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Care and Maintenance
Esraj
is a very delicate instrument and it takes a lot of responsibility to own and
care for such a precious instrument. Here are some good tips to follow when
taking care of your esraj
1) Get a case for it!
A
carrying case is worth the money for not just the esraj
but for any musical instrument you purchase. It looks more organized and it can
be "sheltered." Especially when you are
transporting it from place to place. Also with a carrying case, put some
padding on there. I use spare bed sheet for this.
2) Do not leave the instrument in a
room where there are extremes in temperature.
The
one thing to really worry about in the esraj is the
fact that there is a goat-skin belly where the bridge and all the strings go
through. There is nothing under to support it. Too hot of the temperature sucks
up the moisture and it becomes very tight. While this is great for the sound,
too much tension on the goat skin sound-board will cause it to break. If it is
too cold, the sound will be dull and the bone bridge will also break through
the skin.
3) Do not leave it unattended!
Little
kids visit my home so often. When I know they are coming, I hide it! Kids love
experimenting. Don't let your instrument be their first project!
4) Be practical in tightening.
If
you read my tuning page, I mentioned how tightening the strings produce an even
sweeter sound. However, don't tighten it so much. If you do, you'll have the
bridge collapse or the tensions of the strings will push the bridge down
through the skin and break it. If you are accompanying
someone of a higher key than what your esraj can
handle with your playing style, you might have redo your frets and retune your
string to "ma" or whatever note in order to match accordingly. It's
better to retune your entire instrument several times than to break your
current instrument and pay God knows how much for a new one. It's better to buy
a new instrument than get a re-head done in America.
5) Restring every six months.
If
you play it every day, restring your esraj every six
months. If you play it seldomly, I'd stretch it out
to eight. Restringing the esraj is a very difficult
task, as there are so many strings. If you know an expert at this, seek help
first. When working with the sympathetic strings, number the peg and its corresponding
hole. NOT ALL PEGS SIZES ARE THE SAME! You'll be amazed how people forget this
and complain afterwards why their pegs don't fit anymore! Once unassembled,
string the sympathetic strings first. Then string the main strings. Also, give
it a time to rest in.
6) Lastly, treat it properly
Esraj
is an esraj. Play it like an esraj.
Slide up and down for minds (glissandos). Do not pull the string as you would
do if you were playing a sitar. Also, don't try to pluck the instrument and
fret it like a sitar either. You won't get that sympathetic vibration that you
get with a sitar or sarod. Another reason why you
wouldn’t want to play it plucked it as because, the pressure and dynamic
movement one fretting notes will force the bridge down towards the goat-skin
and can cause it to break!
UPDATED: June 20, 2009