Le '''sarod''' (ou '''sarode''') est un instrument de musique à cordes pincées apparu au XIXè siècle au nord de l'Inde et utilisé en musique indienne classique. C'est un luth hybride issu du ''dhrupad rabâb'', un instrument indien ancien et du rabâb afghan. Son aspect est entre le banjo et le violon... Le nom dérive peut-être du persan ''sarûd'' (chanter) car nombre de chanteurs s'accompagnaient ainsi.    

== Lutherie ==
thumb|right|180px|Allauddin khan sarod
Le grand (110cm) et lourd corps du sarod est taillé dans un bois massif de teck coupé et évidé, puis recollé. Le manche est creux. La caisse de résonance hémisphérique est recouverte par une peau de chèvre collée. Un grand chevalet (sur pied) en os avec des trous et des sillets y repose, retenu à la base par deux cordelettes. La touche est recouverte par une plaque de métal lisse et brillante, large vers la table et fine vers le chevillier. Il n'y a aucune frette ni ouïe, mais un résonateur (''tumbâ'') amovible en bronze (ou en bois) est placé à l'arrière du manche.

Il y a deux sortes de sarod ; bien que de noms similaires, désignant des maîtres musiciens, ces instruments diffèrent par la manière dont ils sont encordés (il existe aussi des petites versions pour les enfant).

* Allauddin Khan sarod :

Cette version la plus récente (fin XIXè siècle) a été élaborée par Allauddin Khan. Il a huit chevilles principales, dont quatre pour le jeu mélodique et quatre pour le jeu rythmique (sur un petit chevalet à part). Il a aussi deux cordes de ''chikari'', pour la rythmique rapide. Enfin il a quinze cordes sympathiques pour augmenter la résonance de l'instrument. Soit un total de 25 cordes métalliques (acier et bronze).

* Ghulam Ali Khan sarod :

Cette version, la plus ancienne (XIXè siècle) et la plus proche du rabâb afghan, fut inventée et transmise par Ghulam Ali Khan à son petit fils Haafiz Ali Khan. Il n'a que six chevilles principales, dont quatre de jeu, plus les ''chikari'' et onze cordes sympathiques, soit un total de 19 cordes, et un instrument légèrement moins long et moins lourd, sans résonateur arrière.
 
== Techniques de jeu ==

Le sarod se joue avec un petit plectre taillé dans une noix de coco, le ''javâ'', et tenu entre pouce et index droits. Le musicien est assis en tailleur par terre (parfois il croise la jambe droite sur le genou gauche), l'instrument reposant sur la cuisse droite, le manche horizontal, dirigé vers la gauche.

Les cordes de jeu sont typiquement accordées : SA-PA-SA-MA (DO-SOL-DO-FA), les ''chikaris'' étant à l'octave et les symphatiques accordées selon le râgâ.

On joue tous les râgâs sur le sarod, en déclinant ''âlâp'', ''jhor'' et ''jhâlâ'', puis les ''gats'' accompagnées aux tablâ ou au pakhawaj. C'est un instrument éminemment complexe du fait de son absence de frette (risque de fausse note), d'une part, et d'autre part, du fait que les cordes huilées doivent être pincées par les ongles des doigts de la main gauche, contre la touche en métal, alors qu'elles sont assez hautes (risque de rater la corde ou qu'elle s'échappe ou que le son soit étouffé). Le sarod a été conçu pour un jeu continu en glissando. On ne tire pas les cordes pour les déclinaisons microtonales, mais on y glisse afin de les obtenir.

thumb|A sarod.
The '''sarod''' or '''sarode''' (Bengali: সরোদ) is a stringed musical instrument, used mainly in Indian classical music. Along with the sitar, it is the most popular and prominent instrument in Hindustani (north Indian)classical music. The sarod is known for a deep, weighty, introspective sound (contrast with the sweet, extremely rich texture of the sitar). The tonal quality somewhat resembles the classical guitar, particularly at the lower notes, though in the higher ranges the sound is less rich than the guitar. It is a fretless instrument like almost all other Indian instruments, since Indian music depends extensively (in some cases almost entirely) on continuous slides between notes, known as meend (glissando).

