for some one who can teach but what I found, who know how to play this lovely instrument are highly arrogant (most of them) that is why I bought guitar, but after seeing your video I am agaain planning to buy the instrument
I am likely getting a Dilruba soon & I am really glad you made these tutorials,I think they will get me through many of the basics! I collect & play instruments from all over the world & at times it's hard to find basic info on some, that's in English! Again thank you
wholegreaterthansum It's great to wear a Sitar Plectrum cause it's big in versatility. You can pluck the strings with a Sitar plectrum or use a Bow to get a different sound. I play with a Cello bow held over hand because I find it more ideal for Classical playing.
weeeee! got my dilruba for x-mas. it's a stone groove. snapped several strings before i realized i was trying to tune an octave to high plus the strings that came with the instrument were cheap. i was able to replace the snapped strings with guitar strings i had laying around. i love the sound of this instrument. although it's a cheap low end model it should get me going for a while
God bless you man ! Keep rising high ! You are really kind to put this tutorial for people who cannot visit a teacher personally ! Blessings and love to you
@jdsowa Generally speaking, in Indian music there are only 3 octaves Mandra, Madhya (for me this is middle C on the piano to the B above) and Tar saptak. So, when I tune sympathetic strings, I start with the F below middle C (mandra saptak) and do a mixed chromatic tuning (natural notes in the lower part, flattened/sharped notes in the upper register). But there is no fixed method for tuning sympathetics and breaking a string from time to time is to be expected. All the best!
Hi Irv - Your dilruba will come with cello-rosin which works just fine, you will want to rub the rosin with fine sand paper in order to get it started. It will take a lot of rosin to make the bow sound initially. After that, maybe once a month.
Hi Sandeep - there are a few Dilrubas being produced that have 6 strings (such as MKS) so it isn't terribly uncommon. Personally I wouldn't know how to tune your instrument without seeing the gauges of the strings (how thick they are). However, if you know of a Sitar player in your area, they might be able to help you tune your instrument. There are also many people giving Skype lessons, which you might consider.
Dear labelithawail, I demonstrate on the main playing string which is the farthest to the left (when holding it), but it would probably be a good idea to get used to playing on the first two strings - meaning the farthest to the left, and the one right next to it. I would say that you will do about 90% of your playing on the main string, so that is the one that usually needs the most attention. All the best!
Thanks for replying back>I am planning to buy a dilruba so is there any advice u like to give me before buying it like what things should i keep in mind while buying so that i buy a good one.
Hello, thank you for these wonderful videos. Do you have a video on how you like to tune the sympathetic strings? Also, I am having trouble with the bow playing more than one string at once - whenI push the string down to the fret, the string becomes lower than the others and the bow does not reach it but will play the other open strings! is that normal? Thanks!
Thanks so much for the very helpful videos! I'm curious if you think sikhsaaj dilrubas are best. I am looking at a MKS dilruba and am having a hard time deciding. Price aside, I am looking for the best sounding, highest quality instrument. Thanks!
Hi Miliqe - the book covers tuning, but it's something you'll have to practice - I am long overdue for making a tuning video. As long as you aren't violent with the instrument you won't hurt it. You will need to set the bridge up though which is an easy process.
it's a holiday present so i don't actually get it for a couple of weeks but i'll post something after i noodle around with it a bit. thanks for your help!
hi - i'm getting a dilruba soon and appreciate your videos you tuned string 1 as F and 2 as C but what about 4 and 5? what do you tune the sympathetic strings to? thanks again for the lesson
I'm glad to know the scratching means too much pressure! super helpful :) I sometimes find my bow bouncing on the strings and sometimes the pitch jumps up an octave...do you know what I'm doing wrong there?
no problem at all - I bought a glassner double bass bow but I imagine that any fiberglass model will work - I haven't tried the wood. You would want "German" style.
cool, glad to hear it - but the truth is, it all depends on the strings your instrument was shipped with. I tune mine F, C, C, G,, with the sympathetics as E, F, G, A, B, C# D# F# G# A# C D Hope we get to hear you play sometime soon!
