I love the tambura – an ingenious, four-stringed instrument from the Indian classical tradition, it produces a pulsating drone with an incredibly rich harmonic content. Traditionally, the tambura is used in a small ensemble to provide a droning, background “pad” over which other instruments play, but it is also, in my opinion, a healing sounds instrument in its own rite. I suspect it is not used more widely due to the fact that it is large and fragile (and difficult to transport), as well as difficult to tune, but once you get it going, it’s an amazing sound, very entrancing.
In this meditation piece, I’ve combined it with two Himalayan singing bowls and a tongue drum. Please try to listen with good speakers or headphones to fully appreciate the magnificent range of frequencies. Enjoy!