Rudra veena

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The Rudra Veena (also spelled rudra vina, and also called been or bin) is a large plucked string instrument used in Hindustani music. It is an ancient instrument, and is rarely played in the present day. The rudra veena declined in popularity partly due to the introduction, in the early nineteenth century, of the surbahar, which allowed sitarists to more easily present the alap sections of slow dhrupad-style ragas.

Rudra Veena has a long tubular body with length ranging between 54 to 62 inches made of wood or bamboo . Two large-sized, round resonators, made of dried and hollowed gourds, are attached under the tube. Twenty-four brass-fitted raised wooden frets are fixed on the tube with the help of wax. It is one of the three other major types of veena popular today. The others include vichitra veena and Saraswati veena. Out of these the rudra and vichitra veenas are used in Hindustani music of North India, while the Saraswati veena is used in the Carnatic music of South India. As Rudra is a name for the Hindu god Shiva, rudra vina literally means "the veena dear to Shiva."

Rudra Veena was modified as Shruti Veena by Lalmani Misra to establish Bharat's Shadja Gram and obtain the 22 Shruti-s.

Z M Dagar was one of the 20th century's foremost exponents of the instrument. He modified and redesigned the Rudra Veena using bigger gourds, a thicker tube (Dandi), thicker steel playing strings (0.45-0.47 mm) and closed Javari that. This produced a soft and deep sound when plucked without the use of any plectrum (Mizrab).

Amongst the present day masters Ustad Asad Ali Khan is the foremost. He is also passing the tradition on to his son. Others include Ustad Shamsuddin Faridi Desai, Ustad Bahauddin Dagar and Beenkar Suvir Misra.