Persian Santur Sticks Zahme + Case For Sticks

Description

These Persian santur sticks are one pair of traditional zahme, also called mezrab, supplied in a fitted case. They are meant for santur players who need a second pair, from students to performers, and want it protected between lessons, rehearsals and concerts. Each stick has a curved finger grip at one end and a head with felt on its striking face at the other; the case holds the pair in shaped slots under a stitched cover with a snap closure.

How Persian Santur Sticks Are Held

Persian santur sticks are very light and are held between the thumb, index and middle fingers, not gripped in the fist. The curved grip at the end of each stick gives the fingers a fixed place, so the stick can pivot and rebound from the strings with little effort. This light hold is what allows the quick repeated strokes and tremolos heard in santur playing.

Felt Striking Face and Tone

The head of each stick carries a strip of felt on its striking face. Felt softens the moment the stick meets the strings, so the note starts more gently and sounds rounder than it would from bare wood. Bare wooden heads give a sharper, brighter attack.

Felt wears down with playing. When the tone becomes noticeably harder and brighter than before, the felt is thin, and it is time to renew it or to change to a fresh pair.

Technical Specifications

What Is Included with the Persian Santur Sticks

• One pair of Persian santur sticks (2 sticks)
• Fitted case with shaped slots for the pair

Who These Sticks Are For

This pair suits santur players at any stage who want a second pair close at hand: students who leave one pair at the teacher’s studio, players who carry their sticks separately from the instrument, and performers who keep a backup on stage. If you would rather buy several pairs at once, the three-pair Persian santur sticks set comes with its own case.

Explore more strings, sticks and tools in our santur accessories, and instruments in the santur and hammered dulcimer collection.

Music and Traditions

The Persian santur belongs to Persian classical music, whose repertoire is organised in the modes called dastgah and gathered in the radif. Its strings run in groups of four over two rows of nine bridges, and the player moves across them with fast, light strokes. Sticks held between the fingers make that movement possible.

Care and Storage

Keep the sticks in their case whenever you are not playing: the thin shafts and the finger grips can snap if they travel loose in a bag. Store the case away from radiators and damp rooms, as wood reacts to very dry and very humid air.

Before each session, look over the shaft and the felt. A cracked shaft or a felt strip that has started to lift should be repaired or replaced before you play.