Last week I became the proud new owner of a rudra veena, expertly constructed by Naeem Naushad Sitarmaker. To have such an instrument has been a dream of mine some 13 years in the making, back when I was just beginning my studies on sitar, and heard for the first time the music of the Dagars. However, I never thought I would have the opportunity to have one of these instruments myself, let alone receive guidance from such great musicians as Jeff Lewis and Bahauddin Dagar, the latter of whom put so much time and effort into collaborating with Naeem to ensure that these instruments were built to a high standard. I am excited about starting this new chapter, and wanted to share it with you all. I`ve taken some pictures of the instrument to showcase the craftsmanship (link in comments), and recorded a short alap and jor fragment in Yaman here to demonstrate the sound. I`ve got a long way to go with learning the proper form and technique, but it`s nice to be able to apply my knowledge of the sitar and surbahar in order to start playing some music right away. I hope you all enjoy it.
Just recently I had been to Miraj to be with Naeem Satarmaker and his family. The reason being to check out the new Rudraveenas in Dagarstyle. The new Rudraveenas after introspection and some final adjustments have turned out to be very good and concert ready.