Chitraveena, traditionally called Gotu Vadyam, is a stringed instrument used predominantly in south India. It is also known by the name Mahanataka Veena. It is a regular feature in classical music concerts.
Chitraveena contains 6 strings for producing melody, 3 strings for the drone effect and 11 sympathetic strings. The body is made of a hollow stem of wood with a flat top. There are two resonating chambers attached to the main body. One chamber is made of wood, while the other is made from gourd. This instrument is marked by the absence of frets, which is the usual feature in other similar classical stringed instruments.
Chitraveena is played using both the hands. The right hand plucks the strings, while the left hand varies the tunes by sliding a cylindrical wood piece over the strings. The overall music range produced by this instrument ranges over four octaves.
