The esraj is quite a popular string instrument, mainly in Bengal for the
accompaniment
of tagore songs. As a classical solo instrument the esraj can be heard very
rarely though.
The long neck carries frets similar to the sitar's. The rounded corpus is
covered with
goatskin, functioning as a resonator. A horn bridge is mounted on the leather
cover,
the playing strings made of steel and bronze are running over the top edge of
it. Through
the body of the bridge run sympathetic strings. The esraj is played with
a violin bow. Its sound is very rich in resonance and overtones, reminding
vaguely of
the tone colours of ancient European renaissance instruments.
Please click on an image to have a closer look. The pictures show samples of this model, but each individual
instrument is unique in colour and ornamentation!
Esraj with mechanical tuning system
India Instruments offers esrajs from Monoj Kumar Sardar, Calcutta.
Our esrajs are delivered with the following standard strings (diameter in mm) and tuning (with Sa = c):
MAIN STRINGS
1. Stahl 0,30 - mandra ma
2. & 3. Bronze 0,40 - mandra Sa
4. Bronze 0,55 - ati mandra Pa
5. low Pa - g - steel 0,30
Taraf Bronze 0,30
Glossary entry ESRAJ
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