The sarod is a stringed musical instrument, used mainly in Indian classical music. Along with the sitar, it is the most popular and prominent instrument in Hindustani (northern india) classical music. The sarod is know for a deep, weighty, introspective sound ( contrast with the sweet, overtone-rich texture of the sitar) with sympathetic strings that give it a resonant, reverberant quality. It is a fretless instrument able to produce the continuous slide between notes known as meend, wich are very important to Indian music.

The sarod is believed by some to have descended from the Afghan rubab, a similar instrument originating in Central Asia and Afghanistan. The same sarod roughly translates to “beautiful sound” or “melody” in Persian. Although the sarod has been referred to as a “bass rebab” its pitch range is only slightly lower than that of the rubab.