Bulbul Tarang / Shahi Baaja

The name means waves of nightingales, and the idea is beautifully simple: typewriter keys press down on a bank of strings while you strum.

Anyone who can hum a melody can play one within minutes, which is why it became a fixture of qawwali, folk and devotional gatherings, and why it is the most instantly gratifying instrument we sell.

Is it really that easy? Press keys, strum, melody. If you can hum it, you can find it. We recommend it more than anything else for someone who wants to accompany group singing without years of study.

Bulbul tarang or shahi baaja? The shahi baaja is larger, adds sympathetic and drone strings, and typically carries a pickup for the stage. Think of it as the concert version of the same idea.

Tuning. The main strings tune together to your singing key, with a tuning key on the pins. Each listing gives the string details for that model.