Tuning
Four strings: Pa · Sa · Sa · Pa. There is no correct pitch to tune them to — only a correct set of relationships.
Any Sa you like
A Gandharba tunes the sarangi to their own singing voice, because the instrument's job was to double and answer that voice. So Sa is wherever your voice sits comfortably, and it changes from player to player and even from song to song. Nothing on the instrument assumes a fixed pitch.
That means you tune by ear, by interval, not to a chart. Pick a Sa, get the two middle strings onto it, then set the outer two against them. Once the relationships are right the instrument is in tune, whatever absolute pitch you landed on.
What each string is tuned to
| String | Note | Interval from Sa | Hear |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · thinnest | Pa | a fifth above Sa | |
| 2 · middle | Sa | the tonic | |
| 3 · middle | Sa | the tonic, in unison | |
| 4 · thickest | Pa | a fourth below Sa |
Both outer strings are Pa — the same scale degree, an octave apart. The thin one is the Pa above your Sa; the thick one is the Pa below it. Between them the two melody strings cover close to two octaves, with the drone sitting in the middle of that range.
The order to do it in
- Sing your Sa. Or take it from anything — a harmonium, a phone, the practice bar below. Hum it and keep it in your head.
- Tune the second string to it. Bow it, turn the peg, bow again. Push the peg gently inward as you turn so it wedges and holds.
- Tune the third string to the second. Bow both together. When they are far apart you hear two notes; as they close you hear a pulsing wah-wah-wah that slows down. Tune until the pulse almost stops — then leave it just barely there. A dead-perfect unison sounds thinner than two strings a hair apart, and that shimmer is the sound you want.
- Tune the thin string to Pa above. Bow it against the drone. It should sound like the top note of Sa – Pa — stable and consonant, not tense.
- Tune the thick string to Pa below. Same interval upside down: the drone should sound like the Sa above it.
- Go round again. Tightening one string bends the whole instrument slightly and detunes the others. Two or three passes is normal.
Things that go wrong
| Problem | What to do |
|---|---|
| The peg slips back as soon as you let go | Press it inward into the hole while turning. If it still slips the peg needs chalk, or fitting — a workshop job. |
| The peg is stuck solid | Do not force it. Ease it out a fraction first, then turn. Forcing a friction peg splits pegboxes. |
| A string keeps breaking | You are tuning too high for that gauge. Nepali sarangis are not standardised, so a string that suits one instrument snaps on another — try a lower Sa. |
| The bridge falls over or slides | It is held by string pressure only. Slacken all four, stand it upright and centred, then bring them back up together. |
| It goes out of tune within minutes | Normal on new strings. Stretch each one gently by pulling it away from the body a few times, then retune. Repeat until it settles. |
| Everything is in tune but sounds sour | Check the bridge is upright and that no string is touching the neck. |
Other tunings you will read about
Because the instrument is not standardised, sources genuinely disagree. Pa · Sa · Sa · Pa with the middle pair as the drone is the layout documented on real instruments in museum collections and the one this room uses throughout. You will also see it written as Sa · Pa · Sa′ · Pa′, and modern players who work in fixed keys with bands sometimes restring entirely. Everyone agrees on one thing: the middle two strings are the drone.
Players who once tuned to one key for life now often retune between songs to work with other instruments — one of several ways the instrument has changed in living memory. See Players.