Sarangi Musical Instrument from Nepal

The Sarangi Musical Instrument from Nepal is a folk instrument played by bowing. Traditionally, the Sarangi was played by the Gandharvas or Gaaine, whose profession was to sing narrative and folk songs using the instrument all over Nepal.

Construction of Nepali Sarangi: Sarangi is made from a single piece of wood and has a neck and a hollowed-out, double-chambered body. It is usually made from readily available trees such as AAP, saaj, khirra, or lakuri. The lower portion is generally covered by a goat's or a sheep's dried skin. It consists of 4 strings made from nylon.
Tuning of Nepali Sarangi: The tuning of the Sarangi provides a range of almost two octaves and is tuned in 5ths. From right to left, the strings of the Sarangi are adjusted to lower fifth, root, root, and fifth notes of a significant key. The 2nd and 3rd strings are used as a drone. The tuning is checked by the player's ear according to their discretion or tuned with Western music.
Performance Technique: There are various methods to produce Sarangi notes. Usually, the players play the Sarangi with their left hands slightly pressing the strings and their right hands bowing. Some players rub their left-hand fingernails to rub against the strings to create sound.
Traditionally, the Gandharvas bowed the root note continuously along with the song's notes.
The Gandharvas: Gandharvas are the caste members famous for singing various historical, social, political, and cultural songs like gatha, karkha, gatha saba, etc. These people travel to different places to sing songs of legendary heroes, history, tales, and people's lives in their journey. This tradition is still followed by various generations of the Gandharvas, and they earn their living.