Indian Musical Instrument – Saraswati Veena!

Veena is amongst the oldest Indian instruments. It was earlier designed in the form of a “harp”, which closely resembled the structure and appearance of the Burmese harp. In the last few decades, the instrument was further reformed into the form of “lute”. The Hindu Goddess Saraswati is always shown playing a Veena and it is believed that people who  revereVeena with love and devotion is blessed by Goddess Saraswati. Popular Hindu belief exists that whoever can play Veena with devotion attains Moksha.

If you have an idea or interest for playing a string instrument, Veena is a wonderful choice. Here are some basics of Veena lessons that can help you  get started.

Introduction:

The Saraswati Veena is an Indian plucked string instrument. The instrument is named after the Hindu Goddess Saraswati, who usually plays the instrument. It is also known as Raghunatha Veena which is used mostly in Carnatic Indian Classical Music. There are three popular forms of Veena – Saraswati Veena, Rudra Veena and Vichitra Veena. Both Rudra Veena and Vichitra Veena are played in the Hindustani Classical traditions.

This ancient string instrument Veena has many fascinating origin stories. One of the mythological stories suggests that Naradamunibrought music to Earth and introduced the Veena to humans. Another mythological story says that Lord Shiva was watching Goddess Parvati sleeping with her arms folded across her breasts. This has inspired Lord Shiva to make the string instrument Veena with two globular structures joined by a finger board.

Making of Veena:

These Veena lessons help the novice and they can gain enough knowledge about the making of Veena. Saraswati Veena is an attractive instrument and the entire body of  the instrument is carved out of a single block of wood. The body of the Veena is made in three sections neck, resonator and head. There are 24 frets made of brass bars set into wax. Another resonator is at the top of the neck of the Veena.This resonator is mainly used as a stand to facilitate the positioning of the instrument.

This Veena instrument has four playing strings and three drone strings. The main bridge of the instrument is flat bar which is made of brass. The bar of  the instrumenthas alight curve and this curve gives the Veena a characteristic sound. The string instrument Veena with two ground resonators are connected by a central shaft and held diagonally from lap to shoulder.

Playing the String Instrument –Veena:

In these classes, you would be getting a clear idea about how the instrument Veena is played. The string instrument Veena is played while sitting cross-legged with the instrument held tilted slightly away from the player. The small gourd of an instrument on the left rests on the player’s left thigh and the left arm passing beneath the neck with the hand curving up and the finger rest upon the frets. The palm of a right-hand rests on the edge of the top plank so that fingers (index and middle) can pluck the strings and the drone strings are played with the little finger. The large resonator of Veena is placed on the floor beyond the right thigh.

Knowing and playing Veena is indeed an art. Join an experienced Veena tutor for efficient learning through step by step Veena lessons.