Hi,my name is Elif and I am a professional western classical violinist,now living in India,learning Indian classical music..A maker from Mirage/Maharashtra made for e a dilruba it has very good sound,a little big for me but no problem I am practising with my violin bow till I will go back to my country and buy a cello or double bass bow..What I want to say is your videos/lessons,I find quite usefull,it is great thank u for that..Just I don't agree with you about the bow technic.+
ahhh, I understand what you mean now - in western music, we call this "transposition." Generally speaking, we don't want to re-tune too much because the instrument needs to settle into a tuning. In Gurmat Sangeet, there is the "male" scale (Sa = 7th fret) and the female scale (Sa = 2nd fret). Depending on the Rag though, any fret can be Sa, this is fairly commonly done when accompanying singing.When playing as a solo instrument, it is most common for Sa = 7th fret :-)
Thank you - I do often get the French and German bows mixed up so its nice to have expert input ;-) Since you are used to this particular bow-hold you would probably have a very easy time with this instrument.
Hii, thanks a lot for your lessons. I always wanted to learn a classical instrunment. After seeing your tutorial I found courage to buy one. Its my first string instrument and dont know anything about it. I have some questions about it. Is the bow played on all strings or only on the tuned one? Can I take any fret to start sargam like on harmonium? I read you made a video how to tune it but I couldnt find it can you share the link please? Thanks a lot :)
Hello, Thanks for answering :). Yes I am a lady and want to sing with it. I am having difficulty in tuning it and there isnt anyone in the near who play the dilruba or is familiar with indian instruments and the other thing is if I search in internet for tuning, it only says how to tune four strings but my dilruba has 6 playing strings. Is it normal ? How should I tune it. It would be really helpful if you can give my some tipps. Thanks!
@gagansingh541 As far as I know, there are no lesson-books available for dilruba, however; once you know how to play, a good text for songs in general is David and Chandrakantha Courtney's "Elementary North Indian Vocal" book. Or the Ali Akbar Khan text: "Classical Music of North India" - hope that helps!
Hi, could you share how you tuned your sympathetic strings? I see tunings on the web, but they don't say what octave. Would be nice to know so I don't break a string. Would it be F1 to D2, for example? Thanks
Hi Elif - fair enough, I suppose upon reflection, it was somewhat close-minded of me to say that about violin bow holds. Yes, whatever bow hold gets you the best sound, is probably the one that should be used :-) Thanks for the correction ;-)
wholegreaterthansum I would suggest you switch to Coruss Synthetic Bow Hair which lasts many times as long as Regular Horse Hair. You could actually use a Cello Bow.
Love these dilruba turorials ! Just a question, I just bought a dilruba and after watching your first tutorial video for it, I have tuned it the same as you and I have been trying to practise bowing but I cannot seem to make a sound out of it, just a very soft little screech sound. Is this because I am using a bow with fibre glass horse hair? or what do you think might be the cause of this? King regards Idrees
yes, essentially dilruba is a bowed sitar - meaning there is only one melody string. Modern players do use the 2nd string from time to time, but about 90-95% of the playing is done on the first string. If you go through exotic hub, please let them know who sent you ;-)
Hello Michael I would like to how to set the lower strings on the dilruba plz I hv notice if lower strings are not tuned properly the sound isn't the same please let us know thanks Michael I do hv my first video on you tube
Hello! I have recently purchased a dilruba from a renowed instrumentmaker in Kolkata. The instrument sounds great BUT it has a crack circa two inches/5 cm on the backside of the neck. I will make a complain/request for refund or send the instrument back. If I keep it: may it become worse with the crack?
Dear Sandeep - thanks for watching! About 90% of the time the bow is played on the main playing string (farthest to the left) if you are playing it as a solo instrument. If you are accompanying yourself singing, then things change a little bit, BRB.
Hi Totozarzar, its no bother :-) The biggest difference in cost is the hard case that comes with the instrument, watch?v=XWRLPrTt_AA outside of that, the higher quality instrument use guitar style machine heads for all the strings in addition to just being put together with more attention and care - although - I will say that all the instruments I have received from exotic-hub have been very well put together. Hope that helps!
