Jivari

Jivari is an electro-acoustic instrument that uses audio transducers inside its wooden body to vibrate its strings sympathetically with any sound played through it. It gets its name from the buzzing sound of the strings which is inspired by the design of North Indian instruments like Sitar and Tanpura. Instead of the bridge end of the instrument, the buzz is created by the nut (the end of the string near the tuners). The Jivari can be manually manipulated during the performance to influence its buzzing and resonances.

The strings are not set any specific tuning. It is intentional that the tuning can be changed to resonate with different audio content used to excite the Jivari.

Since the strings don’t need to be pressed against the neck to play them it allowed me to carve an intricate design in that area. The concentric circles interacting with one another in the design represent the interaction of sound vibrations in the instrument itself.