Krsna Kirtana Songs est. 2001 www.kksongs.org
The surbahar (“The springtime of the notes”) is basically a bass sitar. It was invented in 1825. For the most part, it is one octave lower than a sitar. Since its sound resembles the older ancient vina type instruments, it is a preferred instrument, since it is readily available. Due to the bass nature of this instrument, the range of ornamentation is so great that one can theoretically play a whole octave on a single fret! In addition, the sustain is so great, that it’s only used for slow meditative pieces. For faster paced pieces, one would move to the sitar, where there is great range in flexibility.
Its application is mainly in dhrupada music. It is often accompanied by the pakhawaj.
UPDATED: March 12, 2012