Body one piece solid stained toon wood, mat shellac surfaces, sound box covered with goat skin, synthetic bridges, four mains pegs, three main gut strings, 35 sympathetic pegs with steel strings, inlay work made of engraved celluloid, including bow and tuning device narka.

Construction
The sarangi has a one-piece wooden sound box, the lower section of which is covered with goat skin, functioning as a resonator. On this rawhide cover a horn bridge is placed, carrying three thick gut strings on which the melody is played. However, there is no finger-board or frets but the strings are pressed sideways with the nail beds of index, middle and ring finger of the left hand. The strings are set vibrating by means of a relatively short, sturdy bow. Beside the melody strings the sarangi is equipped with about 35 steel sympathetic strings, giving a very distinctive reverberation to this instrument. Usually 24 sympathetic pegs are attached to the side of the body in three rows. The remaining 11 sympathetic pegs are attached to the top end of the peg box. The three gut strings are played with a relatively short thick bow.

History
The sharp, slightly nasal sound of the sarangi is one of the most impressive and unusual tonal colours brought forth by Indian Music. For a long time the sarangi was nearly exclusively used as a subordinate instrument, accompanying singing and dancing. Only in the 20th century did it become established as a classical solo instrument. Despite its tremendously increased status, the sarangi is threatened today with extinction. As an accompanying instrument it has nearly entirely been ousted by the harmonium. The harmonium can not articulate sliding sounds but it is so much easier to play than the sarangi. For this reason there are rarely any families left who play traditional sarangi and very few sarangi players even from other circles can be found today.

MONOJ KUMAR SARDAR & BROTHERS is a relatively large-scale manufacturer in the heart of Calcutta looking back on a rich tradition of three generations. It is run by four brothers, all of them trained craftsmen specialising in different aspects of instrument making. They mainly make sitars, tanpuras, esrajs, dilrubas, harmoniums and shrutiboxes. But the eldest brother and manager Monoj Kumar will get you every other instrument that is manufactured in India as well. Due to our long-term co-operation with Monoj Kumar Sardar since 1994, we receive instruments with a high quality level in terms of sound, workmanship and materials. Today Monoj Kumar Sardar's quality can well compete with other renowned brands like Hemen and Hiren Roy for string instruments or Pakrashi, Paul and Bina for harmoniums.

Sarangis are barely standardized they exist in a range of different sizes and types of stringing. The following information refers to the sarangis offered by India Instruments. As with sitars, the tonic may be freely chosen between c and d. The example below uses a tonic of Sa = c.

Playing strings (all gut):
1. Sa - c (main playing string)
2. low Pa - G
3. low Sa - C

Sympathetic strings left (all steel 0.30 mm) - top row of pegs:
1. Sa - c
2. Re - d
3. Ga - e
4. Ma - f
5. Pa - g
6. Dha - a
7. Ni - b
8. high Sa - c'
9. high Re - d'

Sympathetic strings right (all steel 0.30 mm) - middle and low rows of pegs:
1. low Pa - G
2. low Dha - A
3. low Ni - B
4. Sa - c
5. Re - d
6. komal Ga - e flat
7. shuddha Ga - e
8. shuddha Ma - f
9. tivra Ma - f sharp
10. Pa - g
11. Dha - a
12. Ni - b
13. high Sa - c'
14. high Re - d'
15. high Ga - e'

Upper sympathetic strings on left and right small bridges (all steel 0.30mm):
The tuning of these strings is handled freely, depending on individual preferences and notes to be stressed in the chosen raga. The tonal range is limited between Sa and Pa, because all strings have the same length and diameter.

The following graph by Brian Godden shows an alternative tuning. The string gauges therein are stated in Anglo-Saxon inches. The use of a 4th playing string as chikari is particularly noteworthy.

Measure: length 67 cm, width 21 cm, depth 16 cm, weight: 2.9 kg
Each instrument is individually hand-crafted and might differ from our description.