Hi, thanks for watching! You might consider taking lessons over Skype. I did before I found an in-person instructor. Alternatively, a good Hindustani voice teacher is another great option. Most voice teachers can teach you what you need to know. You should post some videos of you playing.
@gagansingh541 I just noticed that you have in many Kirtan videos liked/favorited - Raj Academy in the UK has a distance learning course for Sikh music that is top-notch and very worthwhile.
I really love the sound of the instrument. I thought about getting one, but I wonder how you would qualify the difficulty of learning how to play it? I've been playing plucked strings instruments for a bit more than 15 years now (guitar and bass mostly and I bought a sitar 2 years ago), but I've never tried a bowed instrument before.
hello, thanks for all the great lessons! quick question: if I tune the dilruba to C, what octave should the sympathetic strings be tuned to? should the 4th sympathetic string (Sa) be the exact same pitch as the second playing string (Sa) or an octave higher? thanks!
I bought sarangi(trying to tune it is a nightmare). I decided to maybe switch to dilurba. But does the bridge chromatic? Or i can have the microtones just like the sarangi?(like a violin no pegs)
Thanks for all the lessons,. While I can tell you are no master, what you teach is very helpful and I am very thankful. I will be getting your book soon. One question though. You say the 90% of the time the farthest to the left string is only what is played. What is the point of having the other 3 main strings?
+ethan b Thanks - it's true, I'm still no master - although I am significantly better than when I made these videos 5 years ago :-) The second string is sometimes used for melody, the 3rd and 4th are used for droning, they can be plucked or sometimes bowed.
hello sir , my name is aalap tanna and i m from ahmedbad , gujarat , india . before some day my sir gave me a DILRUBA , in our city there is no teacher of DULRUBA !! so i just started Plying via reading books on DILRUBA .. i want to learn DILRUBA properly ... any suggestions ??
Hi, any tips on how to harden the fingers? I just started, I can already feel the strings pressing on my skin really hard and any further it would kinda slice through. Any tips for that?
Hi Nikki, thanks for watching! The miniature models are typically for decoration only. If you are a smaller person, you might consider Esraj. But, if you are set on dilruba, then full size should be fine.
Hi, thanks for watching. The esraj is basically the same instrument - the only difference is the Jawari strings (and the instrument being a little smaller). I did have a friend who played esraj in these videos: watch?v=TJe3KOHT7ls
Hi Irv - the Dilruba is an ideal instrument for training the voice and picking a beautiful and easy instrument at the same time - if you are looking for a quality affordable instrument, my recommendation is exotic hub on ebay (exotic hub is the only ebay seller I recommend). Let me know how it works out (if you pursue it).
thanks for watching - if you would like some extra help with the instrument, you might consider picking up a copy of the new book "A Practical Method for Taus, Dilruba, and Esraj" through Amazon. Its full of very useful information for new players.
Hello Mike, My Dilruba came in today. I have been trying to adjust the tuning. I left a voicemail for you. Do get back to me at your earliest convenience so that I can tune it with you and also get lessons.
Hi, you just have to twist the machine heads to tighten the strings - pretty much exactly like a guitar - I tune mine to F C C G usually (going left to right)
Hi Gary - I usually recommend Exotic-Hub on EBay, for beginning players - they have a wide variety for selections and are very affordable. Usually the least expensive model is around 100 pounds, whereas the more professional models are in the neighborhood of 250
no offense taken :-) but I am not sure what you mean, the Ni fret is number 16 and the tar saptak fret is number 17 - this is the normal fret layout, could you make a response video showing me your suggestion?
I just wanted to comment on your bow cradle. I am an upright bassist. (I don't play Dilruba, but I am interested in it) The Bow you use is a GERMAN bow. The frog is bigger than a FRENCH bow. The way you are holding it is the correct way to hold a German bow. French players hold their bow on top of the stick. German hold theirs pretty much the way you are holding it.
Dear @SimTube- I would love to help you :-) but you may ask around in your Gurdwara if someone there can teach you Kirtan on Taus, if there is nobody available, then please get in contact with me.
