Re : Sitar & Just Intonation

LLoyd Jessee wrote:

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De�: "Lloyd Jessee" <mrkamakazi@gci-net.com>
� : "Tuning List" <tuning@onelist.com>
Objet�: [tuning] Sitar & Just Intonation
Date�: Ven 24 d�c 1999 7:13

>Hello all,

I play Sitar, and am currently using a chromatic guitar tuner to tune it
with. I do realize that it is supposed to be tuned using Pure Tone or Just
Intonation. The problem is that I do not know much about JI or how to go
about it. Is there anyone out there who can help me out? Especially
another Sitar player. What should I use as a frequency source? Or anything
else I should know to do the job properly. I want my Sitar to sound
harmonically pure as it should be.

Lloyd Jessee

LLoyd, I played some sitar myself, long time ago. I used a normal classical
guitar as a tuning reference, but the instrument remained rather thumb. My
teacher tuned it simply by ear and immediately the sitar gained resonance
and gave the brilliant sound.
I think you may try first to tune the Indian fundamental scale of seven
swaras:

Swaras: Sa Ri Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni Sa
Cents: 0 204 386 498 702 906 1088 1200
Ratios: 1/1 9/8 5/4 4/3 3/2 27/16 15/8 2/1
Your tuner : 0 200 400 500 700 900 1100 1200
If your chromatic tuner can calibrate, multiply or divide the A440Hz by
1,0594631 to adjust for every cent up or down. This is the most primitive
method! If you like the result you're ready to get further into just
intonation.

"TEXT BOOK OF INDIAN MUSIC" by Pandit Firoze Framjee (ISBN 81-85108-00-5)
fully explains the whole tuning theory of Indian music and gives frequency
and ratio models of almost every existing raga. His tuning models, for
instance for Sindh-Bhairavi, give pure and beatless results. Keep in mind
that they are theoretical models though. Don't expect them to sound exactly
like Ravi Shankar! Feel free to ask for a tuning model for a raga you have
in mind.

Wim Hoogewerf