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It is very important to select the right strings for your dilruba and esraj.  This article will give you the information that you need to help you make informed decisions as to the gauge, material, and structure of the strings.

The choice of strings is inextricably linked to the philosophy of tuning.  In an ideal situation, you have formulated your approach, and then carefully strung your instrument to reflect this approach.  But we are not living in an ideal world.  Frequently, someone will just hand you an instrument and ask you to tune it.  At that point, you simply have to go with whatever strings the shopkeeper decided to put on it.  In which case, you alter your philosophy to reflect the realities imposed by the strings.  Therefore, I cannot really tell you which should be approached first, the philosophy, or the actual stringing of the instrument.

In practice, you will find that it probably does not matter.  Your approach and strings, will evolve hand-in-hand.  You will probably just start with whatever strings were on the instrument when you purchased it.  Over time, you will shift strings up or down in gauge and experiment with different tunings.  After considerable experimentation, you will find what works for you.

 

OVERVIEW OF MUSICAL STRINGS

You will have to make a number of fundamental decisions concerning the stringing of your instrument.  Such decisions require a fair amount of basic knowledge concerning strings, materials, and gauges.  Such details can become very complicated very quickly.  However, we will not go into the arcane aspects of physics, metallurgy, and related areas here.  We will just cover information that is important for the dilruba or esraj player to know.  This will revolve around the topics of string tension, materials, gauge, and structure of the string.

Tension is probably the single most important factor in determining the pitch of the string.  In theory, any string can be tuned to any pitch simply by controlling the tension.  In practice, this is definitely not the case.  Each string has a "sweet spot" where the tension is just right to allow the string to really express itself.  If the tension is too great, the string may break.  If the tension is too low, the sound will be weak and muddy.  The goal of tuning and stringing any stringed instrument is to have all of the strings working inside their "sweet spot".

The material that the string is made is important.  Today the most common materials to be found on a dilruba or esraj are steel, brass, and bronze.  As a general rule, steel has a higher pitch while brass and bronze have lower pitches.  Steel is more generic and is more appropriate for most strings; it is the only material that is appropriate for the smaller, main playing string.  Bronze tends to be found only on the heavier strings.  Brass may also be found on the heavier gauge strings instead of bronze, however this is much less common.

Today, it is common to have strings made of a combination of different materials.  In the last hundred years, strings which have one material at the core, but are wrapped with other materials have become very common.  These may be steel, but they may also include more exotic materials such as aluminium, titanium, tungsten, or a host of other materials too numerous to describe.  (I know you may not consider aluminium an exotic material but remember, there was not a commercially viable process for refining aluminium until the 19th century.)

Gauge is an extremely important decision.  The gauge describes the thickness of the string.  As a general rule, the larger gauge strings will be used for the lower pitches, while the finer gauges strings will be used for the higher pitched strings.

The structure of the string is also very important.  It may be solid, or it may be wound.  If wound, there may be any number of materials or geometry used for the various components.  The inner core may be polyfilament; the core may be solid; there may be an intermediate layer of silk threads.  It is almost impossible to try keep up with the complexities of string technology.  However, we will look at the common structures more closely.

 

Wound string (top) and solid string.

 

In the above illustration we see an example of two different structures of strings.  The upper illustration is a wound string while the lower example is a more traditional solid string.

We can easily grasp the reason for having wound strings.  Just think of a guitar or any other instrument with a metal strings and imagine the sound when you strike it.  Now imagine a xylophone, glockenspiel, or any similar instrument made with steel bars.  It is easy to imagine how a string vibrates in a totally different fashion from a metallic bar.

As strings become thicker, the distinction between a vibrating bar and a vibrating string starts to blur.  It tends to behave more and more like a vibrating bar, and less and less like a vibrating string.  The result is a series of harmonic impurities which spoil the sound.  This is why winding one string around a core is very important.  This lets us increase the mass of a string while still allowing the string to behave as a string.

 

RESPONSIVENESS

There is a characteristic about bowed instruments that deserves some mention; this is responsiveness.  When you bow a string, initially you feel that the string does not want to do anything.  It takes a very small, but a perceptible period of time for the string to express itself.  This is referred to as responsiveness.