+SimTube if you are in Punjab (India) . you can learn playing Taus/Dilruba from Sri Bhaini Sahib, Distt. Ludhiana. Namdharis playing dilruba and taus can be learnt
@gagansingh541 Well, contrary to what most people say, I find the e-bay models to be just fine for beginning players. However; you won't get a really good bow or fiberglass case if you order those, so you might think about ordering through sikhsaaj-dot-com if you want top quality. Of course, all of this is relevant only if you live in the US or Canada :-)
my bet is that there isn't enough rosin on the bow - new bows have to have a lot of rosin put on and it takes several applications. I hope this helps: watch?v=q8UsIwa-BhQ
U mention in your first tutorial..you sad we shouldn't try to use the bow like western classical.Well as a western classical violinist,I have quite really good bow technique and also understand that the other technique gives you flexibility and many things but if you can do these with the other technique like western or french,why not?..Ok the basic technique is traditional and propper..but I,myself,study hindustani violin with great teachers,even they are flexible about the styles of playing.
I'm guessing that you are a lady, so if you are singing to your playing, you will probably want to use fret number 2 as your Sa. That's how these girls do it. watch?v=Ac9CP7TrcA4
Dilruba is originally an Afghan instrument and that is exactly why the name "Dilruba" (robber of the heart) is in Dari. This is not a Sikh or Indian instrument. The instrument itself outdates Sikhism by hundreds, if not thousands of years. During the 1000 year Afghan rule of Northern India many aspects of our culture blended with that of India. Sad to see our country at war for 30 years while our heritage is stolen by all our neighbors.
+Barak Zai (Noble Savage) .. Afghanistan and India was one one territory at that time .. after the separation the heritage is shared, not stolen.. otherwise it could be said in other way also.. Have a more precise read here.. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esraj
Dilruba, saranda, jodi/tabla, esraj and Taus was invented by Sikh Gurus. I'm sure I'm missing some more instruments. BTW Afghanistan, Pakistan and Panjab almost were a same nation. We share ancestry :)
I like sitting in a Chair because it's more comfortable, what I do rather cleverly is attach a Guitar Strap (I simply replace the Bottom Tailpiece Screw w/ one that has a Guitar Strap Button) so I could keep the instrument in playing position. I actually use a Cello Bow because I could hold it overhand. I also like using the Dilruba Bows which have the same horse hair but to make them respond to the steel strings, I had to get Clarity Rosin (it's a Synthetic Rosin), it's 5 times as Sticky as Regular Violin Rosin.
5:30 That's the German Bow Grip I picked up from learning to use a German Bass Bow, & it actually seemed to work.
3:09 That's also a Wind player's favorite Key. Some Male singers actually prefer Bb as well cause they don't have to sing quite as high.
The Synthetic Bow Hair you're referring to has since been reformulated & updated to grip the strings better.
Videos like these are much needed on the internet.
Fiberglass Horse Hair (it's actually Coruss) is more durable but they recommend using Pops Rosin.
Thanks for such wonderful lessons. please advice from where can i buy professional grade Dilruba in USA.
You are very welcome. I just purchased one this week. Unfortunitly it arrived damaged. However I'm trying to work it out with the seller. Bottom line I love world musical instruments and learning how to play them. When I find a calm instructional intelligent instructional video, I feel I had struck gold. Yours is one of those. It isn't some young kid doing a sloppy job at a review.
It is a truly instructional learning video.
Again keep up the great work. I have subscribed to yours so that as you learn and pass that on, I will learn also!!
Thank you so much for trying to pass on your learning/teaching information.
James
I am looking to buy a Dilruba sometime soon, these videos you have put up are going to be really helpful once I finally get my hands on one! Thanks!
7:23 Down Stroke & Upstroke
I was also looking for some one who can teach but what I found, who know how to play this lovely instrument are highly arrogant (most of them) that is why I bought guitar, but after seeing your video I am agaain planning to buy the instrument
I am likely getting a Dilruba soon & I am really glad you made these tutorials,I think they will get me through many of the basics! I collect & play instruments from all over the world & at times it's hard to find basic info on some, that's in English! Again thank you
wholegreaterthansum It's great to wear a Sitar Plectrum cause it's big in versatility. You can pluck the strings with a Sitar plectrum or use a Bow to get a different sound. I play with a Cello bow held over hand because I find it more ideal for Classical playing.
