Setar

Setar

The main parts of a setar
String instrument
Classification	Plucked string instrument
Related instruments
Tar, Dutar, Tanbur

The setar (Persian: سه‌تار) is a small, long-necked string instrument from Iran. It is mainly used in Persian classical music. The musician plucks its strings with the fingernail instead of using a separate pick.

Although its name means “three strings”, most setars now have four strings. The instrument is not the same as the much larger Indian sitar.

Construction and sound

A setar has a small pear-shaped wooden body, a long narrow neck and movable tied frets. Its four metal strings do not all have the same purpose. Some are used for the main melody, while another can produce a continuing or repeated background note, called a drone.

The strings are usually played with the nail of the right index finger. This method allows the player to make both gentle notes and quick groups of notes. The setar is quieter than the Persian tar and is often used for solo performances or to accompany singing.

History and musical use

The Metropolitan Museum of Art says that instruments called setar were known by about the 15th century. The extra fourth string became a usual part of the instrument by the 20th century. Surviving museum instruments also show how setars were made in Iran during the 19th century.

The setar has an important connection with the radif, the collection of melodies used to teach Persian classical music. Mirza Abdollah, one of the most important teachers of the radif, was known as a master of both the setar and tar.

Today, the setar is heard in concerts, recordings and music teaching. Its soft sound makes it especially useful for small rooms and performances in which the details of a melody are important.

Related pages

• Sitar
• Music of Iran
• String instrument

Other websites

• Nineteenth-century setar at the Metropolitan Museum of Art