Description:
The sarinda is a chordophone of the bowed instrument family. In Nepal
the sarinda is played amongst the gaine cast of the Nawari people. The
role of the gaine cast in Newari culture they are traditionally “bards
and story tellers”. The gaine musicians travel from village to village,
they play at various festivals to busking on the street. The sarinda is
played upright by resting upon the left knee, the right hand controls
the bow. Occasionally the sympathetic strings are plucked with the left
hand during performance. They also dispense the local news with in
their communities. Close relatives to the sarinda include the
Hindustani or North Indian Saranghi. In Rajasthan this includes the
Qamaycha and similar bowed instruments. This could be explained by the
migration of these type of bowed instruments from Persia to South Asia.
In Afghanistan a sarinda with multiple strings is found. And in Iran
one finds the Qeycheck. In the state of Gujarat there are related
instruments that are direct descendants of the sarinda that bear the
same name.Anatomy of the Sarinda: The Sarinda is skull shaped in its design, this design feature allows for the sound to travel through the animal hide membrane and behave as the sound chamber. The first two strings of the sarinda are often of "packaging wire", or "thin steel wire" with the desired tension for the instrument. The other two strings are sympathetic or "drone" strings, the sometimes though the first and second strings are played. A custom hand made bow is also made for this instrument, although violin bows can be used as a suited alternative. The neck of the sarinda is quite thick and short. As a musical instrument the sarinda is a dynamic instrument only matched by the singer's voice.
A Foot Note: I am currently unaware if there are given any standard tunings. if I find them or this tuning I will let you all know.