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Explore / Instruments / Tanpura

Tanpura

Four open strings, played one after another, round and round. The tanpura plays no melody: it holds the drone that a singer or soloist tunes every note against. Drag a finger across the strings, or start the drone and practise with it.

Tap a part to zoom in1. Tumba the gourd bodyA male Miraj-style tanpura standing upright: a round gourd body, a long hollow neck, four pegs, a bone bridge with cotton threads, and four strings with beads below the bridge.
Close-up above the bridge
Drag across the strings

Turn on JavaScript to play the tanpura.

Try it: pick your Sa, start the drone and hum a long Sa with it.

Your Sa C#

Sa is the home note every raga is sung against, like do; each singer chooses the Sa that suits the voice. Male tanpuras, for lower voices, are usually tuned with Sa from C to D#. Female tanpuras, for higher voices, from G to A#.

At the player's own pace

Toss Levy suggests about one count a second or slightly faster, counted 2, 1, 1, 2: about six seconds a round, slower than this player.

First string

Pa, the fifth (sol), is the most common, and many players keep it whatever the raga. Ragas that leave out Pa, such as Malkauns and Lalit, or lean on Ma, such as Bageshri, take Ma, the fourth (fa). Marwa, Puriya and Poorvi take Ni, the seventh (ti).

Cotton thread (jiva) In

In: the buzzing, shimmering sound. Out: a big tanpura from the same recording set with no thread. See the difference in why it shimmers, below.

Papancham
Sajora
Sajora
Salowkharaj

Nothing ringing yet.

Recording: Acoustic Tanpura 4 by sankalp, Freesound, CC BY 4.0: a big tanpura with its cotton threads in, tuned Pa, Sa, Sa, low Sa, Sa near C#. At the recorded pitch, nudged 5 cents down to sit on C#, at the player's own pace.

How the recording is played here

The plucks are cut from the recording and played in order, lightly compressed. The thread-in and thread-out recordings are set to the same loudness, so the switch changes the colour of the sound, not the volume.

Parts

Inside the tanpura

1. Tumba

the gourd body

A dried gourd, grown for the purpose near Pandharpur and dried for about a year, forms the round resonating body. In the South Indian tambura the round body is carved from a solid block of jackwood instead.

Source: Toss Levy, sizes and gourds; Wikipedia, Tanpura; Duke MIC; Toss Levy, types

2. Tabli

also tagli; the soundboard

A thin wooden top glued over the cut gourd. The main bridge stands on it and passes the movement of the strings into the body.

Source: Wikipedia, Tanpura; Toss Levy, the neck; Baithak

3. Dandi

also dand; the hollow neck

A long straight neck with no frets. It is hollowed into a tunnel along its whole length, so it resonates too.

Source: Wikipedia, Tanpura; Toss Levy, the neck

4. Jawari

also ghoda, javari, jivari; the main bridge

A wide, flat bridge with a gently curved top, usually of bone or stag horn. Each string grazes along the curve as it moves, which makes the buzzing, overtone-rich sound. Toss Levy calls it by far the most important part.

Source: Wikipedia, Tanpura; Toss Levy, bridges; Wikipedia, Jivari

5. Jiva

the cotton threads

A thin cotton thread under each string, on top of the bridge. Sliding it a hair's width changes where the string touches and brings the buzz to life. Jiva means life.

Source: Wikipedia, Jivari; Toss Levy, setting the thread; Baithak

6. Pancham, jora, kharaj

the four strings

Four metal strings, plucked open and never stopped. The first (pancham) is usually tuned to Pa, the middle pair (jora) to Sa, and the last (kharaj) to Sa an octave lower. The jora are steel; the kharaj is usually phosphor bronze.

Source: Toss Levy, strings; Wikipedia, Tanpura

7. Mani

the fine-tuning beads

A small bead threaded on each string between the bridge and the tail. Sliding it nudges the pitch more finely than a peg can.

Source: Baithak; Toss Levy, tuning; Wikipedia, Jivari

8. Khunti

the tuning pegs

Four large wooden pegs at the top of the neck, one for each string, for the rough tuning.

Source: Baithak; Wikipedia, Jivari

9. Meru

also arra; the top bridge

A bone or horn ledge near the pegs, where the strings start their open length.

Source: Toss Levy, bridges
How the sound is made

From a fingertip to a cloud

  1. Press

    The player rests the fingers along the strings and presses each one down until it rolls off: middle finger for Pa, index finger for the three Sa strings.

    Toss Levy, playing technique

  2. Graze

    The string swings down onto the curved bridge and grazes it on every pass. The cotton thread under it sets exactly where.

    Wikipedia, Tanpura; Toss Levy, setting the thread

  3. Bloom

    As the string loses energy, its touching point creeps up the slope of the bridge, so the overtones keep shifting for three to ten seconds.

