Persian Setar Musical instrument – Hatef Malekshahi

Persian Setar

The Setar, also spelled and romanized as Setaar or Setâr, is an Iranian musical instrument. It is a member of the lute family, which is played with the index finger of the right hand. Two and a half centuries ago, the fourth string was added to the setar which most of the time has the same tone as the bass string. It has a pear shaped body. Although the word “setar” means three strings in persian, a modern setar has four strings. First setars had three strings but 150 years ago a fourth one was added by a famous setar master Moshtagh Ali Shah. The fourth string gave Persian Setar a better sound and players a possibility of more complex tuning alternatives.