Middle East · Iran

The
Setar

A small long-necked lute plucked with one fingernail, so quiet it seems to be played for no one but the player.

ForReflectionMoodIntimate · whispered · nocturnal

Iran

Setar

Quick answer

The setar is the small Persian long-necked lute, played not with a plectrum but with the nail of the right index finger. It is very quiet — one of the quietest instruments in Persian classical music — and it was historically an instrument for private practice and Sufi reflection rather than the concert stage. Listened to closely, at low volume, it sounds like someone thinking out loud.

Drawn to the Persian setar?From listening to playing ↓

01 · Origins

The lute of inwardness

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.

02 · The voice

A nail, a whisper, a mode

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.

Watch the tradition

Watch the setar up close

The setar's intimacy is easiest to understand when you can see the single nail doing all the work.

Panos Skouteris

Eurus Mneme - Khazan by Hossein Alizadeh

An intimate performance that shows the setar's nail tremolo and its searching, modal phrasing.

Behnam Samani

Persian Classical Music Concert HOSSEIN ALIZADEH & Hamavayan Ensemble 2024 Europe Tour

A second performance, useful for hearing the instrument from another angle.

A listening guide

What to listen for

The single-fingernail tremolo, soft and rapid

Unmetered passages that explore a mode and pause to think

The faint buzz of the strings' sympathetic resonance

How quiet the whole instrument is — confiding, not projecting

Silences that carry as much weight as the notes

From the listener to the player

If the setar pulled you in

A real setar is a specialist instrument. Begin by listening closely, then find the real thing when the sound has truly stayed with you.

To hear it

$95

Philips SHP9500

The setar is one of the quietest instruments in this whole atlas. Headphones are nearly required to hear what it is doing.

Buy on Amazon

A real setar

A good setar comes from specialist Persian instrument makers. Reverb is a sensible place to look beyond generic listings.

Shop on Reverb →

Headphones & speakers — what to listen on →

Affiliate links

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Common questions

Questions people ask about the setar

How many strings does a setar have?

Despite the name, which means three strings, the modern setar has four — a fourth was added centuries ago and the older name stuck.

Why is the setar played with a fingernail?

The nail gives a softer, more intimate attack than a plectrum, matching an instrument built for a small room. It also lets the player produce the rapid rolls the repertoire relies on.

How is the setar different from the tar?

The tar is larger, has a double-bowl skin-faced body and is played with a brass-tipped plectrum, so it is louder and more percussive. The setar is a quieter, more inward instrument in the same classical tradition.

A SlowHum setar piece is in the making.

We're composing a thirty-minute piece for this tradition. Subscribe to be first — and watch the performances above in the meantime.

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