The
Setar

The setar is the most intimate instrument of Persian classical music — not to be confused with the Indian sitar, though the names share a root meaning 'three strings' (the setar in fact has four). It is small, light, and quiet, traditionally associated with Sufi and contemplative settings rather than the concert hall. Where other instruments project, the setar withdraws. It is played with the nail of the index finger alone, and its whole character is one of confiding rather than declaring.

Persian classical music is built on the dastgah, a modal system of melodic frameworks, and the setar explores these in a hushed, searching way — long unmetered passages that turn a phrase over, pause, and answer it. Listen for the tremolo of the single nail, the faint buzz of the sympathetic resonance, and the silences that are as expressive as the notes. It is nocturnal music: best heard late, quietly, when its smallness becomes its strength rather than a limitation.