The drone behind Indian classical music. Choose your Sa, shape the jawari, and listen to the overtones bloom.
Strings from left: Pa, Sa, Sa, Sa (kharaj). Click or drag across them, or press 1 to 4.
Start the drone or pluck a string to see its overtones here.
A female tanpura is about three quarters the size of a male one, so it sits higher and its body resonates higher. Female singers usually pitch Sa around A or A♯, male singers around C♯ or D.
Sa is A♯3, Kali 5 on a harmonium, at 233.1 Hz.
Most ragas, such as Yaman and Bhairav.
The string grazes a gently curved bridge. That contact spreads energy into the overtones, giving the tanpura its shimmering buzz.
How much the string grazes the bridge. More jawari gives a brighter buzz that lasts longer.
The cotton thread under each string. As on a real bridge, the buzz only blooms fully in a narrow sweet spot.
Time for one round of Pa Sa Sa Sa and the pause after it.
Small variations in timing and force, so the cycle breathes instead of ticking.
How long a string rings before it fades out.
Tanpura strings are stroked with the soft pad of the finger, never a pick.
The gourd and its wooden top warm the lows and lift the jawari.
The manaka beads fine-tune each string. Nudge the two middle Sa strings a cent or two apart to hear them beat against each other, then bring them back together.