There may be any number of factors that effect responsiveness.  The most obvious is the quantity and quality of the rosin we put on the bow or the nature of the hair on the bow.  However in this webpage, we will deal with the strings and how decisions we make as far as gauge, materials, and surface characteristics, effect responsiveness.

 

SPECIALISATION OF STRINGS

The specialisation of strings is both a boon and a curse.  On the positive side, it uses the full force of modern technology to produce high quality strings.  These have all the correct characteristics to make playing an instrument easier and the sound nicer.  Unfortunately for instruments like the dilruba and esraj, there is a constant feeling of being left out of these technological advances.

Fortunately, there is fundamental generic quality of strings that allows us to use strings that were not specifically made for the dilruba or esraj.  In this page, we will be looking a guitar strings and to a certain extent cello strings, and see how they may be used for our purposes.  We will see that with a little experimentation and a bit of care, we can do much better by using carefully selected guitar strings then by going with off-the-shelf dilruba / esraj strings.

Let us make at a quick comparison of guitar strings vs. dilruba/esraj strings and see how the guitar strings stack up against traditional dilruba/esraj strings.

 

ADVANTAGES OF GUITAR STRINGS

There are many reasons why we wish to use guitar strings on our instrument.  Briefly the advantages are a very broad selection to choose from, reasonable prices, good sound, and widespread availability.  Let us look into this in greater detail.

Selection - The variety of strings available for the guitar is almost unimaginable.  All of the different process used in forging, wrapping, and tempering the strings for the guitar market, are available to you.  You can spend endless hours experimenting with the different strings, and see which strings give you the sound you want.

Price - There is always an economy of scale.  The dilruba / esraj market is very limited, and if you insist on only buying strings which are directed at this market, your price / quality ratio may be very poor.

Sound - Many decades of research have gone into the manufacture of strings for Western musical instruments.  Although the quality of strings in the Indian market has improved greatly over the last few decades, the quality of Indian strings is still not up to the quality that one can find in the West.

Availability - You can get guitar strings almost anywhere.

Suitability - When properly selected, the guitar strings are perfect for our purpose.  They are available in materials, gauges, and lengths that are a perfect match.

 

DISADVANTAGES OF GUITAR STRINGS

There are two areas where the use of guitar strings can be very problematic.  This deals with the lack of information, and surface characteristics of wound strings.

 

Lack of Information - The lack of proper information is the biggest drawback in using guitar strings.  You just can't walk into the local music store and talk to the salesperson and get any useful suggestions as to which strings would be good for you to try.  This page will get you started, but you still need to experiment with different strings to find the ones that fit your particular need and approach.

 

Surface Characteristics - The heavier strings of the guitar are wound, where the heavier gauge strings of the dilruba and esraj have historically been solid.  Although wound strings sound much better than the traditional solid strings, they do have one big problem.  In the times when you are playing in the lower octaves (string 2 or string 3), you will find that an ordinary wound string makes a lot of noise as you slide your finger up and down.

 

BALANCING THE PROS AND THE CONS

Obviously, in order to use guitar strings you need to utilise the beneficial aspects of guitar strings while minimising the disadvantages.  It turns out that this is surprisingly easy.  Just concentrate on the problems associated with guitar strings, and everything will take care of itself.

It is unlikely that you will ever just walk into a music store and get good recommendations for dilruba/esraj strings.  But you can start by going over this article thoroughly.  (I think that it is safe to say that there is more information here on the subject than you will find anyplace else.)  Furthermore, don't be afraid to experiment; ultimately, that is the only way you are going to find out what sounds good to on your instrument, and what sounds good to your ears.  Familiarise yourself with all the different approaches and materials that are available for the guitar, and see how they translate to your instrument.

The surface characteristics of wound strings are the biggest problems for us; however, if we select the right kind of string, this problem may be minimised.  There are two approaches to this; one is the half-round string and the other is the flat wound string.  Both of these approaches greatly reduce the amount of noise produced when you slide your finger up and down a wound string.

 

Two types of wound strings.  (top) Ordinary round wound string, (bottom) Polished (half round) wound string.

