Rabab: Difference between revisions

From SikhiWiki
Jump to navigationJump to search
No edit summary
Line 12: Line 12:


* [http://www.geocities.com/sydney_sikhi/ www.geocities.com]
* [http://www.geocities.com/sydney_sikhi/ www.geocities.com]
 
* [http://www.sikhspectrum.com/072002/rabab.htm rabab_Chris Mooney Singh contribution]
 
{{Kirtan}}
{{Kirtan}}



Revision as of 04:14, 20 January 2007

Rabab

Rabab is a very ancient instrument found primarily in Afghanistan and was used by Bhai Mardana whenever Guru Nanak recite Gurbani Kirtan. This Saaj is rare in India and is now only common in Kashmir. It is a hollowed-out body of wood with a membrane stretched over the opening. Combinations of gut (or nylon) and metal strings pass over a bridge which rests on a taught membrane. The rabab is mentioned quite frequently in old texts. However this is usually the seni rabab which is different from what we think of today. It is common to refer to the modern rabab as the kabuli rabab to distinguish it from the seni rabab.

Although the kabuli rabab is the style that is normally thought of today, over the centuries the term has been applied to a variety of instruments. Therefore as a generic term it has been applied to a variety of instruments that even impinge upon the sarod and the sarangi. The Kabuli rabab is the national instrument of Afghanistan used in ancient court music, as well as modern day art and entertainment music.

It has three main strings and a number of sympathetic strings over a hollow neck and a goat-skin resonator. It has a very deep body making it a bit awkward to hold. Rababs come in different sizes depending on the region they are found. The Afghan rabab is also found in northern India and Pakistan, probably due to the Afghan rule in those regions in the 15th Century.

The rabab was the precursor to the Indian sarode, which is regarded as one of India's most important instruments. There is also evidence that this instrument may be the progenitor of a number of other Indian instruments. The saringda and the sarangi are also the ones most commonly attributed to this instrument. At first it may seem hard to make the connection between a plucked instrument and a bowed instrument, however notice the "waist" in the middle of the rabab. This is an indication that the instrument at some time was played with a bow. All bowed instruments must be narrow at the place where the bow must pass.

External Links