Setar and Tar

The Setar as a member of the Tanbur or long neck lute family.  The Tanbur is stringed instrument an ancient instrument, and research shows that its origin was in Iran and spread from there.  The setar is played with fingernail of the index finger with the other fingers resting on the instrument.  Setar means three strings and originally the setar had three strings.  About two hundred and fifty years ago, a Sufi mystic, Moshtagh Ali Shah added the fourth string.  Today the setar has four strings. 

The tar is another important long neck lute from Iran. A similar shaped and named instrument is used in Azerbaijan.)