 

The half round string is probably the most common away to minimise the roughness.  (See figure above.)  In the half-round string, it starts off as a regular round string that is wound around a core.  It is then milled down (polished) so that it is flat.  Therefore after milling, a cross section of the half round string will be round on the edge that meets the core, yet flat on the outside.

A flat wound string has characteristics that are similar to the half round wound string.  A flat wound string has a round core, but it is wound with a string which has a rectangular or square cross section.

Experiment with the different brands and approaches and see which you like best.  There are also a variety of coated strings which may or may not be suitable.  (Have a go at it, and see if it works!)

 

BASICS OF GUITAR STRINGS

You are going to have to communicate your needs to the shopkeeper in the music store.  Therefore, it is necessary to understand something about guitar strings; otherwise you will not even begin to not what to ask for.

There are three classes of guitar stings; nylon, steel (acoustic), and steel (electric).  These three classes of strings reflect the three basic types of guitar; which are the classical, acoustic (steel), and electric guitars.

Nylon Strings - Nylon strings are for classical guitars.  As the name implies, they are made of nylon or some comparable polymer, and are formulated to mimic the gut strings which were used in the past.  It is interesting to note that the thicker gauge nylon strings consist of a nylon core which has been wrapped with a metal string.  The sound of nylon strings is very soft.  Many classical guitars can ONLY be strung with nylon strings.  Attempting to put steel strings on a traditional classical guitar may permanently damage it.  Nylon strings are unsuitable for dilrubas.  Unless you are wishing to pursue some new angle of the sound or technique, DO NOT USE NYLON STRINGS!

Acoustic Steel Strings - Steel (acoustic) strings are designed for acoustic guitars which have been reinforced to stand the higher tension of steel strings.  Steel strings are louder than nylon and are popular among folk and pop musicians.  These strings are often wrapped in bronze alloys.  Such alloys produce a sound which is much sought after among acoustic guitarists, but lack the magnetic qualities which are required for electric guitars.

The acoustic steel string works fine for dilrubas.  On the positive side, the wide variety of alloys available gives you ample scope to experiment and see what sound is best for you.  On the down side, there seems to be a limited selection of flat wound or highly polished strings.

Electric Guitar Strings - These strings are designed for electric guitars.  Their qualities are very similar to the steel (acoustic) string with just one important difference.  They are made of alloys with special ferromagnetic qualities which induce a strong signal in the transducer (pickup) located on the body of the guitar.

Our instrument does not care what the magnetic qualities of the strings are.  Therefore, the defining quality of the electric guitar string is totally irrelevant.  On the down side, the limited number of alloys available in the electric guitar strings means that you may have fewer options in getting just the "right sound".  On the positive side, you are more likely to find a broader selection of flat wound, or highly polished strings.  All things considered, electric guitar strings are definitely worth looking into.

 

KNOW YOUR INSTRUMENT

Before going further into the topic of stringing and tuning your instrument, it is important to know what you have got.  You can always experiment with different gauges of strings until you find something you like, but we are making things easier by giving charts with different gauges.  But these charts mean nothing without a basic knowledge of how long your dilruba is.

For the rest of this article you will need to know the distance from bridge-to-bridge.  Simply measure according to the picture below:

measure your bridge to bridge length

 

If the bridge-to-bridge length is between 25-27 inches (64-70cm) then this will be considered to be a small instrument.

If the bridge-to-bridge length 27-31 inches (70-80cm) then this is considered to be a large one.

 

 

* All strings are steel strings.  The lighter gauge strings are solid while the heavier gauge strings are half round polished steel over steel core (electric guitar strings).
*When dealing with titanium wound, aluminium wound, or fully round wound strings, increase the recommended pitch by half a step.
*When dealing with phosphor bronze, bronze, or brass wound strings, decrease the recommended pitch by half a step.

 

Let us examine each column in detail.  The first column is the diameter of the wire expressed in inches.  The second column is the diameter of the string expressed in millimetres.  The third column is where this string will tune to on a larger instrument.  The forth column is where it will tune to on a smaller instrument.  The fifth column is how music shops will describe the string.  The last column is totally irrelevant for our instrument, but it does give you a clue as to what to ask for if you go into a mainstream music store.

