Best Tambura | Tanpura | Ektara

Top 5 Best Tambura | Tanpura | Ektara | Apr 2024

Reviews, Comparison and Buying Guide

Tanpura

What is Tambura | Tanpura | Ektara?

The tambura is a stringed instrument that is played as a folk instrument in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, North Macedonia, and Serbia (especially Vojvodina). It has doubled steel strings and is played with a plectrum, in the same manner as a mandolin.

The tanpura is a long-necked plucked string instrument, originating from India, found in various formsn music. It does not play melody but rather supports and sustains the melody of another instrument or singer by providing a continuous harmonic bourdon or drone. A tanpura is not played in rhythm with the soloist or percussionist: as the precise timing of plucking a cycle of four strings in a continuous loop is a determinant factor in the resultant sound, it is played unchangingly during the complete performance. The repeated cycle of plucking all strings creates the sonic canvas on which the melody of the raga is drawn. The combined sound of all strings, each string a fundamental tone with its own spectrum of overtones, supports and blend with the external tones sung or played by the soloist.

Why Tambura | Tanpura | Ektara

If you have recently made a choice to learn and start playing a string instrument like Tanpura then you have made a choice that will benefit you for the rest of your life. The art of learning and playing a string instrument enriches your physical and mental well-being.

Best Tambura | Tanpura | Ektara | Buying Guide : Things to consider while buying a Tambura | Tanpura | Ektara

There are generally three main types of tanpuras; they are known as the Male, the Female and the Instrumental tanpuras. Their main difference lies in their size, because each has its own tuning preferences. The longest tanpura, the male, has the lowest tuning and the thickest strings. (For technical details of tunings and string sizes etc. see Manual). Slightly shorter in length and with a lighter choice of string thickness is the female tanpura. The instrumental tanpura, commonly known as tanpuri, used for accompaniment of the instrumental performances, is about half the length of the male tanpura. The male and female types have a gourd as a sound box. The tanpuri is made from one piece of wood.

There are two main styles in building tanpuras in North India, namely those from Calcutta or those from Miraj. The Calcutta tanpuras are more finely finished, whereas the Miraj tanpuras, although not so delicately finished, have a beautiful deep rounded sound. It is this full-bodied sound that has made Miraj famous, and it is well known that the best tanpuras come from there.

In the South, Thanjavur is associated with the best tanpuras. Instrument makers have succeeded in creating small tanpuras with equally fine resonance.
The South-Indian or Carnatic tanpura is known as the Tanjore tambura. The body is made from a complete full block of jackwood. South Indian tamburas have a wooden tumba. Its bridge is made of hard wood, unlike the Miraj models.

Top 5 Best Tambura | Tanpura | Ektara – [Updated and Highly Recommended]

1.

Bestseller # 1

Surjan Singh & Sons Tumbi
 
Surjan Singh & Sons Tumbi
16 Reviews
  • Easy to Play
  • High quality sound


Brown tumbi easy to play and handle and produce very good sound.

Features / Reviews

High quality sound

Easy to Play

2.

Bestseller # 1

SG Musical Tumbi IkTaara with Mizrab
 
  • It contains one professional tumbi
  • Colour of tumbi may be diffrent from the displayed image. Or colour will be random
  • Material - wooden


Tumbi, also known as ik taara is a small instrument with a wooden tumba and a single string, this instrument has always been associated with the punjabi folk music. Package contents: one professional tumbi, colour of tumbi may be diffrent from the displayed image. or color will be random Material: tun wood, professionally tested.

Features / Reviews

Material is tun wood

Professionally tested

3.

Bestseller # 1

PAL MUSIC HOUSE sheesham wood Tumbi Ek Tara Instruments
 
  • Tumbi natural
  • We deal with all kind of indian musical instruments and accessories


Made from SHEESHAM wood, with 1 extra string and mizrab, Tumbi natural.

Features / Reviews

Made from SHEESHAM wood

1 extra string and mizrab

Tumbi also called Iktara is a simple folk instrument. It is used to provide both a drone as well as simple rhytmic accompaniment to folk songs. It may be the oldest stringed instrument in the Indian subcontinent. The ektar is described in ancient Sanskrit texts as the ekatantri vina, literally the “one stringed lute”. In Punjab the ektar is known as the tumbi The construction is very simple, it is nothing more than a gourd which has been penetrated by a stick of bamboo. Another piece of bamboo forms the tuning peg. The bridge is merely a coin, piece of coconut, plastic or similar object. Ektars such as this are common in the south. In the north, their construction is a little more complicated. A membrane is stretched over the gourd and the bridge is placed over the taut membrane. The term ektar literally means “one string”, as such the term is loosely applied to a variety of one-stringed folk instruments. This includes such instruments as the tuntun, katho, anand lahari, and gopichand. The ektar is very popular in folk music and has a strong rustic connotation. It is very much associated with the saint Mira Bai.

