Ru-Ba-Ru Volume 1 & 2

Shehnai refers to the North Indian (Hindustani) double‑reed oboe and the repertoire and performance practice built around it. Long associated with auspicious occasions, temple rituals, and royal naubat (court) ensembles, the shehnai sound is bright, penetrating, and capable of highly nuanced ornamentation. In the 20th century the instrument was brought decisively onto the classical concert stage, where it now carries full raga expositions, light‑classical dhun pieces, and ceremonial music. Performances typically feature alap (unmetered exploration), followed by compositions (gats or bandish‑like pieces) in established talas accompanied by tabla or pakhawaj, with a sustained drone (tanpura or shruti box). The style draws on Hindustani classical grammar (meend, gamak, murki, khatka, and microtonal inflections) adapted to the instrument’s reed and conical bore. Beyond the concert hall, the shehnai remains emblematic of celebration in North India and has left an unmistakable imprint on film and devotional music.

Sarod refers to both the North Indian (Hindustani) classical repertoire played on the sarod and the instrumental idiom developed around the instrument itself. The sarod is a fretless, short‑necked, skin‑topped lute with a polished metal fingerboard, multiple sympathetic strings (tarab), and a bright, cutting tone distinct from the sitar. Typically fitted with 17–25 strings (4–6 main melody strings, 2–4 chikari/drone strings, and 9–15 sympathetic strings), it is plucked with a stiff plectrum (java) traditionally made from coconut shell or a modern synthetic. The absence of frets allows wide meend (glissando) and nuanced gamak (oscillation), making the sarod ideal for exploring raga microtonality and long, sculpted phrases. Performance follows Hindustani classical conventions: a contemplative alap, the pulse‑finding jod, the driving jhala, and one or more composed gats with tabla in talas such as teentaal, ektal, jhaptal, or rupak. Distinct gharanas (lineages)—notably the Senia Bangash/Gwalior, Shahjahanpur/Lucknow, and Maihar schools—shape repertoire, right‑hand stroke vocabularies, and ornament priorities.