Originating from the Indian subcontinent and widely used in Hindustani classical music, the sitar is a plucked stringed instrument in the lute family.
Known for its resonant, ethereal sound, it has become one of the most iconic instruments of South Asian culture and beyond.
The sitar evolved in 18th-century India, drawing inspiration from earlier instruments such as the veena and the Persian setar. Its development is often attributed to innovations by musicians in the Mughal courts, where Indian and Persian musical traditions blended to create new forms of expression.
The word sitar comes from Persian, where si means "three" and far means "string." Originally referring to a three-stringed instrument, the term was adapted in India to describe the more complex, multi-stringed instrument that became central to Hindustani music.
The sitar gained prominence in North Indian classical music during the 18th and 19th centuries. By the 20th century, it was firmly established as a leading solo instrument.
In the 1960s, the sitar achieved global fame when artists like George Harrison of The Beatles collaborated with sitar maestro Ravi Shankar, introducing its sound to Western rock and pop music.
A sitar typically has a long hollow neck with movable frets, a large gourd resonator (sometimes two gourds), 18-21 strings (including melody strings, drone strings, and sympathetic strings that vibrate to enrich the sound), and a distinctive curved bridge that produces its shimmering tonal quality.
Crafted primarily from teak wood and calabash gourds, sitars are meticulously handmade. The frets are tied with string and can be adjusted for different ragas. The sympathetic strings, lying beneath the main strings, are tuned to the notes of the raga being performed, creating a layered resonance.
There are two main styles. The Ravi Shankar style (Kharaj Pancham sitar) features bass strings for deeper resonance. The Vilayet Khan style (Gandhar Pancham sitar) is characterized by a lighter approach, emphasizing melody and ornamentation. Other variations exist, but these are the most prevalent in modern performance.
The sitar is played while seated cross-legged. The musician uses a mizrab (wire plectrum) worn on the index finger to pluck the strings. The left hand presses and bends the strings to create microtonal variations and ornaments called meend (glides). The combination of plucking, bending, and resonance from sympathetic strings produces the sitar's characteristic sound.
Prominent sitar players include Ravi Shankar, Vilayat Khan, Anoushka Shankar, Nikhil Banerjee, and Shujaat Khan.
The unique construction, rich history, and mesmerizing sound of the sitar continue to inspire musicians and audiences worldwide.
We have selected some online resources for the sitar to include below. For e-commerce sites offering sitars for sale, please see our Musical Instruments category.
Recommended Resources
Dedicated to preserving and promoting the life, music, archives, and legacy of Pandit Ravi Shankar, the sitar maestro and composer, the Foundation curates recordings, publishes biographical and historical material, organizes events and interviews with artists who collaborated with him, and supports educational outreach about Indian classical music. The official website features news, reflections, a photo gallery, music references, event updates, and contact information.
https://www.ravishankar.org/
This is an online academy for Indian classical music that offers a library of classroom videos, raga resources, and instrument-specific lessons for learning vocal and six classical instruments (vocal, bansuri, harmonium, rudra veena, sitar, and violin), with dedicated raga classrooms for each—paid membership grants access to the site's growing archive of recordings and classroom materials, along with a newsletter of selected raga pages. Pricing is posted on the website.
https://sangeetapriya.com/
The SPK Academy is the official non-profit school of Indian classical music founded around Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan, focused on preserving and promoting sitar traditions while adapting teaching to modern technology. Included are one-on-one sitar lessons with Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan or instructors trained in his traditions, group workshops and learning sessions for different skill levels, and other online learning options to reach international students using technology-adapted methods.
https://www.spkacademy.org/
Focused on the sitar, the website discusses the history and development of the instrument, theory, and other learning resources, along with sitar lessons and buying guides, although the site does not sell sitars or offer paid lessons; rather, it publishes articles on sitar technique, notable players, instrument types, beginner guides, and purchasing tips. Informational articles cover music theory, beginner guides, and how-to content for learning and playing the instrument.
https://en.sitargoln.com/
Maintained by the Global Academy of Arts, Languages and Culture (GAALC), offering live one-on-one and group sitar instruction over Skype and Google Hangouts with Indian sitar instructors. Includes beginner, intermediate, and advanced curricula, as well as free YouTube videos, supporting e-books, and practice tools. Styles include Hindustani classical sitar traditions (gayaki/Vilayat Khan style, instrumental/Ravi Shankar style, Maihar and related gharanas) and associated tuning and repertoire.
https://www.sitarlessonsonline.com/
Online since at least 2009, when it first appeared in the Internet Archive, the site is a purely informational resource at this point. While it has categories for buying a sitar as well as for learning to play one, these are informational texts that cover those topics. Other topics include information on the origins, construction, and history of the instrument, famous sitar players, and an informational blog, along with links to other online resources on the subject.
https://www.sitars.net/
Originally from a family of traditional musicians in Vadodara, India, Vijay Jagtap is a professional sitar player, teacher, and composer based in London. His concert dates, tours, recording sessions, television and radio appearances are featured, including a performance for the Queen at Westminster Abbey. He teaches lessons in sitar, tabla, harmonium/keyboard, Hindustani vocal, and tanpura, with face-to-face and online tuition and preparation. Contacts are posted.
https://vijayjagtap.com/
