Learn Tar & Setar
Tar & Setar lessons
I'm offering Persian Tar and Setar lessons for all skill levels, whether you're just starting out or have some experience. We can do these lessons online or in-person, using platforms like Zoom or Skype.
If you're interested in online Tar lessons, let's chat first to discuss the details. We can talk about the class hours, how I teach, the rates, and if you need help getting the instruments.
Feel free to share your musical background, if you have any. This will help me tailor the lessons to suit you better. Once we've sorted out the details, we can set a regular time for our weekly classes.
Email me mehrdad.raad@outlook.com
Call, text or Whatsapp me on +1-4379843277
Looking forward to making music together!
A bit about my background
I'm Mehrdad Jafari Raad, an Iranian-born Composer, Performer, and Sound Designer currently based in Toronto. My musical exploration involves both traditional Iranian music and contemporary composition. Studying Tar & Setar under revered Masters such as Zeid’allah Tolui, Tinush Bahrami, Behdad Babai, and Reza Sokuti has deeply influenced my approach to music. From performing solo to collaborating in ensembles and teaching in various settings, I've been involved in sharing this musical heritage for more than a decade.
My master's studies at the Art University of Tehran, guided by Mohammad Reza Tafazzoli, expanded my musical understanding through exploration of Western music. Currently, I'm pursuing a DMA in Composition at the University of Toronto with Christos Hatzis, where I continue to explore various musical styles and techniques. Alongside my studies, I share insights into Iranian music through performance-lectures, covering its practice, theory, and history.
My compositions range from instrumental pieces for diverse ensembles to crafting electronic sounds for various media, including short films, feature movies, AudioVisual art, and interactive video games. I am committed to sharing the depth and richness of Iranian music while exploring new avenues of musical expression.
Listen & Watch
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Reng-e-Homayoun | Gholam Hossein Bigjekhani
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Journey to the other side | Dastan Ensemble
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At the Gates of Sleep (Excerpt) | Stephen Morris
Tār (تار )
The Persian Tar features a double-bowl shaped body crafted from mulberry wood, topped with a thin membrane which gives it a clear and resonant timbre. Its narrow long neck culminates in an elaborate peg box. The fingerboard has twenty-five to twenty-eight adjustable frets and there are three pairs of strings which are tuned in unison, with the final string tuned one octave lower. The conventional tuning system typically employs C4, G3, and C3, offering a range spanning approximately two and a half octaves. To elicit its melodic tones, the Tar is plucked with a small plectrum made from brass or horn.
Originating in Shiraz, the Tar swiftly found resonance in Afghanistan and Caucasia, where it underwent modifications to suit regional preferences. In Persian music, tar holds a significant and revered role, both historically and in contemporary contexts. The Radif or Dastgah music stands as the very essence of Iranian music, with the Tar assuming its pivotal role in articulating the intricate melodies that embody this profound musical tradition. Its importance extends beyond mere accompaniment, as it embodies the essence of Persian musical traditions. Tar is not merely an instrument; it’s a cultural symbol.
Setār (تار سه)
One of the most esteemed Persian musical instruments is the Setar, belonging to the lute family. This stringed instrument features a small curved body with an elongated fingerboard and is equipped with four metal strings: two single cords and one double cord tuned to C4, G3, and C3 while the last one, akin to the Tar, is typically tuned an octave lower.
Similar to Tar there are several tuning sets for the Setar, depending on which Dastgah (mode) is going to be played. Setar is played by the index finger nail which is sounding mainly two cords, the other one is usually a pedal note and for this reason it should be tuned differently in different modes. Setar has twenty five to twenty eight adjustable gut frets and has the same range of two and half octaves as Tar.
Although related to the Tanbur, in recent centuries, the Setar has evolved so that, musically, it more closely resembles the Tar, both in tuning and playing style. It has been speculated that the Setar originated in Persia by the 19th century C.E. A more conservative estimate says "it originated in the 15th century, or even earlier."
Setar holds immense cultural importance in Persian music today, deeply rooted in its historical significance spanning centuries. Despite periods of waning popularity, Setar's influence has been revitalized, especially through the works of many modern Iranian masters, such as Mirza Abdollah, Abolhasan Saba, Ahmad Ebadi, Hossein Alizadeh, and Mohammad-Reza Lotfi
Dastgah music - Radif (دستگاه - ردیف)
Radif is a collection of many old melodic figures preserved through many generations by oral tradition. It organizes the melodies (Gushe) in 12 different modal spaces called Dastgahs, which a musician can perform entirely, improvise around them or compose some music based on the character of the Dastgah. Each Dastgah contains some melodies known as Gusheh from which it is possible to do a modulation to the other ones. Any performer represents skeletal melodies with great variation, depending on the freedom and his personal interpretation. Within the modal restraints the music is fluid, subjective and highly improvisatory. Therefore the wealth of this music is not in complex harmonies, nor in polyphony which it does not employ, but in the many modal possibilities and the cultivation of embellished melodies in a very illusive and personal way. Each Datstgah has its own proper name and it opens with an introductory piece; a so-called: Daramad(entry). Starting by daramad these gushehs explore progressively higher tonal centers, usually modifying the "home" mode by altering either the pitches or the relationships between them. The highest point of the dastgah, the owj (lit. "climax"), and following that the music descends to the final forud (lit. "descent") section in the opening mode. Twelve Persian music Dastgahs are: Shur, Segah, Chahargah, Homayoun, Nava and Rast-Pandjgah. Four of the five remaining are classified as Subsystem of Shur: Dashti, Bayat-Tork, Afshari, and Abuata, and of Homayoun: Bayate-Esfahan The pieces which have been collected to represent the skeletal melodies of Persian music Dastgahs are called Radif. The pieces, other than Daramad, in each Dastgah are Gusheh in which, as already mentioned, it is possible to modulate to other Dasdtgahs. Other Persian musical pieces’ terms which are frequently used are: Pish-Daramad(overture), Chahrmezrab(four strokes, rhythmic instrumental piece), Zarbi(Rhythmic), Reng(Dance), Tasnif (Ballad).
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