weeeee! got my dilruba for x-mas. it's a stone groove. snapped several strings before i realized i was trying to tune an octave to high plus the strings that came with the instrument were cheap. i was able to replace the snapped strings with guitar strings i had laying around.
i love the sound of this instrument. although it's a cheap low end model it should get me going for a while
God bless you man ! Keep rising high ! You are really kind to put this tutorial for people who cannot visit a teacher personally ! Blessings and love to you
@jdsowa Generally speaking, in Indian music there are only 3 octaves Mandra, Madhya (for me this is middle C on the piano to the B above) and Tar saptak. So, when I tune sympathetic strings, I start with the F below middle C (mandra saptak) and do a mixed chromatic tuning (natural notes in the lower part, flattened/sharped notes in the upper register). But there is no fixed method for tuning sympathetics and breaking a string from time to time is to be expected. All the best!
Hi Irv - Your dilruba will come with cello-rosin which works just fine, you will want to rub the rosin with fine sand paper in order to get it started. It will take a lot of rosin to make the bow sound initially. After that, maybe once a month.
glad to hear it (the getting your instrument part, not the breaking the strings part) congrats, can't wait to hear you play it.
For tuning the strings on the inside, how did you go by in doing that? Would you be able to make a video in detail tuning each string?
Hi Sandeep - there are a few Dilrubas being produced that have 6 strings (such as MKS) so it isn't terribly uncommon. Personally I wouldn't know how to tune your instrument without seeing the gauges of the strings (how thick they are). However, if you know of a Sitar player in your area, they might be able to help you tune your instrument. There are also many people giving Skype lessons, which you might consider.
Dear labelithawail, I demonstrate on the main playing string which is the farthest to the left (when holding it), but it would probably be a good idea to get used to playing on the first two strings - meaning the farthest to the left, and the one right next to it. I would say that you will do about 90% of your playing on the main string, so that is the one that usually needs the most attention. All the best!
Thanks for replying back>I am planning to buy a dilruba so is there any advice u like to give me before buying it like what things should i keep in mind while buying so that i buy a good one.
6:07 Down Stroke Up Stroke.
Hello, thank you for these wonderful videos. Do you have a video on how you like to tune the sympathetic strings? Also, I am having trouble with the bow playing more than one string at once - whenI push the string down to the fret, the string becomes lower than the others and the bow does not reach it but will play the other open strings! is that normal? Thanks!
Thanks so much for the very helpful videos! I'm curious if you think sikhsaaj dilrubas are best. I am looking at a MKS dilruba and am having a hard time deciding. Price aside, I am looking for the best sounding, highest quality instrument. Thanks!
Hi Miliqe - the book covers tuning, but it's something you'll have to practice - I am long overdue for making a tuning video. As long as you aren't violent with the instrument you won't hurt it. You will need to set the bridge up though which is an easy process.
it's a holiday present so i don't actually get it for a couple of weeks but i'll post something after i noodle around with it a bit.
thanks for your help!
hi - i'm getting a dilruba soon and appreciate your videos
you tuned string 1 as F and 2 as C but what about 4 and 5?
what do you tune the sympathetic strings to?
thanks again for the lesson
I'm glad to know the scratching means too much pressure! super helpful :) I sometimes find my bow bouncing on the strings and sometimes the pitch jumps up an octave...do you know what I'm doing wrong there?
Chances are you're triggering a harmonic by not pushing down hard enough on the left hand fingers
no problem at all - I bought a glassner double bass bow but I imagine that any fiberglass model will work - I haven't tried the wood. You would want "German" style.
cool, glad to hear it - but the truth is, it all depends on the strings your instrument was shipped with. I tune mine F, C, C, G,, with the sympathetics as E, F, G, A, B, C# D# F# G# A# C D
Hope we get to hear you play sometime soon!
Hi,my name is Elif and I am a professional western classical violinist,now living in India,learning Indian classical music..A maker from Mirage/Maharashtra made for e a dilruba it has very good sound,a little big for me but no problem I am practising with my violin bow till I will go back to my country and buy a cello or double bass bow..What I want to say is your videos/lessons,I find quite usefull,it is great thank u for that..Just I don't agree with you about the bow technic.+
Hi, how it is tunes (or how it may be tuned)?
