Vichitra Veena is a stringed instrument used in Indian classical music. It is a relatively modern instrument which evolved during the 19th century.
The Vichitra Veena consists of the main body, a flat bridge, 2 pumpkin resonators and a teak wood tube on whose ends strings are attached. Apart from the 4 main playing strings there are 2 sets of rhythm strings, the first one being tuned to the upper octave while the second being tuned to the middle octave. There are 3 drone strings and 11 to 13 resonating strings. The strings are plucked by an egg-shaped glass plectrum. This instrument is marked by the absence of frets, which enables a player to play glissandos, on an octave and half scale, almost to the perfection of a human voice.
