Sānāyī

Sānāyī (Sans., Beng.) [Pers. *surnā], conical shawm of N. India, of Islamic origin, made of wood, sometimes with a metal bell, with 7 equidistant fingerholes and a wide bore. The sānāyī has a pirouette but lacks a metal staple. Sometimes 2 sānāyīs are combined to form a double shawm, but generally the single instr. is accompanied by the *sruti upāngi, played by a second performer. The sānāyī corresponds responds to the nāgasuram of S. India and is also called shannāi. Average length 33 cm. (13…