One must not forget that this is merely a rule of thumb.  I am fairly confident that metal strings of the specified gauges will all work in the pitches indicated.  But we must remember that there are a very large number of variables, especially in wound strings.  Such variables may mean that tuning the string in this manner may sometimes put the sting a bit on the tight side and in other cases it may be on the loose side.  In other words, it may begin to be working outside of its "sweet zone".  Again this underscores the need for your own experimentation.

 

WHAT DOES ALL OF THIS MEAN?

At this point, I know that some of you are wondering what all of this means.  First of all, I presume that you have thoroughly read Basic Concepts of Tuning as well as this page, and that you are thoroughly comfortable with the material covered in both of these pages.  If this is the case, there is really only one piece of the puzzle left.  That is how to tie the floating Sa,Re,Ga,Ma together with the solidly anchored A,A#,B,C pitches.  I have prepared a table to assist you in this.  Simply go to: Western / Indian Note Equivalents, and this will let you tie everything together.

 

HIGH SIDE OR LOW SIDE

We must not forget that the usable ranged of the strings on the dilruba or esraj is really rather large.  The previous chart is intended to place us in the middle of this usable range for each string.  However, there are a number of reasons for us to veer on the tight side or the loose side.

Many musicians like to use a little heaver gauge string for the main playing strings; this makes the string very tight.  One advantage of this is that it makes the sound of our instrument very loud.  This is extremely important in real-world situations, where it is sometimes difficult just to hear yourself when you are on stage.  However, there are also disadvantages to this approach.  One disadvantage is that sometimes you are imparting so much energy to the instrument that the sympathetic strings start to hit against either other strings or the small posts to which they are attached.  This creates a very unpleasant rattling sound.  Another disadvantage is that the sound of our instrument can become very thin.  It begins to sound more like a cello and less like a sarangi.  One other disadvantage is that it makes the string less responsive; this can be very hard on a beginner who is still struggling with their bowing technique.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, many musicians like to string the gauge with much lighter gauges strings.  On the positive side, this makes the dilruba much more responsive, so the small latency one feels when you first start to bow is minimised.  Another characteristic of putting light strings for the main playing strings, is that it gives a good, rich, thick, buzzing sort of sound that is reminiscent of the sarangi.  When one plays a dilruba or esraj that has been strung with light playing strings, ones performance becomes rich and multitextured.  I must admit that this is purely a question of personal taste.  I love the rich sound of light playing strings, but I can understand that many musicians might prefer the thinner, purer, sound that comes from a heavy string.  The greatest disadvantage of using light playing strings is that the sound becomes very soft.  It can be a very big problem on stage if you are not getting a full volume.  Furthermore, if you are using light playing strings and have not compensated by putting light gauge sympathetic strings, you may find that your sympathetics are just not singing like they should.

Whether you wish to veer to the heaver gauges or the lighter gauge playing strings is a question of taste.  This once again underscores the need for your own experimentation.

 

CELLO STRINGS

I am not going to waste a lot of time talking about the cello string.  I will get right to the Khaas Baat.  Cello strings have been designed for bowing and have all of the right surface characteristics.  If you buy the full size cello strings, the length is perfect.  The materials are excellent.  In spite of all of this, you may not want to waste your time with cello strings.  They are just not available in gauges fine enough for the main playing string.  It is true that they seem to be superior for the heavier strings such as the second and third string of the dilruba and esraj, but cello strings are really expensive.

The bottom line is this.  Most people will find that the 1st and 2nd string of the cello works fine for the 2nd and 3rd string of the dilruba (MaSaPaSa or MaSaPaPa tuning).  Most people will find that it works better than the common alternatives (i.e., traditional dilruba / esraj or guitar strings).  But is it worth the extra cost to you?  Only you can decide that.

--- PROCEDE TO NEXT SECTION ---

STRINGING AND TUNING THE DILRUBA AND ESRAJ       Section 1 - Introduction       Section 2 - Basic Concepts of Tuning       Section 3 - The Right String for the Right Job       Section 4 - Tools and Techniques - Next Section

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This page last updated July 7, 2008
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