VINA

also spelled veena, or vina, Hindi bin any of several Indian stringed musical instruments, basically stick zithers, i.e., having a narrow, neckless, nonresonating body with strings running the entire length. Vinas, usually seven-stringed and fretted, appeared in many sizes and shapes after the 7th century. The classical vina of northern Indian, or Hindustani, music, a difficult solo instrument, has a large resonating gourd under each end of the body and high, movable frets. On the vina of southern Indian, or Carnatic, music, the lower gourd is replaced by a pear-shaped body, making the instrument a lute rather than a zither. Like the northern vina it has four melody strings and three drones. Its frets are small metal bars. It occupies in Carnatic music the dominant position held by the sitar, which is a form of vina, in Hindustani music. A special group in southern India holds the secret to making the wire strings for this fine solo instrument. Vina may also refer generically to stringed instruments. Prior to about 1000, it usually referred to an arched harp.