The all-important, ephemeral, mantra-like sound we are so accustomed to hear filling and ‘charging’ the air when we listen to the classical music of India is produced by a deceptively simple stringed instrument: the Tambura (also spelled Tanpura).
Historically there are two classifications of tambura: ‘vocal’ (usually large and cumbersome, built with the traditional gourd resonator), and ‘instrumental’ (usually smaller, made with a wood body, tuned higher and less resonant than the vocal instrument).
Our shop builds what we call the Personal Tambura®, a bass instrument with the superior acoustic resonance of a ‘vocal’ tambura and the portability of an ‘instrumental’ tambura. It is a bespoke instrument, i.e., built to order.
The Personal Tambura® has the look of a traditional instrument, but is actually unique. It was designed and drawn from scratch and is not a copy of an existing instrument. Through years of research, and with uncompromising attention to detail, craftsmanship and the selection of fine tonewoods we have developed an instrument which is structurally very different from conventional tamburas and acoustically superior, yet still maintains a traditional aesthetic.
All the materials used are carefully chosen. We use the finest quarter-sawn coastal Red Cedar from managed / renewable forests. Though tested on animals (played for our cats...) we use no animal parts in its construction.
The builder of these instruments, Scott Hackleman, learned classical musical instrument building through an apprenticeship in India, and has repaired, restored and built these instruments for more than 40 years.
We call our instrument the Personal Tambura® because it is ideal for not only music accompaniment but also, because of its portability and resonance, for personal meditation use. (You need not be a trained musician to play one or benefit from its soothing tones!). It is designed as a bass instrument to take advantage of the rich harmonics of the lower frequencies.
HERE ARE PRICES AND HOW TO ORDER
Historically there are two classifications of tambura: ‘vocal’ (usually large and cumbersome, built with the traditional gourd resonator), and ‘instrumental’ (usually smaller, made with a wood body, tuned higher and less resonant than the vocal instrument).
Our shop builds what we call the Personal Tambura®, a bass instrument with the superior acoustic resonance of a ‘vocal’ tambura and the portability of an ‘instrumental’ tambura. It is a bespoke instrument, i.e., built to order.
The Personal Tambura® has the look of a traditional instrument, but is actually unique. It was designed and drawn from scratch and is not a copy of an existing instrument. Through years of research, and with uncompromising attention to detail, craftsmanship and the selection of fine tonewoods we have developed an instrument which is structurally very different from conventional tamburas and acoustically superior, yet still maintains a traditional aesthetic.
All the materials used are carefully chosen. We use the finest quarter-sawn coastal Red Cedar from managed / renewable forests. Though tested on animals (played for our cats...) we use no animal parts in its construction.
The builder of these instruments, Scott Hackleman, learned classical musical instrument building through an apprenticeship in India, and has repaired, restored and built these instruments for more than 40 years.
We call our instrument the Personal Tambura® because it is ideal for not only music accompaniment but also, because of its portability and resonance, for personal meditation use. (You need not be a trained musician to play one or benefit from its soothing tones!). It is designed as a bass instrument to take advantage of the rich harmonics of the lower frequencies.
HERE ARE PRICES AND HOW TO ORDER
