Setar

Setar

 

The word Setar is a combination of Se and Tar, which means three and string, respectively. The origin of Setar dates back to the 12th century when Khorasan Tanbur was changed. Based on miniatures and documents, the overall appearance of the modern Setar is similar to that of early versions. Nowadays, Setar has four strings, and Moshtaq-Ali-Shah added the fourth string in the 18th century. Before the modern age, it seems Setar always played as a solo or with a percussion instrument such as Daf or Tonbak.
Setar plays by plucking strings by the index finger’s nail of the right hand (left hand for lefties). This specific way of playing Setar needs minimum physical effort. A combination of this property with the sympathetic sound made Setar an instrument for relaxing the mind and an instrument for spiritual moments.
Modern Setar has 25-28 frets (made by silk or gut), and its note range is almost 3 octaves. For more than 1-2 centuries, and by inventing Tar (with high sonority and crystalline sound) in the 17th, Setar lost its place in the court of kings and among the musicians, but during the last century, it surfaced again in traditional music and got much attention.