The Tool Desk
Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Murad Ali Khan honours his family’s centuries-old sarangi tradition not only by inheriting it, but by practising, teaching, collaborating and performing it. A sixth-generation hereditary sarangi player from Moradabad, he teaches younger relatives and outside disciples, leads the family ensemble Saurang Parampara, and says the demanding craft can be learned through sustained effort.
Who is Murad Ali Khan?
Scroll’s June 14, 2025 profile identifies Khan as a sixth-generation hereditary sarangi player from Moradabad. His father was sarangi player Ghulam Sabir Khan; his grandfather was Siddique Ahmad Khan. The family’s musical history is rooted in hereditary practice, but Khan’s account of preserving it centres on what musicians do now: learn, teach and play.
As support and opportunities shifted, hereditary musicians moved from Moradabad toward Delhi. Scroll reports that Ghulam Sabir Khan moved in the mid-1960s; the family’s teaching practice is now based in Delhi. Khan also worked accompanying kathak dancers at Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra, experience that, according to the profile, broadened his ability to handle different genres. He has worked with vocalists including Rashid Khan and Shubha Mudgal.
How does the family pass the tradition on?
An heirloom as a first instrument
The family’s preserved sarangis make lineage tangible. Scroll describes instruments made in Meerut and Badayun, including a small “toddler sarangi” used to introduce children in the family to playing. Its account says three sarangis in the family home were more than a hundred years old. The New Indian Express, in a profile updated March 2, 2025, describes three heirloom sarangis from the collection as 150 years old. Those are the publications’ separate descriptions; they should not be treated as a single verified age for every instrument.
#1 Best Overall
- Hidden in the Himalayas for centuries, and largely unknown to the outside world, exists an instrument that has amazing similarities to the modern violin: The Nepali Sarangi.
- The soaring mountains of the Himalayas are covered in trees that seem to touch the clouds, and mountain goats are abundantly peppered throughout the terrain. Nepal is famous for its high quality, beautiful woodworking crafts, and the folk instruments native to Nepal are no exception.
- The Nepali Sarangi is made entirely of wood, goatskin and glue. The instrument is carved out of a single log of wood, hollowed out inside, and the peg box is often carved into a beautiful bird, to represent the free spirit of the birds which fly from tree to tree throughout the mountains.
- The bottom of the sarangi is covered in goatskin, creating resonance and amplification, while the top is left open to release the sound.
- Three strings out of four are played using the fingernails touching the side of the string. 1 string remains untouched as a drone string. Stopping the string with the fingernails allows the fingers to be free from rigid pressure or force, allowing the wide vocabulary of ornamentation slides & glissandos to occur easily & freely. The instrument is held on the knee, keeping the throat free for singing
A class that reaches beyond relatives
Khan teaches younger family members, including his son and nephews, as well as disciples from outside the family and Moradabad. Scroll’s account of one day’s practice mentions Brindabani Sarang and the khayal “Lal mere, chalo mahal mein,” alongside forms such as tarana, thumri, dadra, sadra, tappa and ghazal. These examples show the breadth of the reported teaching; they are not an exhaustive definition of the Moradabad gharana.
Khan describes musical knowledge as something earned through repetition. “Kartab ki vidya is how our ancestors described this art – knowledge that comes from sheer practice,” he told Scroll. His emphasis on discipline does not mean learning only from one lineage. Recalling his father’s advice, he said: “Go imbibe from others and credit them when you play.”
Rank #2
- Sarangi is a gut stringed instrument that is carved in a single piece of wood. The Sarangi’s neck is fretless and the bridge is seated on a skin stretched over the body of the instrument. In Nepali Sarangis are carried out by the "Gaine" Professional Folk Violin Players, whose profession is Nepali Folk singing.
- The Sarangi is a very common Nepali Folk music instrument (Likely types of Violin) and comes in many varieties. Most of the Sarangis have 3 playing strings, played with the cuticle of the index and the major fingers of the left hand, 1 bronze rhythm string that is tuned on the high tonic (SA), 11 sympathetic strings placed on two flat bridges near the pegs tuned on the notes of the raga, and at least 24 sympathetic strings tuned on all the shrutis of two octaves.
- The Sarangi playing strings are played with a bow (different from the violin bow, the tension is convex and adaptative) held in the right hand. Sarangi is played solo and/or often accompanies Gaine singers
- This sarangi has special carve of lord Ganesh. He is the god of wisdom and learning, as well as the remover of obstacles, and consequently the sign of auspiciousness.
- All our instruments are made around the country by skilled artists who are in the business since generations, which are then inspected by experienced musician for export.
Why lead a family sarangi ensemble?
Teaching is one way Khan sustains the tradition; performing together is another. Ghulam Sabir Khan began assembling Saurang Parampara after Siddique Khan died in 2003, Scroll reports. It took roughly a decade to bring together a 12-member family group, according to the profile. Playing as an ensemble presents a practical challenge as well as an artistic opportunity: the many sarangis have to remain in tune together.
The group gives the instrument a collective setting, while Khan’s individual practice and accompaniment work keep other musical relationships in view. Scroll describes his commitment to inherited practice alongside collaboration and openness to influence, rather than a choice between tradition and change.
Rank #3
- The Sarangi is a very common Nepali Folk music instrument (Likely types of Violin) and comes in many varieties. Sarangi is a gut stringed instrument that is carved in a single piece of wood. The Sarangi’s neck is fretless and the bridge is seated on a skin stretched over the body of the instrument. In Nepali Sarangis are carried out by the Gaine, whose profession is Nepali Folk singing.
