Saraswati Veena has been an integral part of Carnatic music for generations. Unlike its counterpart Rudra Veena and Vichitra Veena which are played in the Hindustani Classical traditions.
The string instrument is part of the lute family and is also known as Raghunath Veena. It is about four feet in length and is played sitting cross-legged. It's resonator is carved and hollowed out of a log and a hollow neck is fitted with five strings, four tuned to the tonic and fifth one in two octaves.
The current form of Saraswati Veena is believed to have been invented in the late 16th or early 17th century when Thanjavur Nayak's dynasty was ruling Tamil Nadu.
Here is an excerpt-
Legend has it that once a famous singer from Karnataka was invited to sing at the Thanjavur court. In those days, accompaniments included an instrument called Yazh, which resembles the Burmese Harp. “In those days, Carnatic music didn’t give importance to Gamakam,” says Sunil Pranavam, the owner of Pranavam Musical Foundation in Thiruvananthapuram. Gamakam is the ornamentation of musical notes using turns and curves to the notes while singing. The singer from Karnataka was famous for his Gamakams, which the Yazh players of the Thanjavur court could not match. They were so embarrassed that they swore to modify the Yazh in a way that can match the Gamakams that a human voice can produce. And thus the Yazh was modified to form the Veena as we know it today.
The Veena has also been compared to the human body itself, “Just like the spinal cord has 24 vertebrae, the Veena has 24 frets, each corresponding to the vertebrae,” says Sunil Pranavam. Playing the Veena is also considered the highest form of yoga because the vainika, as the Veena player is called, uses her life force or kundaliniprana to play it.
You can read the complete article about innovative instruments here.
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