    Wikipedia, Tanpura

  4. Cloud

    The four strings go round in a slow cycle, each still ringing when the next begins. The gourd, the soundboard and the hollow neck blend them into one cloud of sound.

    Toss Levy, playing; Toss Levy, the neck; Baithak
Listen for the hidden notes. Inside the buzz you can pick out octaves, fifths, major thirds and minor sevenths above each string. (Wikipedia, Jivari)

Listen closer

Why it shimmers

The glow comes from one small place: a wide bridge and a cotton thread. Pluck the strings above or start the drone, and watch the string graze the bridge and the overtones open up.

Close-up, side view: a string crossing the curved bone bridge with a cotton thread under itstringjiva · cotton threadjawari · bone bridgetabliDrawn close-up, side view.Side view, drawn. Neck to the left.

Overtones, live. Left is low, right is high; taller is louder. The dotted lines mark the octave, fifth, major third and minor seventh above Sa. (Wikipedia, Jivari)

Now: thread inYour last listen, thread out
Brightness: where the sound's centre of weight sits-
Share of sound above 2 kHz-

Measured live in your browser from the sound you are hearing. Switch the thread while it plays: the dashed line keeps what you heard with the thread the other way. Measured across the two full recordings, the centre sits about twice as high with the thread in. (Acoustic Tanpura 4; Acoustic Tanpura 8)

Questions about the tanpura

What does a tanpura do?

A tanpura plays no melody. It holds a steady drone on the tonic, Sa, usually with Pa, and the singer or soloist tunes every note of the raga against it.

Sources: Wikipedia, Tanpura; Toss Levy, the function

How is a tanpura tuned?

Most often Pa, Sa, Sa, low Sa: the first string a fifth above the low Sa, the middle pair on Sa, the last an octave below. For ragas that leave out Pa, such as Malkauns, the first string goes to Ma; for some evening ragas such as Marwa, to Ni. The other three strings never change.

Sources: Wikipedia, Tanpura; Toss Levy, tuning variations

Why does a tanpura buzz?

The strings cross a wide bridge with a gently curved top. As each string vibrates it grazes the curve, and a cotton thread under the string, the jiva, sets exactly where. That grazing keeps adding overtones, which is the shimmering buzz called jawari.

Sources: Wikipedia, Tanpura; Wikipedia, Jivari; Toss Levy, setting the thread

What is the difference between a male and a female tanpura?

Size and pitch. The male tanpura is the largest, with strings about one metre long, for lower voices with Sa around C# or D. The female is a little smaller, with strings about 90 cm in Toss Levy's size table, and is tuned roughly a fifth higher. A small instrumental version is called a tanpuri.

Sources: Wikipedia, Tanpura; Toss Levy, sizes and gourds; Toss Levy, types

Are tanpura and tambura the same instrument?

Yes. Tanpura, tambura, tamboura and tanpoura are spellings of one instrument. The South Indian (Tanjore) tambura is carved from one block of jackwood, while the North Indian (Miraj) tanpura uses a dried gourd.

Sources: Wikipedia, Tanpura; Toss Levy, types

Can an electronic tanpura replace a real one?

Many musicians use electronic boxes or apps for practice and even on stage, because they are cheaper and easy to carry. Others say they miss the small irregularities and the resonance of the acoustic instrument.

