Sitār

Sitār [Pers. si tar, three strings], long-necked lute of India, of Pers. origin. It appeared in the latter part of the Middle Ages, invented, according to tradition, by Amir Khusru, poet and singer, ca. 1300, and is the most pop. instr. of N. India today. Its piriform body either is made of hollowed-out wood or consists of a gourd; the wooden belly is pierced with soundholes. A long neck, 7½ cm. (3 in.) wide, carries a flat fingerboard with 16–20 movable frets. These may be of gut or wire…