==Origins==
The Sarod is believed to be of Persian descent, as the name ''Sarod'' means "beautiful sound" in Persian. Many scholarly and anecdotal accounts also consider the ancestral source of the sarod to be the bass rebab.<ref name=bassrebab>{{cite web
| url = http://www.chandrakantha.com/articles/indian_music/sarod.html
| title = Sarod
| accessdate = 2006-12-02
| last = Courtney
| first = David
| publisher = David and Chandrakantha Courtney
}}</ref> The rebab was modified by Dr Lalmani Misra opines in his ''Bharatiya Sangeet Vadya'' that the sarod is an amalgamation of the ancient chitra veena, the medieval rebab and modern sursingar.

Rewa (now in Persian decent and the name Sarod is Persian. 
| url = http://www.sarod.com/sarod/default.htm
| title = Tools of the Trade: Sarod
| accessdate = 2006-12-02
| last =  Broughton
| first = Simon
}}</ref>. A parallel, but equally credible theory credits descendants of Madar Khan (1701-1748), and Niyamatullah Khan in particular, with the same innovation circa 1820. It is possible that Ghulam Ali Khan and Niyamatullah Khan came to the similar design propositions either independently or in unacknowledged collaboration. The sarod in its present recognizable form dates back to c.1820, when it started gaining recognition as a serious instrument in Rewa, Shahjahanpur, Gwalior and Lucknow. In the twentieth century, the sarod received some finishing touches from Allauddin Khan, the performer-pedagogue from Maihar best known as Ravi Shankar's guru.
None of the three theories of the origin of the Sarod have credible historic documentation, and are more speculative than concrete theories.

==Design==
The design of the instrument depends on the school (gharana) of playing. There are three distinguishable types, discussed below. 

*The conventional sarod is an 18 to 19-stringed lute-like instrument &mdash; four to five main strings used for playing the melody, one or two drone strings, two ''chikari'' strings and ten to eleven sympathetic strings. The design of this early model is generally credited to Niyamatullah Khan of the Lucknow Gharana as well as Ghulam Ali Khan of the Gwalior-Bangash Gharana. Among the contemporary sarod players, this basic design is kept intact by two streams of sarod playing. Amjad Ali Khan and his disciples play this model, as do the followers of Radhika Mohan Maitra. Both Amjad Ali Khan and Buddhadev Dasgupta have introduced minor changes to their respective instruments which have become the design templates for their followers. Both musicians use sarods made of teak wood, with the playing face covered with sympathetic (''tarab'') and ''jawari''--><!--what does this mean?--><!-- strings.--> 
*Another type is that designed by Allauddin Khan and his brother Ayet Ali Khan. This instrument, referred by David Trasoff (Trasoff, 2000) as the 1934 Maihar Prototype, is larger and longer than the conventional instrument, though the fingerboard is identical to the traditional sarod described above. This instrument has 25 strings in all. These include four main strings, four ''jod'' strings (tuned to ''Ni or Dha'', ''R/r'', ''G/g'' and ''Sa'' respectively), two ''chikari'' strings (tuned to ''Sa'' of the upper octave) and fifteen ''tarab'' strings. The main strings are tuned to ''Ma'' ("fa"), ''Sa'' ("do"), lower ''Pa'' ("so") and lower ''Sa'', giving the instrument a range of three octaves. The Maihar sarod lends itself extremely well to the presentation of alap with the four ''jod'' strings providing a backdrop that helps usher in the ambience of the raga. This variant is, however, not onducive to the performance of clean right-hand picking on individual strings.

Sarod strings are made either of steel or phosphor bronze. Most contemporary sarod players use Roslau, Schaff or Precision brand music wire. The strings are plucked with a triangular plectrum (''java'') made of polished coconut shell, ebony, Delrin (TM) or other materials such as bone.

==Playing==
The lack of frets and the tension of the strings makes it very technically demanding to play, as the strings must be pressed hard against the fingerboard.

There are two schools of sarod playing. One involves using the tip of one's fingernails to stop the strings; certain strength and stiffness of the fingernails is a prerequisite for accuracy of pitch. The other uses a combination of the nail and the fingertip to stop the strings against the fingerboard.<ref name=amjadalisite1/> The technique which uses the fingernails produces a ringing tone, while the fingertip technique produces a flatter tone.