Thanks!
It's tuned like a Sitar
ahhh, I understand what you mean now - in western music, we call this "transposition." Generally speaking, we don't want to re-tune too much because the instrument needs to settle into a tuning. In Gurmat Sangeet, there is the "male" scale (Sa = 7th fret) and the female scale (Sa = 2nd fret). Depending on the Rag though, any fret can be Sa, this is fairly commonly done when accompanying singing.When playing as a solo instrument, it is most common for Sa = 7th fret :-)
Thank you - I do often get the French and German bows mixed up so its nice to have expert input ;-) Since you are used to this particular bow-hold you would probably have a very easy time with this instrument.
I bought a new dilruba i wanna tune it to pehla kala. What should be all the four strings tuned to.
thats great
Hii, thanks a lot for your lessons. I always wanted to learn a classical instrunment. After seeing your tutorial I found courage to buy one. Its my first string instrument and dont know anything about it. I have some questions about it. Is the bow played on all strings or only on the tuned one? Can I take any fret to start sargam like on harmonium? I read you made a video how to tune it but I couldnt find it can you share the link please? Thanks a lot :)
Hello, Thanks for answering :). Yes I am a lady and want to sing with it. I am having difficulty in tuning it and there isnt anyone in the near who play the dilruba or is familiar with indian instruments and the other thing is if I search in internet for tuning, it only says how to tune four strings but my dilruba has 6 playing strings. Is it normal ? How should I tune it. It would be really helpful if you can give my some tipps. Thanks!
Thats was a very nice Tutorial... Thank you so much for sharing your skill with us... God Bless You...
@gagansingh541 As far as I know, there are no lesson-books available for dilruba, however; once you know how to play, a good text for songs in general is David and Chandrakantha Courtney's "Elementary North Indian Vocal" book. Or the Ali Akbar Khan text: "Classical Music of North India" - hope that helps!
Hi, could you share how you tuned your sympathetic strings? I see tunings on the web, but they don't say what octave. Would be nice to know so I don't break a string. Would it be F1 to D2, for example? Thanks
Hi Elif - fair enough, I suppose upon reflection, it was somewhat close-minded of me to say that about violin bow holds. Yes, whatever bow hold gets you the best sound, is probably the one that should be used :-) Thanks for the correction ;-)
Thanks alot for this video it really helps. R there any books available for the new students.If yes pls let me know
wholegreaterthansum I would suggest you switch to Coruss Synthetic Bow Hair which lasts many times as long as Regular Horse Hair. You could actually use a Cello Bow.
Excellent focused instructional video. Keep up the good work!!
wow, thank you so much!
Love these dilruba turorials !
Just a question, I just bought a dilruba and after watching your first tutorial video for it, I have tuned it the same as you and I have been trying to practise bowing but I cannot seem to make a sound out of it, just a very soft little screech sound. Is this because I am using a bow with fibre glass horse hair? or what do you think might be the cause of this?
King regards
Idrees
yes, essentially dilruba is a bowed sitar - meaning there is only one melody string. Modern players do use the 2nd string from time to time, but about 90-95% of the playing is done on the first string. If you go through exotic hub, please let them know who sent you ;-)
It has the same Tuning as a Sitar but it uses a Bow.
Hello Michael how are you I would like to request info how to adjust lower strings of dilruba plz thanks
Hello Michael I would like to how to set the lower strings on the dilruba plz I hv notice if lower strings are not tuned properly the sound isn't the same please let us know thanks Michael I do hv my first video on you tube
Hello! I have recently purchased a dilruba from a renowed instrumentmaker in Kolkata. The instrument sounds great BUT it has a crack circa two inches/5 cm on the backside of the neck. I will make a complain/request for refund or send the instrument back. If I keep it: may it become worse with the crack?
Dear Sandeep - thanks for watching! About 90% of the time the bow is played on the main playing string (farthest to the left) if you are playing it as a solo instrument. If you are accompanying yourself singing, then things change a little bit, BRB.
