Page:The Music of India.djvu/129

 pictures in this chapter give specimens of each style. It is played by the right hand, the left hand passing round the stem and stopping the strings.

The Vina is played either with the finger nails or with a plectrum. The finest players use their finger nails; but many amateurs, who do not wish to grow the nails long, have taken to the plectrum. In South India it is quite common to find amateurs playing the vina, and it is becoming increasingly the thing for girls to learn it. In the north, however, it is usually only professionals who play it. The instruments for amateurs in the north are the sitar and the esraj, or dilruba. The main strings of the Vina are played with the first three fingers, the fourth finger being used for the side strings, just striking them at intervals, in time with the tala used. The main strings are stopped between the frets, but the side strings are always open. The vIna lends itself to all the different graces which give so much beauty to Indian music, and in the hands of really capable performers it produces most wonderful and charming effects. It is an ideal instrument for an Indian girl to learn. It is hoped that more and more the unsuitable harmonium, with its strident tones, will give place to this beautiful Indian instrument, an instrument affording not only delight to player and hearers, but also real culture.

There are different kinds of vina called after the shape of the head, such as the Peacock vina, Rudra vlna.

The Sitar is perhaps the most common instrument in North India. It is not yet found much in the south, but there is little doubt that, as Indian music is cultivated more and more, this simple and beautiful instrument will come very largely into use all over the south. It is well suited either for the amateur or the professional. It is not difficult for the amateur to learn to play simple melodies upon it, and at the same time it lends itself to all the subtle arts of the professional, whereby he can show his skill or the charm of the music. The principles of the sitar are the same as those of the vina, but there are considerable differences in construction. It is a much smaller instrument and is more easily carried about. Like the