Asees Singh

Asees Singh
The swarmandal ( Hindi :
स्वरमण्डल; Bengali : সুরমন্ডল) or
Indian harp is an Indian zither
that is today most commonly
used as an accompanying
instrument for vocal Hindustani
Classical music (the classical
music of North India, Pakistan,
and Bangladesh). The name
combines swara (notes) and
mandal (group), representing its
ability to produce a large number
of notes; it is also known
popularly as Sur-mandal.
Swarmandals measure from
twenty-four to thirty inches in
length and twelve to fifteen
inches in width. The singer may
choose to employ any number of
strings from 21 to 36. The strings
are hooked in a nail lodged in the
right edge of the swarmandal and
on the left are wound around
rectangular pegs which can be
tightened with a special key.
Wooden pegs were used instead
of metal ones in the medieval
period. A sharp half-inch ridge on
both sides of the swarmandal
stands a little apart from the
nails on which the strings are
tightened. This ridge functions as
a bridge on both sides. The
swarmandal is similar to the
autoharp or zither in many
respects.
It is also similar to an instrument
from Iran, and has been used for
many generations, dating back to
the Mughal era. Some of the
vocalists who have used this
instrument extensively are Ustad
Bade Ghulam Ali Khan (1902–
1968), Ustad Salamat Ali Khan
(1934–2003) [1] , Pandit Jasraj
(b 1930) and Kishori Amonkar (b.
1932).