Features / Reviews

High quality sound Handmade musical instrument.

Easy to Play

5.

Bestseller # 1

IMPI Highly Professional Concert Amazing Sound Best Toon Wood Tanpura
 
IMPI Highly Professional Concert Amazing Sound Best Toon Wood Tanpura
3 Reviews
  • Highly Professional Concert Amazing Sound Best Tanpura
  • It's A male tanpura deeper sound flat back easy to travel all wood. including special heavy padded gig bag extra string set
  • Material - Toon Wood


Highly professional travel size Tanpura and we guarantee sound is full rich amazing drone and loud , I have done best jawari worked high grade tunwood atleast we seasoned 3 to 4 years before making the instrument It’s A male tanpura deeper sound flat back easy to travel all wood including special heavy padded gig bag extra string set.

Features / Reviews

Highly Professional Concert Amazing Sound Best Tanpura

Made from Toon Wood material

Includes special heavy padded gig bag extra string set

Benefits of Tambura | Tanpura | Ektara

Can you imagine living your life without music? It would be very hard to do so, as music has been hard-wired into our very existence as human beings. While everyone enjoys listening to good music, not many of us are what the world calls ‘musicians’- the ones with the ability to play a Tanpura. This could be due to not having the opportunity to learn as kids or simply due to lack of inclination or proper instruction. However, music is something that is never too late to learn. And here are 10 good reasons as to why everyone should learn to play a Tanpura.

Relieves stress

Researchers studying the benefits of music have reported that playing a Tanpura on a regular basis can help bring down stress. Studies show that playing an instrument helps in lowering the heart rate and blood pressure, which in turn lowers the stress hormone cortisol, thus making us feel relaxed. While just listening to music also helps, learning to play an instrument brings with it a comforting routine of daily practice that helps in keeping the stress hormones away.

Makes you smarter

People who have received a music education are generally smarter than their non-musical counterparts are. Extensive research done in this area has proved that children who learn to play a Tanpura do better in academics.

Improves your social life

Music helps you connect. Learning an instrument enlarges your social circle since you get to meet more people than you usually would. In children, music can help develop social skills.

Helps build confidence

Choosing to take music lessons can help build confidence. Once you are aware that you are able to do something well, like play the flute for instance, you naturally become more confident of your skills. Learning to play an instrument can help both children and adults who face confidence issues.

Teaches patience

Music teachers feel that music can help teach patience. In a world of instant gratification, learning to play an instrument is not something that can happen overnight. It is the daily effort of everyday practice that can help a musician learn how to play without mistakes. This is turn develops patience. Most musicians go through years of regular practice that includes daily musical exercises and the tackling of progressively difficult musical pieces, which in turn helps them conquer the virtue of patience.

Fosters creativity

Stuck in everyday routine lives, many of us lose touch with our creative side. Learning to play a Tanpura, especially when you reach advanced levels, can foster that lost creativity. Since music education plays on your mental, emotional and cognitive abilities, the brain is stimulated to think out of the ordinary, which results in improved creativity.

Improves memory

Music and memory go hand in hand. Learning to play a Tanpura makes you use both parts of your brain and this in turn boosts memory power. Music education is also linked to higher IQ levels and the physical development of certain parts of the brain.

Develops discipline

Music requires dedication and regular practice. Allotting a specific amount of time to practice music daily develops discipline in the learner. This can prove to be extremely advantageous in children.

Gives you a sense of achievement

Learning to play a Tanpura gives you an immense sense of achievement. This feeling of satisfaction leads to a tremendous sense of self-achievement that can help you accomplish more in other areas of your life.

Playing a Tanpura is fun

Lastly, learning to play a Tanpura is fun. Playing a Tanpura can bring back the fun factor into your life. Music has the special quality to bring joy, peace and fulfillment that helps lift the spirit and make life enjoyable for everyone involved.

Conclusion

These have been some advises for buying a Tanpura. We sincerely add that it is quite difficult to get a good instrument with no experience and we remind you one more time the instruments’ quality is guaranteed usually by the liability and relationship established between buyer and instrument maker.

We do not pretend to discourage but to warn you by this; carefully check every Tanpura and remember all the previous advises.

And our last advise is: give priority to what you believe in, make your own decisions and believe in them.

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