Krsna Kirtana Songs est. 2001 www.kksongs.org

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Santoor

The santoor is a dulcimer that originated in Persia. Some argue that it came from the instrument satatantri vina (lit. “one-hundred stringed string instrument”) from the Vedas. Regardless of its origin, it was initially used in folk music of Kashmir, although within the last century, it has gained reputation of a classical solo instrument. The santoor consists of 15 clusters of strings that are struck with small mallets or kalams. As a principal property of a classical instrument must be able to emulate the human voice, this one has some difficulty in performing glissandos and other ornamentations of North Indian music. Despite this limitation, the rhythmic style of the santoor has been accepted and honored by all musicians.

✇AUDIO CLIP: Santoor

UPDATED: December 20, 2010