The bridge has a Radius in it like a Violin or Viola bridge so you can play any string
Actually the Dilruba Bows have the same Horsehair as Double Bass Bows.
Would you please advise how to tune dilruba to female scale?
Thanks
@PerfectEnd13 thank you for your kind comment, and thank you for watching!
Thanx for your video, man ! I want to learn this fantastic instrument !
Hi Totozarzar, its no bother :-) The biggest difference in cost is the hard case that comes with the instrument, watch?v=XWRLPrTt_AA outside of that, the higher quality instrument use guitar style machine heads for all the strings in addition to just being put together with more attention and care - although - I will say that all the instruments I have received from exotic-hub have been very well put together. Hope that helps!
Hi, thanks for watching! You might consider taking lessons over Skype. I did before I found an in-person instructor. Alternatively, a good Hindustani voice teacher is another great option. Most voice teachers can teach you what you need to know. You should post some videos of you playing.
@gagansingh541 I just noticed that you have in many Kirtan videos liked/favorited - Raj Academy in the UK has a distance learning course for Sikh music that is top-notch and very worthwhile.
I really love the sound of the instrument. I thought about getting one, but I wonder how you would qualify the difficulty of learning how to play it? I've been playing plucked strings instruments for a bit more than 15 years now (guitar and bass mostly and I bought a sitar 2 years ago), but I've never tried a bowed instrument before.
hello, thanks for all the great lessons!
quick question: if I tune the dilruba to C, what octave should the sympathetic strings be tuned to?
should the 4th sympathetic string (Sa) be the exact same pitch as the second playing string (Sa) or an octave higher?
thanks!
It should be Middle C
I bought sarangi(trying to tune it is a nightmare).
I decided to maybe switch to dilurba. But does the bridge chromatic? Or i can have the microtones just like the sarangi?(like a violin no pegs)
Thanks for all the lessons,. While I can tell you are no master, what you teach is very helpful and I am very thankful. I will be getting your book soon. One question though. You say the 90% of the time the farthest to the left string is only what is played. What is the point of having the other 3 main strings?
+ethan b Thanks - it's true, I'm still no master - although I am significantly better than when I made these videos 5 years ago :-) The second string is sometimes used for melody, the 3rd and 4th are used for droning, they can be plucked or sometimes bowed.
thanks for watching!
hello sir , my name is aalap tanna and i m from ahmedbad , gujarat , india . before some day my sir gave me a DILRUBA , in our city there is no teacher of DULRUBA !! so i just started Plying via reading books on DILRUBA .. i want to learn DILRUBA properly ... any suggestions ??
@PerfectEnd13 Wow, thank you so much for your kind words!
@vinneme Thanks for watching, yes, I think I could make a video for that :-)
Hi, any tips on how to harden the fingers? I just started, I can already feel the strings pressing on my skin really hard and any further it would kinda slice through. Any tips for that?
thank you for bringing up an important subject in playing music
Hi Nikki, thanks for watching! The miniature models are typically for decoration only. If you are a smaller person, you might consider Esraj. But, if you are set on dilruba, then full size should be fine.
Actually the Mini Models do play they're an octave higher
I need to press the string against the frets?
Hello there. Who is your teacher if you don't mind me asking?
The Fiberglass Bow Hair has been reformulated to grip the strings better
Hi, thanks for watching. The esraj is basically the same instrument - the only difference is the Jawari strings (and the instrument being a little smaller). I did have a friend who played esraj in these videos: watch?v=TJe3KOHT7ls
Lovely - thank you so much for creating this video.
I’ve just bought a new Dilruba and starting to learn. I am not getting any sound through the bow. Does it need Roslin to be applied? Please help.
Very cool - yes it needs rosin
Hi Irv - the Dilruba is an ideal instrument for training the voice and picking a beautiful and easy instrument at the same time - if you are looking for a quality affordable instrument, my recommendation is exotic hub on ebay (exotic hub is the only ebay seller I recommend). Let me know how it works out (if you pursue it).
Thanks:) I will look for a Sitar player. Yes I am considering taking Skype lessons from worldmusicguru.
