The tanpura is a quintessential instrument in Indian classical music. It doesn’t play a melody but creates a meditative ambience, supporting and sustaining the performance of other musicians or vocalists. The tanpura features four to six strings tuned to specific notes, usually the fifth (Pa) and the root tonic (Sa). Its continuous, rhythmic plucking produces a constant harmonic drone effect. The tanpura is like the canvas on which the melody of the raga is drawn.

Three main styles exists:

  • the Miraj style,
  • the Tanjore style,
  • the small instrumental version sometimes called tamburi.

The word “tanpura” (tanpoora) is common in the north. In south India it is called “tambura”, “thamboora”, “thambura”, or “tamboora”.

It has usually 4 to 5 strings for Hindustani music, and up to 6 strings for Carnatic music. These strings are tuned to the tonic and according to the raag.

Male and female tanpura

The main difference is the pitch and thickness of strings:

  • A male tanpura will be bigger with thicker strings, to give more bass and resonance, with a pitch from C to F.
  • The female tanpura pitch range is G to B and thus will sound sharper than a male tanpura.

Other than this, there is no difference.

The musical atmosphere

We can imagine many tanpura tunings over 4, 5 or 6 note, but the musician should remind that the musical atmosphere should not be overloaded with mixing notes. The musician needs space within that atmosphere to express itself, while having its notes sustained by the tanpura and its harmonics.

You should have in mind that even simple tunings, like Pa Sa Sa and Kharaj (Lower Sa), or Ma Sa Sa Kharaj, create shrutis. And you should train yourself to play with these two tunings and develop your listening skill, to hear the interaction between the notes you’re playing and the sustained resonance of the tanpura.

The sound

The tanpura produces a vibrant harmonic sound and is used for accompaniment by both vocalists and instrumentalists. It gives tonic references to the artists and takes the music to a higher level. When properly tuned and played, the tanpura is producing a very rich sound, a vibrant and animated resonance. It produces many harmonics which gives birth to many notes from the scale. With a proper tanpura with sensitive jiwari (bridge), precisely curved in such a way as to ‘graze’ the strings as they vibrate, various secondary tones can be evoked to emanate from its sustained resonance, even within the basic PssS tuning.

Sound samples

The tanpuras in iTabla Pandit Studio are made of real sounds. We selected instruments, with nice strings, very well tuned, and then we recorded them in studio. And after a strict selection process, we are providing you our real tanpura sound samples, which brings our digital tanpura as close as possible as a real tanpura.

Tanpura tunings

You should have in mind that even simple tunings, like Pa Sa Sa and Kharaj (Lower Sa), or Ma Sa Sa Kharaj, create shrutis. It is not necessary to have an extra string for more overtones, as the four strings tanpura supplies more than enough. However, the five-stringed tanpura gives another dimension altogether and can bring a more melodious feeling.

Pancham Tanpura

Most of the rāgas can use a tanpura tuned in Pancham Pa Sa Sa Sa.

You can also try the Sa Pa Pa Pa tanpura, which reverses Pa and Sa in the tuning.

Madhyam Tanpura

Some rāgas like Chandrakauns, Malkauns, Lalit, … lack Pa or emphasize Ma strongly. For them, the first tanpura string is tuned to suddh Ma.

You can also try the Sa Ma Ma Ma tanpura, which reverses Ma and Sa in the tuning.

Nishad tanpura

Tuning the first or second string to suddha Ni is acceptable when:

  1. It is evening
  2. The rāga lacks suddha Ma and Pa
  3. If the vadi/samvadi pair is suddh Ga and suddh Ni.

A Nishad tanpura will mostly be used in a male tanpura.

Use tanpura in iTabla Pandit Studio Pro

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