ustani khyal, a vocal concert found in north India today, the composition is generally considered an improvisational concert; normally a lengthy section is performed in a time measure so extremely slow. Both Hindustani and Carnatic traditions also have vocal forms derived from dance and considered lighter in character. These forms, with their dance-rooted rhythms, are performed at the close of concerts. In the Carnatic system, instrumental music is based on vocal forms. The majority of Hindustani music, in contrast, is a specifically instrumental composition based on the plucking patterns of stringed instruments, especially the sitar. The Sarangi is the premier bowed instrument of North Indian music. It began to become popluar in the mid-17th century to accompany vocal music. It still retains this vital role today. The Sarangi consists of truncated body. Like the Sarode it has a sound board of goat skin. It has three main playing strings of heavy gut. These are the ones which are bowed. It also has an addition of thirty to forty metal strings, which give the instrument it characteristic sound. Unlike the violin, in which the strings are pressed down on a fingerboard, the playing strings of the sarangi are stopped with fingernails of the left hand. Probably the best-known North Indian instrument is the Sitar. It is a long necked lute with twenty curved metal frets. It is plucked by the index finger of the left hand. Sitars generally have six or seven main playing strings which run above the frets, and an additional twelve or more strings, which give the instrument an shimmering echo when played. The bridge of the Sitar, which is rectangular, gives the instrument its characteristic sound. The Sarode is a fretless lute, with a fingerboard faced with metal. It has a soundtable of goat skin. The Sarode has generally eight to ten main playing strings and eleven to sixteen strings. It is plucked with a pick made ofcoconut shell. It is short...
