Tuning the Sarode

Shelly and I went to the university tonight to attend a concert of classical Indian music by David Trasoff on Sarode and Ty Burgos, Tabla. It was part of the Global Spice World Music Series. Before each set David tuned the sarode. It was a new instrument for me. The body of this sarode is carved from a single piece of teak, covered with a goatskin head. The steel fingerboard is fretless, permitting the use of the slides, ornaments, and microtones characteristic of Indian music. The brass bell at the end of the instrument acts as a resonator. The sarode has 25 strings, 18 of which are sympathetic. Four main playing strings produce the same note range as a viola. Three rhythm strings are tuned to the tonic tone. Both players were fantastic and we had a great time.