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Sitar

Musical Instrument
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

An Indian stringed instrument with a long neck, sympathetic strings, and resonant drone

Detailed Definition
The sitar features in poetry as a symbol of Indian spirituality, psychedelic exploration, and cross-cultural fusion; its shimmering overtones evoke raga, meditation, and the 1960s counterculture, often representing the search for transcendence and the blending of Eastern and Western lyrical traditions.
Example
Example in poetry:
Ravi Shankar inspired poets: “Sitar strings— / spiderwebs catching / monsoon lightning”; Its sympathetic strings hum with universe; “Sitar bends—time melts in raga’s curve”; In fusion verse, sitar bridges East and West: “Beatles’ studio, but sitar sings Ganges.”
Additional Notes
The sitar, with its long neck, movable frets, and sympathetic strings, is central to Hindustani classical music; its resonant drones and melodic flourishes (meend, gamak) evoke rasa (aesthetic emotion)—poets can reference it to explore the philosophy of raga, the sitar as vehicle for spiritual journey, or its global iconicity post-1960s counterculture.
Also Known As
Indian lute sympathetic strings raga drone
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