The sarangi is the bowed string instrument held vertically and played with a bow in Hindustani classical music.
It is a short-necked instrument traditionally carved from a single block of wood. The player usually supports it upright against the body while drawing a bow across its strings. Unlike a violin, the sarangi’s strings are stopped with the fingernails or sides of the fingers rather than with the fingertips.
A traditional sarangi has three main gut strings, along with numerous thinner sympathetic strings. These additional strings vibrate in response to the played notes, giving the instrument its rich, resonant sound. Its expressive tone can closely imitate the inflections of the human voice, making it especially important for vocal-style accompaniment and solo performance.
The sarangi is sometimes confused with the esraj or dilruba, which are also bowed South Asian instruments. Those instruments generally have longer necks and different body designs. The Nepalese sarangi is a related but distinct folk instrument, while the Hindustani sarangi is the instrument most associated with North Indian classical music.