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- What the santur is — Persia's hammered dulcimer, with 72 strings and two wooden mallets
- How the santur is built and why its sound is so distinctive
- How the santur is played — the mezrāb mallets and right/left-hand technique
- Santur vs tar vs setar — how all three fit together in Persian classical music
- Persian music vocabulary specific to the santur
- Whether you can learn santur online, and who it suits best
What Is the Santur? Iran's Hammered Dulcimer Explained
The santur — سنتور — is one of the most visually striking instruments in Persian classical music: a trapezoid-shaped box strung with 72 strings, played by striking them with two lightweight wooden mallets. The result is a shimmering, cascading sound unlike anything else in the Persian ensemble — closer to a cross between a harp and a hammered piano than to the plucked tar or setar.
This guide covers what the santur is, how it's built and played, how it compares to the tar and setar, and how to start learning it — with Persian terminology throughout.
If you haven't yet, our companion guides cover the santur's plucked relatives: What Is the Persian Tar? and What Is the Setar?
Quick answer: The santur is a trapezoid-shaped Persian hammered dulcimer with 72 strings arranged in 18 groups of four, played by striking the strings with two small wooden mallets called mezrāb. Unlike the tar and setar, it has no neck or frets — every note is produced by where and how you strike the strings.
The Santur — Origins and History
The santur is one of the oldest instruments in the Persian musical tradition, with roots that some historians trace back over 2,000 years to ancient Mesopotamia and Persia. The word "santur" itself is related to the Greek psalterion and the Latin psalterium — and the instrument family it belongs to, hammered dulcimers, spread from the Middle East across Europe and Asia, eventually giving rise to instruments like the Hungarian cimbalom and, indirectly, the piano.
In Iran, the santur developed into its current form as a core instrument of the radif — the canon of classical Persian melodies — valued for its wide range and its ability to play rapid, ornamented passages with a bright, ringing tone that cuts through an ensemble.
What Does the Santur Look Like?
The santur's trapezoid shape immediately sets it apart from every other instrument in the Persian ensemble. It sits flat — traditionally on the player's lap or a small stand — with the strings running horizontally across bridges in two rows.
A shallow trapezoid wooden box, traditionally made from walnut, with the soundboard forming the top surface that the strings pass over.
Arranged in 18 courses of 4 strings each, tuned in unison. This gives each note a rich, slightly shimmering quality from the closely-tuned strings vibrating together.
Small wooden bridges divide the strings into two sets — allowing the santur to be tuned to different dastgah (modes) by repositioning the bridges before playing.
Two lightweight wooden hammers, held between the index and middle fingers of each hand. Unlike the tar's brass mezrāb, these are small wooden sticks — the santur's defining tool.
What Does the Santur Sound Like?
Where the tar is warm and percussive and the setar is soft and breathy, the santur is bright, ringing, and cascading. Because each note is actually four strings struck together, individual notes have a natural shimmer — and because the mallets can move quickly across the strings, the santur is capable of fast, rippling passages that feel almost like flowing water.
The santur is equally at home playing delicate, sustained melodic lines and rapid virtuosic runs — a versatility that makes it one of the most expressive instruments in the Persian ensemble, and a favourite for both solo performance and ensemble work.
Mezrāb — here, the pair of light wooden mallets used to strike the strings. The same word describes the tar's brass plectrum and the setar's fingernail technique — in each case, "mezrāb" means whatever tool or technique produces the sound.
Kharak — the movable bridges. Repositioning these before a piece is part of preparing the santur for a specific dastgah (mode), similar to how a harpist might adjust pedals.
Dastgāh — the modal system shared across all Persian classical instruments. The santur's bridges and the tar and setar's movable frets both exist to serve the same underlying system of modes.
Santur vs Tar vs Setar — How They Fit Together
All three instruments share the same Persian modal system (dastgah) and the same role in the radif tradition — but they occupy very different positions in an ensemble, and feel very different to play.
| Feature | Santur — سنتور | Tar — تار | Setar — سهتار |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strings | 72 (18 courses of 4) | 6 (3 double courses) | 4 |
| Played with | Two wooden mallets | Brass plectrum (mezrāb) | Index fingernail |
| Neck / frets | None — flat, no neck | Long neck, movable frets | Long neck, movable frets |
| Tone character | Bright, ringing, cascading | Warm, percussive, rich | Soft, breathy, introspective |
| Typical role | Solo and ensemble — wide range | Ensembles, vocal accompaniment | Solo, meditative, Sufi context |
| Good first instrument? | Visually intuitive — notes laid out left to right | From around age 8 | Often a gentle starting point |
Many Persian classical ensembles feature all three together — the santur's bright cascades, the tar's warm lead lines, and the setar's intimate undercurrent each occupy a distinct space in the overall sound.
Can You Learn the Santur Online?
Yes — and the santur's layout makes it particularly well suited to video lessons. Because the strings are arranged visually left-to-right with no neck or frets to obscure, a teacher can clearly see and correct mallet position, hand independence, and striking technique over a video call from the very first lesson.
- Private one-to-one format — mallet grip and the coordination between both hands benefit enormously from real-time correction
- Native Persian-speaking teachers — santur repertoire and dastgah terminology are best learned from someone trained in the tradition
- Clear visual layout — unlike fretted instruments, students can often see exactly what the teacher is doing and where
- Flexible scheduling — ideal for diaspora families seeking consistent weekly lessons across time zones
Danaa School offers private online santur lessons with professional Persian musicians, alongside tar, setar, and other instruments — taught in Persian, English, or German.
Is the Santur Right for You?
With no frets or fingerboard to memorise, many students find the santur's layout — strings simply arranged left to right — easier to understand at a glance than a fretted neck instrument.
The two-handed mallet technique and the visual layout will feel familiar to anyone with a background in piano, marimba, or hammered dulcimer traditions from other cultures.
The santur's relatively light mallets and intuitive layout make it accessible for younger students, while its expressive range rewards advanced players for a lifetime.
For diaspora families, the santur's place at the centre of the Persian classical ensemble makes it one of the most rewarding ways to connect with Iranian musical heritage.
Online Santur Lessons With Professional Persian Musicians
Private one-to-one sessions for beginners, children, and advanced students. Taught in Persian, English, or German — from wherever you are in the world.
Book Your Free Trial Lesson →Frequently Asked Questions
The santur is a Persian hammered dulcimer — a trapezoid-shaped box with 72 strings, played by striking the strings with two small wooden mallets. It's one of the core instruments of Persian classical music and one of the oldest instrument types in the world, with relatives found across the Middle East, Europe, and Asia.
A traditional Persian santur has 72 strings, arranged in 18 courses of 4 strings each, tuned in unison. Movable bridges divide the strings to allow tuning for different Persian musical modes (dastgah).
The Persian santur belongs to the same broad family of instruments as the hammered dulcimer — both are struck string instruments played with mallets. The Persian santur has its own specific construction, string arrangement, repertoire, and role within the Persian classical tradition.
The tar and setar are plucked, fretted, long-necked instruments — the tar with a brass plectrum, the setar with a fingernail. The santur has no neck or frets at all; it's played flat, with two mallets striking the strings, producing a bright, ringing, cascading sound very different from either.
Yes. The santur's visual, left-to-right string layout is often easier for beginners to grasp than a fretted neck, and its mallets are lightweight enough for children to use. It's a welcoming starting point for students of many ages and backgrounds.
Yes — the santur's clear visual layout makes it well suited to video lessons, where a teacher can easily see and correct mallet position and hand technique. Private one-to-one online lessons with a native Persian teacher are an effective way to learn santur from anywhere in the world.
