The vichitra veena

The vichitra veena
( Sanskrit : विचित्र वीणा)
is a plucked string
instrument used in
Hindustani music . It is
similar to the Carnatic
gottuvadhyam (chitra vina).
It has no frets and is
played with a slide. [1]
The structure
The Vichitra Veena is the
modern form of ancient
Ektantri Veena. [2] It is
made of a broad, fretless,
horizontal arm or crossbar
( dand) around three feet
long and six inches wide,
with two large resonating
gourds ( tumba), which are
inlaid with ivory and
attached underneath at
either end. The narrow
ends of the instrument are
fashioned into peacock
heads, the national bird of
India .
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The strings
There are four main playing
strings and five secondary
strings ( chikaris ), which are
played openly with the little
finger for a drone effect.
Underneath them are 13
sympathetic strings tuned
to the notes of the
appropriate raag. The
veena has a five-octave
range. Two plectrums
( mizrab ) identical to those
used for sitar are worn on
the middle and index
fingers of the right hand to
pluck the strings, and a
glass ball ( batta ) is moved
with the left across the
main strings to create
melody (there can be a
distance of up to two
inches between notes).
Coconut oil is put on the
strings to minimize the
friction of the sliding hand
holding the batta.
The veena was often used
to accompany the Dhrupad
style of singing and this did
not allow for much
intricacy or embellishment
around the notes. It was
rescued from oblivion by
Lalmani Misra who
developed technique of
playing and created
Misrabani compositions;
his son Gopal Shankar
Misra made the repertoire
universal.