- Most of the Sarangis have 3 playing strings, played with the cuticle of the index and the major fingers of the left hand, 1 bronze rhythm string that is tuned on the high tonic (SA), 11 sympathetic strings placed on two flat bridges near the pegs tuned on the notes of the raga, and at least 24 sympathetic strings tuned on all the shrutis of two octaves.
- The Sarangi playing strings are played with a bow (different from the violin bow, the tension is convex and adaptative) held in the right hand. Sarangi is played solo and/or often accompanies Gaine singers
- This sarangi has special carve of lord Ganesh. He is the god of wisdom and learning, as well as the remover of obstacles, and consequently the sign of auspiciousness.
- All our instruments are made around the country by skilled artists who are in the business since generations, which are then inspected by experienced musician for export.
Why is the sarangi considered difficult to learn?
Khan acknowledges the difficulty without treating it as a reason to turn away learners. “Mushkil hai, namumkin nahin (it is tough, not impossible),” he told Scroll. His point is that the skill depends on sustained practice, not that there is a shortcut or a universal ranking of the sarangi against other instruments.
The instrument’s closeness to vocal expression helps explain both its appeal and its demands. Rudra veena musician Asad Ali Khan described the connection this way: “What the vocalist says with the throat, the sarangiya has already imagined in his mind and worked into his fingers so they emerge as one voice,” he told Scroll. The sarangi player must shape musical phrases so they can carry the expressive character of a voice.
Rank #4
- Sarangi is a gut stringed instrument that is carved in a single piece of wood. The Sarangi’s neck is fretless and the bridge is seated on a skin stretched over the body of the instrument. In Nepali Sarangis are carried out by the "Gaine" Professional Folk Violin Players, whose profession is Nepali Folk singing.
- The Sarangi is a very common Nepali Folk music instrument (Likely types of Violin) and comes in many varieties. Most of the Sarangis have 3 playing strings, played with the cuticle of the index and the major fingers of the left hand, 1 bronze rhythm string that is tuned on the high tonic (SA), 11 sympathetic strings placed on two flat bridges near the pegs tuned on the notes of the raga, and at least 24 sympathetic strings tuned on all the shrutis of two octaves.
- The Sarangi playing strings are played with a bow (different from the violin bow, the tension is convex and adaptative) held in the right hand. Sarangi is played solo and/or often accompanies Gaine singers
- This sarangi has special carve of lord Ganesh. He is the god of wisdom and learning, as well as the remover of obstacles, and consequently the sign of auspiciousness.
- All our instruments are made around the country by skilled artists who are in the business since generations, which are then inspected by experienced musician for export.
What challenges the sarangi’s visibility?
Scroll’s profile places the instrument’s present-day visibility in the context of its social history. It discusses the sarangi’s association with the tawaif tradition and the stigma attached to that history, as well as the decline of its role in vocal accompaniment as performers increasingly chose the harmonium. These are historical and qualitative observations in the profile, not a measure of how often the instrument is played today.
Khan argues that more visibility and teaching access are needed, including in universities and music institutions. That is his assessment, not a quantified account of institutional policy nationwide. The profile also recalls the 1989 Sarangi Mela in Bhopal as an event that energized musicians and renewed discussion of the instrument. The tension is clear: the sarangi has expressive possibilities that musicians continue to explore, while Khan sees its institutional presence as limited.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsBest Value
- Sarangi is a gut stringed instrument that is carved in a single piece of wood. The Sarangi’s neck is fretless and the bridge is seated on a skin stretched over the body of the instrument. In Nepali Sarangis are carried out by the "Gaine" Professional Folk Violin Players, whose profession is Nepali Folk singing.
- The Sarangi is a very common Nepali Folk music instrument (Likely types of Violin) and comes in many varieties. Most of the Sarangis have 3 playing strings, played with the cuticle of the index and the major fingers of the left hand, 1 bronze rhythm string that is tuned on the high tonic (SA), 11 sympathetic strings placed on two flat bridges near the pegs tuned on the notes of the raga, and at least 24 sympathetic strings tuned on all the shrutis of two octaves.
- The Sarangi playing strings are played with a bow (different from the violin bow, the tension is convex and adaptative) held in the right hand. Sarangi is played solo and/or often accompanies Gaine singers
- This sarangi has special carve of lord Ganesh. He is the god of wisdom and learning, as well as the remover of obstacles, and consequently the sign of auspiciousness.
- All our instruments are made around the country by skilled artists who are in the business since generations, which are then inspected by experienced musician for export.
What preserving the legacy looks like in practice
For Khan, honouring his family’s history is active work rather than simply claiming ancestry. The old instruments connect generations; teaching brings relatives and outside disciples into the practice; Saurang Parampara creates a shared performance platform; and learning from other musicians keeps inherited knowledge in conversation with the wider musical world. His approach does not promise that the sarangi’s challenges will disappear. It shows how one family continues to make the tradition audible and teachable.
Further reading: Scroll’s profile is the principal account of Khan’s teaching, ensemble and views: “How a sixth-generation sarangi maestro honours his family’s centuries-old legacy”. For a separate profile of the family instruments, see Noor Anand Chawla’s “A Century and a half of melody” in The New Indian Express. Khan’s official biography describes his family background and training under his father and grandfather.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
