Persian Setar

About the Sound and Character

The Persian setar has a dry, transparent, yet deeply melancholic and meditative sound. Its silvery timbre has a remarkable ability to calm the mind, which is why the setar has been used for centuries in Sufi spiritual practices to achieve a state of deep concentration and inner peace.

Structure and Features

The body of the setar is carved from a single piece of mulberry wood in the shape of a pear, and the soundboard is made of the thinnest wood of the same tree with numerous sound holes. Movable gut frets are arranged on the neck, allowing for precise reproduction of the microintervals of the traditional Persian modal system.

Genres

• Traditional classical music of Iran (Persian dastgahs)
• Sufi spiritual and meditative music
• Ethnic ambient and acoustic fusion