Ustad Hafizullah Khan

Hafizullah Khan, who passed away in 2002, was a virtuoso of the sarangi. The sarangi is India's premier fiddle instrument; to most western ears it probably most resembles the violin. It is comprised of a solid wood body, three main playing strings, and 35-40 sympathetic strings. There are no frets of fingerboards, the strings hover over the body of the instrument and the performer changes the pitch by sliding his or her fingernails along the strings. It has an absolutely uncanny ability to imitate the sound of the human voice -- indeed most sarangi masters are also vocalists, as was Hafizullah Khan.