Tanpura

Tanpuras are drone instruments which are easy to play, however fascinate with their sound rich in overtones. The sound of each individual string seems to melt into a dazzling sound tapestry. This drone soundscape calls for modal music, chanting and overtone singing, meditation and, of course, traditional Indian music.

Tanpura recordings on CD are available here.
You can find our Special Offers for Tanpuras here.

India Instruments distinguishes between the three following tanpura sizes:

Male Tanpura

MALE TANPURA

Male tanpuras stand out by their incomparable powerful, full sound rich in resonance and, equipped with standard strings, are particularly suited for low pitches around the key C. With their traditional bulbous pumpkin sound-box, long neck and an entire length of 140 – 150 cm they represent the biggest customary tanpuras.

Female Tanpura

FEMALE TANPURA

Located between male and instrumental tanpuras in respect to their sound. The typical pitch of female tanpuras is around the key G. With their traditional bulbous pumpkin sound-box and long neck, their entire length amounts to 120 – 130 cm.

Instrumental Tanpura

INSTRUMENTAL TANPURA

With their fine silvery clear sound and a length of 95 – 115 cm, instrumental tanpuras are our smallest. Typically, they are equipped with thin strings, have a flat neck and a flat sound-box made of wood, five strings and a pitch around the key C – one octave higher than male tanpuras. Because of their subtle etherious sound they are traditionally played to accompany sitars and other solo instruments.