Tanpura - a Cornerstone of Indian Classical Music
The Tanpura (also referred to as Tambura) is a musical instrument with an intriguing and also fundamental place in today's Indian Classical music. As you may well know, it is not a lead instrument on which a melody is played. Rather it is used as a background instrument to create a drone accompaniment through the repetitive plucking of four open strings. It is relatively new to Indian Classical music, having reached its modern form sometime around 1700 CE. But it has influenced Indian Classical music quite profoundly, including both the common styles of Hindustani and Carnatic music.
