The rain has been an endless source of inspiration for Indian classical and western pop musicians alike but the monsoons are a time when they need to take extra special care of their instruments. Moisture can have equally devastating effects on the guitar and the sitar, which makes it essential for instrumentalists to control both humidity and temperature levels, a tough task in a tropical country such as India.
High amounts of moisture in the air will cause wood to expand and swell, which in turn changes the tonality of “instruments where the shape is very important to the quality of the sound”, says composer and arranger Tushar Lall, known for his internet-breaking Indian classical covers of themes of such popular film and TV shows as Game of Thrones and Harry Potter.
For sitar players such as Ravi Chary, it’s not only the body of the instrument that needs to be kept dry, but also the steel strings, to prevent rust. As such, musicians have to be extra vigilant when they’re performing concerts during the rains. “Once in Kolkata, it started raining when I was in the middle of a gig [at a venue] that did not have a covering on top of the stage,” says singer-songwriter and guitarist Tejas Menon, who prefers to be referred to only by his first name. “We stopped [playing] immediately, switched off all the electrical points, went back to our hotel and sat for an hour with hairdryers.” Tejas adds that even electrical equipment, from amplifiers to guitar knobs, gets “crackly” during the season.