The Santoor

The modern day Indian santoor is an ancient stringed musical instrument native to Jammu and Kashmir, with roots tracing back to Persia. A primitive ancestor of this instrument was first developed in Mesopotamia between 1600 and 911 BC.

The santoor is a trapezoidal hammered dulcimer, traditionally crafted from walnut wood and featuring seventy-two strings. It is played using special lightweight mallets called mezrab, which are held between the index and middle fingers. A standard santoor has two sets of bridges, offering a tonal range of three octaves.

The Indian santoor is more rectangular in shape and can have more strings than its Persian counterpart, which typically has seventy-two. In ancient Sanskrit texts, it is referred to as shatatantri vina, meaning “hundred-stringed vina.” Historically, the santoor was used in Kashmir as an accompaniment to folk music and was integral to the Sufi musical tradition known as Sufiana Mausiqi. Sufi mystics employed it to accompany their hymns, enriching their spiritual expressions.

The trapezoidal framework of the santoor is typically made from walnut or maple wood, while the top and bottom boards may be constructed from plywood or veneer. The top board, known as the soundboard, holds wooden bridges that support the stretched metal strings. These strings, grouped in sets of three or four, are anchored to nails or pins on the left side of the instrument and extend across the soundboard, resting on the bridges, to the right side. On the right, steel tuning pegs—commonly called tuning pins—allow for precise tuning of each string group to a desired musical note, frequency, or pitch.

The santoor is played while seated in the ardha-padmasana posture, with the instrument resting on the lap. The broader side is positioned closer to the musician’s waist, while the shorter side faces away. It is played using a pair of lightweight wooden mallets or hammers, held in both hands. The santoor is highly sensitive, responding to delicate strokes and glides. Notes are produced by striking the strings near or slightly away from the bridges, each technique yielding a distinct tonal quality. To add variety, one hand may mute the strokes of the other using the palm, creating subtle rhythmic variations