Sources: Wikipedia, Tanpura; Toss Levy, types 2

Hear it live

Behind a singer:25 upcoming vocal concerts

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Sources

Text

  1. Wikipedia, "Tanpura": The spellings tambura, tamboura and tanpoura; four open strings and no melody; Pa as the fifth (so) and Sa as the tonic (do); Sa pitched to suit each singer; the usual Pa, Sa, Sa, low Sa tuning, Ma, the fourth, for ragas without Pa, and Ni, the seventh, for some others; no frets; the tumba, the tabli (tagli) and the dandi; the gourd body of the Miraj style and the jackwood body of the Tanjore style; the wide bridge with a curved top, usually bone; the string's grazing contact creeping up the slope for three to ten seconds, shifted by the thread; male strings about one metre, female singers' Sa about a fifth higher; electronic tanpuras and apps.
  2. Wikipedia, "Jivari": Javari and jivari as names for the buzz and the bridge; the cotton threads called jiva, meaning life; tuning at three levels, pegs, beads and threads; the octaves, fifths, major thirds and minor sevenths heard in the buzz.
  3. Toss Levy, "The construction of a tanpura 2": Sizes and usual Sa of the male (C to D#) and female (G to A#) tanpura, the female slightly smaller, with string lengths of about 101 cm (male) and 91 cm (female); gourds from Pandharpur, dried in the sun and then hung for about a year.
  4. Toss Levy, "The construction of a tanpura 4": The neck hollowed into a tunnel along its whole length that acts as a resonance chamber; the soundboard fitted to the body to pass on the resonance.
  5. Toss Levy, "The construction of a tanpura 6": The top bridge, meru or arra; the wide, flat main bridge, ghoda or jawari, "by far the most important part", with stag horn the most common material.
  6. Toss Levy, "The process and problems when tuning": Fine tuning with the bead on each string; rough tuning with the pegs.
  7. Toss Levy, "Tuning the tanpura 2": Sliding the cotton thread along the bridge while the string rings until the buzz suddenly grows.
  8. Toss Levy, "Tanpura tuning variations": Pa, Sa, Sa, low Sa as the most common tuning, kept by many players whatever the raga, with strings 2 to 4 never changing; Ma for ragas that omit Pa (Malkauns, Lalit) or are dominated by Ma (Bageshri); Ni for Marwa, Puriya and Poorvi.
  9. Toss Levy, "Tanpura playing technique": The strings softly pressed down rather than plucked; the middle finger for Pa and the index finger for the other three.
  10. Toss Levy, "Tanpura playing positions 3": About one note a second (60 to the minute) or slightly faster, counted 2, 1, 1, 2; the tanpura's purpose to make "a cloud of sound".
  11. Toss Levy, "Tanpura strings Male": The string names pancham, jora and kharaj and their notes; steel jora and a phosphor bronze kharaj.
  12. Toss Levy, "Types of tanpura": Male, female and the small instrumental tanpuri; the Tanjore tambura carved from one block of jackwood.
  13. Toss Levy, "Types of tanpura 2": Electronic tanpuras: practical, but lacking the depth of sound of the acoustic instrument.
  14. Toss Levy, "The function of the tanpura": The drone tuned to the tonic, against which the notes of the raga are heard.
  15. Baithak Foundation, "A Comprehensive Guide to Tanpura": The pegs called khunti and the beads called mani; the bridge passing the strings' energy to the body; moving the thread to open or close the jawari.
  16. Duke University Musical Instrument Collections, "Tambura (Maharashtra)": The tumba, tabli and dandi; gourds grown in the Pandharpur region.

Recordings

  1. sankalp, "Acoustic Tanpura 4", Freesound: A big tanpura, threads in, tuned Pa, Sa, Sa, low Sa with Sa near C#: the drone you hear first. Cut into single plucks, set to the same loudness as the others, lightly compressed on playback, and pitch-shifted in your browser for any Sa other than the recorded one, as the readout says. (CC BY 4.0)
  2. sankalp, "Acoustic Tanpura 5", Freesound: The same big tanpura tuned Ma, Sa, Sa, low Sa: Ma as the first string. Cut into single plucks, set to the same loudness as the others, lightly compressed on playback, and pitch-shifted in your browser for any Sa other than the recorded one, as the readout says. (CC BY 4.0)
  3. sankalp, "Acoustic Tanpura 8", Freesound: A big tanpura from the same set with no cotton thread: the thread switched out. Cut into single plucks, set to the same loudness as the others, lightly compressed on playback, and pitch-shifted in your browser for any Sa other than the recorded one, as the readout says. (CC BY 4.0)
  4. sankalp, "Acoustic Tanpura 10", Freesound: A tanpura tuned Pa, Sa, Sa, low Sa with Sa near A#: Sa from F# to B. Cut into single plucks, set to the same loudness as the others, lightly compressed on playback, and pitch-shifted in your browser for any Sa other than the recorded one, as the readout says. (CC BY 4.0)
  5. sankalp, "Acoustic Tanpura 12", Freesound: A tanpura tuned Ma, Sa, Sa, low Sa with Sa near A#: Ma with Sa from F# to B. Cut into single plucks, set to the same loudness as the others, lightly compressed on playback, and pitch-shifted in your browser for any Sa other than the recorded one, as the readout says. (CC BY 4.0)

Drawings

  1. Martin Spaink, "Male vocal Tanpura, Miraj 1963", Wikimedia Commons: Reference for the upright drawing: proportions, pegs, inlay, bridge and beads. Looked at, not traced. (CC BY-SA 3.0)
  2. Martin Spaink, "Side view of tanpura bridge", Wikimedia Commons: Reference for the side close-up of the bridge and its threads. (CC BY-SA 3.0)
  3. Martin Spaink, "A pair of female vocal tanpuras", Wikimedia Commons: Reference for the bridge, beads and tail seen from the front, and the steel and bronze strings. (CC BY-SA 3.0)
  4. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Tambura, 19th century (public domain image): Reference for the proportions of body and neck.

The sounds on this page are recordings of real tanpuras by sankalp on Freesound (CC BY 4.0, credited above), cut into single plucks and lightly compressed; for any Sa other than the recorded one they are pitch-shifted in your browser, and the readout beside the controls says which. The drawings are our own, made by looking at the photos credited above; the side close-up exaggerates the gap between string and bridge so it can be seen, and the contact point moving along the bridge is a drawing of what the sources describe, not a measurement.

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