Santoor

A hundred strings, two light mallets, and the sound of Kashmir.

The santoor is struck rather than plucked or bowed, which makes it the most immediately approachable instrument in this collection: you can produce a beautiful sound on your first attempt. What takes time is control, damping and the speed that the repertoire eventually asks for.

Is it good for beginners? Unusually, yes. There is no intonation to get wrong, because the strings are tuned in advance, and no embouchure or bowing technique standing between you and a note. Tuning the instrument, on the other hand, is a genuine task and takes a while to learn.

Tuning. Many bridges, many strings, and a tuning key. Set aside time. Most owners tune in sections rather than all at once.