Musical instrument associated with Ravi Shankar crossword

The Sitar - Ravi Shankar's Iconic Instrument

The crossword answer "SITAR" honours the Indian master Ravi Shankar, who brought the long necked lute to world attention. The sitar's nasal ring and deep history have placed it at the heart of Indian classical music for hundreds of years.

Where the Sitar Comes From and How It Changed

Ancient Roots

The sitar began as the ancient veena, a plucked lute that musicians in India used three millennia ago. Step by step the instrument gained a second gourd, a long hollow neck plus metal frets that bend under pressure - those changes produced the form we now call the sitar.

Refinement and Standardization

In the 13th century, builders lengthened the sitar neck and added wide sympathetic strings. Those changes gave the instrument deeper resonance. By the 18th century, the modern form had settled - a gourd shaped body with detailed fretwork.

Ravi Shankar plus the Sitar's Global Prominence

A Musical Visionary

Ravi Shankar carried the sitar onto the world stage. Through solo concerts, recordings and partnerships with Western artists, he showed audiences outside India what the instrument could do. His work turned the sitar from a regional specialty into an instrument recognized across continents.

Cross-Cultural Collaborations

• Shankar joined Western musicians. His work with George Harrison of The Beatles placed the sitar before millions and helped listeners understand Indian music.
• He performed on the sitar at Monterey Pop plus at Woodstock - those concerts fixed the instrument in the worldwide public mind.
• Shankar explored new forms and blended styles. Through this he kept the sitar alive but also relevant for modern listeners.
• He taught and mentored students. Many of them took up the sitar as well as carried the tradition onward.

The Enduring Legacy of the Sitar

The bond between the sitar besides Ravi Shankar shows that the instrument still matters and that it crosses all borders. In the crossword the word "SITAR" stands for the vast influence the instrument has had on music or for the master who brought it into the world's view.