Origin story of the Sarod, and its influence on Hindustani Classical music

Discover the Sarod: A fretless wonder that bridges Afghan and Indian classical music. From its fascinating origin story to its divine sound, learn why this instrument captivates musicians worldwide

I was over 35 when I first heard a Sarod played live by a virtuoso, and it instantly captivated me. As a guitarist, I've always been intrigued by fretless instruments, and this performance—a familiar raag filled with perfectly executed meends—left me mesmerized.

The Sarod's history is fascinating: it was invented by Niamatullah Khan (1827-1903), an Afghan horse trader from Jalalabad (Afghanistan), who migrated to India and drew inspiration from the Afghan Rabab (also spelled Rubab). The legend goes that Niamatmullah went to the grandson of Miya Tansen and asked him to teach him classical music on the Rabaab. He refused, stating it didn’t span enough octaves. In a desperate attempt to convince him of the instrument's versatility and viability for Indian classical music, he modified the Rabaab by doing away with the frets, adding a metal fretboard, and adding steel strings. Eventually, he did end up learning classical music from him.

The instrument is almost a perfect fit for Classical music. You can do long jumps, minus any frets emulating Meends, glides.

For younger readers familiar with modern music production, think of it as similar to the pitch bend wheels on digital synthesizers—a technique that A.R. Rahman has masterfully incorporated into Indian pop music. Just as Rahman's precise control of pitch bending serves the intricacies of Indian ragas, a skilled Sarod performance flows naturally within the classical framework. While technically it’s only a guitar, the sounds of the Sarod are transcendent.

Part 2: Born in the fire of primordial India

The instrument was invented during a tense moment in India’s music history. After the 1857 Sepoy mutiny, everything changed about music and its patronage. I remember reading about the 350+ princely states, but only a few of those states were inclined to support music and the arts. Many of the Gharanas we remember today are seats of patronage that survived the socio-cultural impacts of late 19th—and early 20th-century India, e.g., Gwalior, Jaipur, and Agra—all seats of music with Patron kings. 

All credits to the original Filmmaker - Markus Schlaffke, and their YouTube channel, the Lucknow-Shahjahanpur Gharana Archive on Youtube.

Watch Part 2 here ⬇️