How Do You Do The Bol Technique For The Sitar?
The sitar is a musical instrument originally made in India which was popularized in the West by stars such as Ravi Shankar and George Harrison. Traditional sitars use a hollow gourd as the body of the instrument attached to a long neck. The Hindi word bol means “word.” In sitar music, the bol technique involves using onomatopoeia to help the player remember what to do with his hands. Step 1 Find a master sitar player with whom to do an apprenticeship. The sitar is a difficult instrument to learn to play, so you’ll need a high level of dedication to learning it, as well as an expert teacher who fully understands the bol technique. Step 2 Practice your sitar to spoken words to mimic the sounds of the instrument. For example, the down stroke on your picking hand sounds like “da.” If you say “da” out loud when practicing down strokes, it will help you to remember what you’re doing with your hands. Step 3 Start with slow, deliberate hand movements when initially learning the sitar. As your
