Setar; Persian Musical Instrument

A stringed plectrum instrument with a determined sound, it belongs to the tanbur family and wood is used for the body, the metal for the strings and the bone for decorations. It consists of the sound box, the floor above the chest (with holes to let the sound out), the bridge, the handle, the tip, the pegs, the nut, the keys, the simgir (string binding point) and four metal cords with different thickness.

The setar has two parts, the case and the handle. The bridge is on the surface and the simgir  in the terminal part of the case so that if the instrument is standing on the ground, the simgir it is in contact with the ground.

At the end of the handle is the tip where the pegs or instruments are used to adjust the tuning. The setar has 28 friezes made of animal innards or silk. Its sound is delicate and its sound extension reaches almost the 3 octaves.

The use of the setar is widespread in the Iranian musical repertoire although it is mostly used as a solo instrument.