THE SITAR (The Instrument and its Technique)

This book presents in a simple but insightful way the fundamentals of sitar and Indian classical music. It contains practical exercises for the sitar student. A very useful book for the serious student of sitar.

Acharya Manfred M. Junius was born in Germany in 1929. He studied Indian Classical Music an Musicology for 18 years in various centers of India, and sat at the feet of great masters such as Prof. Shushill Branja, Prof. Banwarilal, Pandit Ravi Shankar, Ustad Asad Ali Khan and Pandit Gopal Das.

He has given many recitals of Indian Classical Music all over India and abroad. He also broadcasts from different Indian radio stations and has appeared a number of times on TV; he composed music for films and made records.

Although born a foreigner, he was called to join the jury of the All Indian Drama Music and Dance Festival held in Gwalior (1961) as judge for instruments music competitions, and in 1964 he was an Indian Delegate to the East West Music Congress in New Delhi.

The Istituto Internazionale di Musica Comparata of Venice and Berlin commissioned him to provide the materials for the Unesco collection of Indian Music. The Sangit Samiti of Allahabad, India's largest and most important Music Academy, invested him with a Professorship with the purpose t teach abroad.

About the Author

Acharya Manfred M. Junius is also a qualified Ayurvedic Medicine practitioner and teacher, as well as a painter and graphic artist of distinction. He is living at present in Australia, where he directs the production of a Government controlled pharmacological industry known as Australerba.

Preface
Introduction
I. Indian String Instruments
II. The Vina, Ancestor of the Sitar
III. The Sitar
IV. The Technique of Playing
V. Graded Exercises
VI. Meend, the Lateral Deflection of the String
VII. Ornamentation
VIII. Jhala
IX. Sargams
X. A Sitar Performance
XI. Maintenance of the Instrument
Djovari: Giving Life to the Sitar, by Thomas Marcotty
Glossary of Terms