File:Veena.png · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
veena
Sign in to saveAlso known as vina, beena, bina
The veena, also spelled vina ( IAST: vīṇā), is any of various chordophone instruments from the Indian subcontinent. Ancient musical instruments evolved into many variations, such as lutes, zithers and arched harps. The many regional designs have different names such as the Rudra veena, the Saraswati veena, the Vichitra veena and others.
Key facts
- Instrument.image
- File:Veena.png
- Instrument.image_capt
- A Saraswati Veena
- Instrument.background
- string
- Instrument.names
- Vina
- Instrument.classification
- String instruments
- Instrument.developed
- Veena has applied to stringed instruments in Indian written records since at least 1000 BCE. Instruments using the name have included forms of arched harp and musical bow, lutes, medieval stick zithers and tube zithers, bowed chordophones, fretless lutes, the Rudra bīn and Sarasvati veena.
- Instrument.related
- Chitra veena, Harp-style veena, Mohan veena, Rudra veena, Saraswati veena, Vichitra veena, Sarod, Sitar, Surbahar, Sursingar, Tambouras, Tambura,
- Instrument.sound sample
- thumb|A veena improvisation (2004) thumb|A veena kushree
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Image
- Icon of person playing Indian instrument Veena.svg
Show 2 more facts
- Commons category
- Veenas
- Hornbostel-Sachs classification
- 312.322
via Wikidata · CC0
~12 min read
Article
8 sectionsContents
- Etymology and history
- The early Gupta veena: depiction and playing technique
- Construction
- Types
- See also
- References
- Bibliography
- External links
The veena, also spelled vina ( IAST: vīṇā), is any of various chordophone instruments from the Indian subcontinent. Ancient musical instruments evolved into many variations, such as lutes, zithers and arched harps. The many regional designs have different names such as the Rudra veena, the Saraswati veena, the Vichitra veena and others.
The North Indian rudra veena, used in Hindustani classical music, is a stick zither. About 3.5 to 4 feet (1 to 1.2 meters) long to fit the measurements of the musician, it has a hollow body and two large resonating gourds, one under each end. It has four main strings which are melodic, and three auxiliary drone strings. To play, the musician plucks the melody strings downward with a plectrum worn on the first and second fingers, while the drone strings are strummed with the little finger of the playing hand. The musician stops the resonating strings, when so desired, with the fingers of the free hand. In modern times the veena has been generally replaced with the sitar in North Indian performances.