Vichitra veena

The vichitra veena () is a plucked string instrument used in Hindustani music. It is similar to the Carnatic gottuvadhyam (chitra vina). It has no frets and is played with a slide.

The Structure

The Vichitra Veena is the modern form of ancient Ektantri Veena. It is made of a broad, fretless, horizontal arm or crossbar (dand) around three feet long and six inches wide, with two large resonating gourds (tumba), which are inlaid with ivory and attached underneath at either end. The narrow ends of the instrument are fashioned into peacock heads, the national bird of India.

The Strings

There are four main playing strings and five secondary strings (chikaris), which are played openly with the little finger for a drone effect. Underneath them are 13 sympathetic strings tuned to the notes of the appropriate raag. The veena has a five-octave range. Two plectrums (mizrab) identical to those used for sitar are worn on the middle and index fingers of the right hand to pluck the strings, and a glass ball (batta) is moved with the left across the main strings to create melody (there can be a distance of up to two inches between notes). Coconut oil is put on the strings to minimize the friction of the sliding hand holding the batta.

The veena was often used to accompany the Dhrupad style of singing and this did not allow for much intricacy or embellishment around the notes. It was rescued from oblivion by Dr. Lalmani Misra who developed technique of playing and created Misrabani compositions; his son Dr. Gopal Shankar Misra made the repertoire universal.

* Jesingbhai Based in Ahmedabad, he is credited to have given the Vichitra Veena its modern shape. It was known as Batta Been at that time.

Pt. Goswami Gokulnath He was amongst the earliest exponents of Batta Been. He belonged to the Mumbai branch of the Pushti Sampraday.

Ustad Jamaluddin Khan Guru of Ustad Abdul Aziz Khan. He belonged to the Jaipur Gharana.

Ustad Abdul Aziz Khan Originally a Sarangi player in Mumbai, he was the first person to play Khayals and Thumris in Vichitra Veena. After his maiden performance, at the annual music conference of the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, Lahore, he never had to look back. He preferred Tabla accompaniment to Pakhawaj. He had been the court musician to the Maharaja of Patiala.

Ustad Habib Ali Khan Brother and student of Ustad Abdul Aziz Khan.

Mohammed Sharif Khan Poonchawalay Student of Ustad Abdul Aziz Khan.

Pt. Lalmani Mishra A perfectionist, he modified the instrument for better quality of renditions of Khayals and Thumris. He even played Dadras on the Veena. He created numerous Ragas, Madhukali being the most famous. He was inspired by Ustad Abdul Aziz Khan.

Pt. Gopal Krishna Sharma Student of Pt. Nand kishore Sharma,recipient of Sangeet Natak Academy Award for the rare Indian music instrument "Vichitra Veena",He has extensively travelled in India and abroad giving numerous concerts, winning accoldes.

Pt.Shrikrishan Sharma Student and Son of Pandit GopalKrishan eminent Vichitra Veena Vadak is one of the Leading Guitar player of India who has given number of concerts in India and abroad. Shrikrishan Sharma is a "A" graded Artist of All India radio in Guitar and Vichitra Veena as well.

Ustad Ahmad Raza Khan Student of Ustad Abdul Aziz Khan. recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademy Award among Vichitra Veena players.

Pt. Gopal Shankar Mishra Son and student of Pt. Lalmani Mishra.

Dr. Mustafa Raza Son and student of Ustad Ahmad Raza Khan.

Pt. Ajit Singh He is based in Dehra Dun. He teaches music in the famous Doon School. He also taught at the St John’s College in Minneapolis, USA. He is a top grade musician at the All India Radio.

Pandit Shiv Dayal Batish

Fateh Ali Khan Qawwal

Gianni Ricchizzi An Italian, he became interested in the instrument at the Benares Hindu University. He was the student of late Ustad Zia Mohiuddin Dagar.

Vijay Venkat - India

Padmaja Vishwaroop Student of Ustad Zia Farid-uddin Dagar.

Dr. Radhika Umdekar Budhkar Granddaudhter of late Pt. Balabhau Umdekar popularly known as “Kundal Guru” and student and daughter of Pt. Shriram Umdekar, she belongs to the Gwalior Gharana.

Other Types

It is one of the three other major types of veena popular today. The others include Saraswati veena and rudra veena. Out of these the rudra and vichitra Veena are used in northern Indian classical music. There are just a handful of people playing the same Vichitra Veena with a minor change in structure in the South with names differing as Chitra Veena, Vichitra Veena, Gotu Vadyam etc. Ravi Kiran, Vijay Venkateshwar, Durga Prasad, Ganesh, are the most popular of them playing Vichitra Veena. But the most popular Veena in the South is Saraswati veena and is used in Carnatic music, the classical music of South India. Dr. Lalmani Misra in his Bharatiya Sangeet Vadya mentions that there are forty nine types of Veena-s mentioned in ancient literature about which little besides the name is known. Vichitra Veena, along with Rudra Veena, Tanjauri or Saraswati Veena and Gottu Vadhyam has been nominated as Indian entry for inscription in UNESCO's Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.