ASAD QIZILBASH - The Sarod in all its dimensions


Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, the present dignified sarod player musician of India, credits the sarod's invention to his ancestors. They were famous musicians for already five generations. Approximately two hundred years ago, his great grandfather, Mohamad Hashmi Bangash, migrated from Afghanistan to Gwalior (India) with a stringed instrument called rabab. And it is Amjad's Grandfather, Ustad Ghulam Bandegi Khan, who shaped it into the present sarod. The word sarod seems to be derived from an ancient Persian word (saroodh) meaning music. This gives credibility to the geographical origin of the sarod.		The Sarod
The sarod's structure remains distinctive from any other string instrument such as: sitar, surbahar or veena etc. The sarod is made of teakwood. It has a broad base which is covered with a goat skin. The fingerboard is unfettered (like a violin) and it is protected by a metal plate facilitating the fingers to slide smoothly over the strings on the board. The instrument has nineteen strings, according to the design of Ustad Amjad Ali Khan. It has four strings to create the melody, four to make the rhythm, and eleven cords which are called sympathetic as they enter into resonance while he play goes. A plectrum held in the right hand is used to play the instrument, while the fingers of the right hands slide up and down on the strings, with the nails (not the fingertips). Connoisseurs know that sarod is a most difficult instrument to play with. Indeed it is a blind instrument, but contrary to the violin, notes are at much distance from each other. Then, the nail pressing approach makes it more difficult to give accurate notes. In addition, the sarod player has to play melody and rhythm, at the same time. And finally, as movements of the rigt-arm specially have to be fast, then crops up the difficulty to hold the plectrum firmly enough without breaking a string. It makes the sarod a demanding instrument, and gives rightly admiration and respect to its good player. For his present sarod, Asad Qizilbash received full support from Ustad Amjad Ali Khan who supervised the making of it, and from Mikko Pyhala, the Charge d'affaire a.i. of the Finish Embassy in Pakistan, who managed for the funding of it.		Ustad Amjad Ali Khan Left-Mikko Pyhala (the charge d' affairs, Middle- Finnish Musician, Right- Asad Qizilbash.