Saraswati Vina (Saraswathi Veena) is a wonderfull instrument.It can produce any musical sound perfectly corresponding with the musical ideas of the player .It could range from thunderous vibrato to very subtle pianissino nuances.One can understand the potentialities of this great instrument.But it would be impossible to fix a limit to its possibilities, which are infinite.
Saraswati Vina (Saraswathi Veena) occupies the first place among them all, and has done so from time immemorial. It is also the instrument par excellence for rendering Indian music ; and no one who has not heard the masters of the Veena has any right to give a final judgment on Indian music. In northern India the Veena is often called Bin, the name Veena being given to the tambur. However, the name veena is consistently used for the classical instrument of that name. Three places in India are noted for its manufacture. They are Tanjore and Mysore in South India, and Miraj in Western India. The Tanjore and Mysore makes differ in the wood used for the bowl. Tanjore uses jack wood and Mysore black wood. Nearly all Tanjore Veenas are elaborately ornamented by ivory carvings.
The instrument consists of a large pea-shaped bowl hollowed out of one piece of wood, either jackwood or blackwood. The flat top of this bowl is about one foot in diameter. The bridge is placed on the bowl, and near it are a number of small sound-holes. The construction of the bridge is peculiar.
A wooden arc supports a slab of wood, one inch by two and a half inches. A resinal cement is poured upon this and a piece of metal, passing underneath the second, third and fourth strings, is laid above and manipulated until the strings produce a clear tone free from all buzz or twang ; a wet cloth is then applied, or a little cold water poured over the upper surface, so as to harden the cement. Under the first string a similar piece of metal, in this case of superior quality, either polished steel or bell-metal, is fixed in the same way. This process is considered very important, as the least carelessness affects the tone of the instrument and gives it a most unpleasant twang.'
The side-string bridge is secured to the main bridge and the belly of the instrument, and is made entirely of metal. It consists of an arc of brass, with a projectinrim upon the side nearest the attachment. The body of the instrument is made of the same kind of wood as the belly, and is hollowed out thin. A projecting ledge of ivory separates the body from the stem. The neck is attached to the body also with ivory, and is usually curved downward into some weird figure. This also is hollow. Into the body just beyond the neck is fixed a hollow gourd on the under side, which forms a kind of rest for the Veena and is useful also to increase the volume of the sound. Thiir-gourd is easily detachable. The frets of the instrument are made of brass or silver, and are secured to two ledges running along each side of the stem of the instrument. These ledges are made of some wax-like substance which can be softened by gentle heat, so that the position of the frets can be changed, if desired. There are altogether twenty-four frets, so that each string contains two complete octaves. Many Indian scholars are of opinion that the ancient books give no ground for thinking that any of the old classical musicians used more than twelve frets for the octave on the Veena. The tuning-pegs to the main frets are fixed two in each side of the neck, and the strings pass over the ivory bridge between the neck and the stem.The three pegs for the side strings are fixed in the side of the stem just above the gourd.
The Veena has seven strings, four of which pass over the frets and constitute the main playing strings, and the other three of which are placed at the side of the fingerboard, and are used to play a kind of drone accompaniment to the melody and to mark the time.
The two thinnest strings, which are on the side nearest the player, are of steel, and the other two main strings are of brass or silver. The three side strings are of steel. Each string has a distinct name, which are, beginning from the thinnest, SaranI, Pahchama, Mandaran, Anumandaran. The three side strings are called Pakka-Sarani, and sometimes Chikari, a name common to all such side strings.
There are various ways of tuning the instrument. The following are said to be those generally accepted, beginning from the playing strings :—
Main Strings. Side Strings.
(a) Sa Pa Sa Sa (C G C C) Pa Sa Pa (G C G,)
(b)Pa Sa Pa Pa (G C d Gi) Sa Pa Sa (C Gi Ci)
(c)Ma Sa Pa Sa (F CG1C1) Sa Sa Pa (C* C G)
(d) Ma Sa Pa Ga (F C Gi Ei) Sa Sa Pa or Ni or Sa (Ci C G or BorC)
Ma Sa Pa Sa (F C Gi, Ci), Sa Sa (C Ci)
(c) and (d) are the common ways of tuning in upper India.
The first two strings are always the ones played upon most, though expert players will use all of them easily.
The frets of the Veena are placed in different positions on different instruments. The tendency in South India to-day is to use the intervals of equal temperament. The frets of the veens is normaly placed in equal temperamentor could be slightly flatter than the notes of the tempered scale.
The Veena may be held either in a horizontal position across the player's knees or else slanting against the shoulder. Different players have different styles. The veena is played by the right hand, the left hand passing round the stem and stopping the strings
The Veena 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 Veena, 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 Veena 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 veena 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 effect. 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 a!so real culture.
There are different kinds of Veena called after the shape of the head, such as the Peacock Veena, Rudra Veena, Gayathri veena ( Veena with 24 strings)