Traditional Indian Harp of Amazing Flexibility. Great for Vocal Accompinement and Fusion Music. Deluxe 36-string unit.

Surmandal, otherwise known as swarmandal, is a small Indian harp that sits wonderfully on your lap. It is generally used for the drone to accompany vocalists but it's enormous flexibility and tuning options allow it to be used as a solo instrument as well. The Swarmandal is tuned to the 3 octaves on a specific raga. The singers plays arpeggios of notes with his right thumb.

Swarmandal was used on The Beatles song "Strawberry Fields" to produce the chimes featured throughout. For this it would have been plucked with a guitar pick or something similar to give a brighter tone and sounds as though delay has been added). Swarmandal also appears on the late George Harrison's epic Indian production, "Within You Without You".

There is no such thing as a standard tuning for surmandal.  Although this lack of standard tuning is discomforting to the average Western musician, it really is rather obvious. Stringing a surmandal for any individual is basically one of trial and error.  Fortunately the latitude is so great that there is very little "error".  It is usually more a question of individual taste. Simply start the low strings with strings that are that are intuitively low (e.g., brass, bronze, wire wrapped, etc).  Start stringing it, and then gradually work your way up to strings which are intuitively high (e.g., light gauge, steel).

Tuning is very simple, but you must first know two things.  You must know what key that you sing in - start the tuning with the lowest string and work your way up.  Simply start with the lowest string and tighten it until the tension feels comfortable. At that point find the nearest note which is in the composition and tune to it. Then tune the next string, and the next, etc. You will quickly reach a point that the strings are getting too tight.  At that point you can double up on the tuning.  That is to say that you tune two or more strings to the same note.  Then again you go up the scale.  Again you reach a point where it is getting too tight.  Again you double up the tuning.  Repeat this entire process until the instrument is in tune.  One can use any note to double up on, however Sa and Pa are very comfortable. Initially it is good to tune to a seven note scale.  Therefore, if you need to switch to a five note scale or a six note scale, then all that you have to do is double up on the appropriate strings.  You do not wish to go back and retune the whole instrument when simply doubling up on the strings will do the job.

As you work with your surmandal you will find yourself tailoring it to your own needs.  You will find that changing the gauge or material of a string here and there, or a slight alteration of the tunings are in order.  However, you will find that very quickly you have your surmandal as you like it.