Swar Mandal
Swarmandal, the Indian vocal harp, used by singers to sound the notes of a raga while performing. Made in our own workshop and by Monoj K Sardar.
Choosing yours
A swarmandal is a flat box zither with around thirty strings, strummed rather than picked. Vocalists use it to sound the scale of a raga between phrases, which is why it is tuned to the raga rather than to a fixed scale.
String count and body size vary. More strings means more of the octave available without retuning, at the cost of weight and setup time.
Questions we get asked
What is a swarmandal used for?
Singers strum it to sound the notes of a raga during performance. It is tuned to the raga being sung rather than to a fixed scale.
How is it tuned?
To the scale of the raga, which means retuning between ragas. That is normal and part of using the instrument.
Is it hard to play?
Physically, no. It is strummed rather than fingered. The skill is in knowing the scale and placing the strum between vocal phrases.