@sunnyina218 Thanks, I hope to have the rest up in a few days, all the best!
thanks for watching - if you would like some extra help with the instrument, you might consider picking up a copy of the new book "A Practical Method for
Taus, Dilruba, and Esraj" through Amazon. Its full of very useful information for new players.
Hello Mike,
My Dilruba came in today. I have been trying to adjust the tuning. I left a voicemail for you. Do get back to me at your earliest convenience so that I can tune it with you and also get lessons.
Hi, was wondering on how to tune my dilruba.
Hi, you just have to twist the machine heads to tighten the strings - pretty much exactly like a guitar - I tune mine to F C C G usually (going left to right)
gratitude sir
Hi, how much does a dilruba cost (£ or rupees) and where can you get one from (uk /india) thank you
Hi Gary - I usually recommend Exotic-Hub on EBay, for beginning players - they have a wide variety for selections and are very affordable. Usually the least expensive model is around 100 pounds, whereas the more professional models are in the neighborhood of 250
no offense taken :-) but I am not sure what you mean, the Ni fret is number 16 and the tar saptak fret is number 17 - this is the normal fret layout, could you make a response video showing me your suggestion?
Please make a video on tuning the Sympathetic strings of the Esraj
Thanks:) I will look for a Sitar player. Yes I am considering taking Skype lessons.
I just wanted to comment on your bow cradle. I am an upright bassist. (I don't play Dilruba, but I am interested in it) The Bow you use is a GERMAN bow. The frog is bigger than a FRENCH bow. The way you are holding it is the correct way to hold a German bow. French players hold their bow on top of the stick. German hold theirs pretty much the way you are holding it.
Hi its not letting me pm you but I live in england
hi - never mind my last comment i figured out the tuning :-)
SimTube Yes, Taus is played almost exactly as dilruba - except it is larger
Dear @SimTube- I would love to help you :-) but you may ask around in your Gurdwara if someone there can teach you Kirtan on Taus, if there is nobody available, then please get in contact with me.
+SimTube if you are in Punjab (India) . you can learn playing Taus/Dilruba from Sri Bhaini Sahib, Distt. Ludhiana. Namdharis playing dilruba and taus can be learnt
@gagansingh541 Well, contrary to what most people say, I find the e-bay models to be just fine for beginning players. However; you won't get a really good bow or fiberglass case if you order those, so you might think about ordering through sikhsaaj-dot-com if you want top quality. Of course, all of this is relevant only if you live in the US or Canada :-)
my bet is that there isn't enough rosin on the bow - new bows have to have a lot of rosin put on and it takes several applications. I hope this helps: watch?v=q8UsIwa-BhQ
U mention in your first tutorial..you sad we shouldn't try to use the bow like western classical.Well as a western classical violinist,I have quite really good bow technique and also understand that the other technique gives you flexibility and many things but if you can do these with the other technique like western or french,why not?..Ok the basic technique is traditional and propper..but I,myself,study hindustani violin with great teachers,even they are flexible about the styles of playing.
awesome, you should post some videos of yourself once you get going - thanks for the kind words!
@wholegreaterthansum Awesome! Thank you!!! :D
Thx
ahh, but Ni and Sa are essential to complete the scale :-)
How do I learn to tune an esraj?
I'm guessing that you are a lady, so if you are singing to your playing, you will probably want to use fret number 2 as your Sa. That's how these girls do it. watch?v=Ac9CP7TrcA4
Dilruba is originally an Afghan instrument and that is exactly why the name "Dilruba" (robber of the heart) is in Dari. This is not a Sikh or Indian instrument. The instrument itself outdates Sikhism by hundreds, if not thousands of years. During the 1000 year Afghan rule of Northern India many aspects of our culture blended with that of India. Sad to see our country at war for 30 years while our heritage is stolen by all our neighbors.
+Barak Zai (Noble Savage) .. Afghanistan and India was one one territory at that time .. after the separation the heritage is shared, not stolen.. otherwise it could be said in other way also.. Have a more precise read here.. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esraj
Dilruba, saranda, jodi/tabla, esraj and Taus was invented by Sikh Gurus. I'm sure I'm missing some more instruments. BTW Afghanistan, Pakistan and Panjab almost were a same nation. We share ancestry :)
thanks for watching!