Zither

Rudra Veena (Bin)

Miraj, India
India

Tun wood, gourds, bronze, stag antler
1960's

The rudra veena (also spelled rudra vina, or called bin in North India), is a large plucked string instrument used in Hindustani classical music. Two large gourd resonators are attached under the long tubular body of wood. Twenty-four brass-fitted raised wooden frets are fixed on the tube with 4 main strings (melodic-raga) and 3 chikari strings (used for rhythmic punctuation-tala). As Rudra is a name for the Hindu god Shiva, rudra vina literally means "the veena dear to Shiva". This ancient instrument is rarely played today, due to the popularity of the surbahar, which was introduced in the early 19th century. Rudra Veena or "stick zither" of the traditional Hindustani instrumentation. Provenance: Alan Suits Coyote's Paw Gallery

Owner:
Catalog#: AS-CHLT-9

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