Santoor

Santoor, a musical instrument that has found its way to the music arena, is played using several hammers made of light wood. The apparatus takes a trapezoidal shape in nature. The overall shape, performing methods, as well as its tuning methods, follow the same channel as the Persian santur and the American dulcimer.

Santoor’s basis can be traced back to similar instruments that are played through striking of cords by use of a hammer, dated back to the ancient Persians located at the Middle East of India (The Musical Times, vol. 53). Some traces of santoor have also been traced back to ancient China where it was played by some of the famous composers in the Indian and Chinese history.

Santoor has been known to provide more than three-octave musical notes, that is, mi3-fa6 or E3-F6. Every musical note here is conveyed via a four-string course that is tuned precisely along the line of a similar pitch. Those strings that follow the same path have in the same type style of playing called bridge or kharak.