Connor Stewart has been a musician since childhood, specializing in folk 
music, playing and teaching several instruments and styles. For almost 
two decades, he has travelled to India and studied different forms of 
Indian Classical Music. Later on he performed many concerts around the 
country. He has been awarded several times over the years by political 
leaders and chief ministers of the various states within India. He has 
been featured on media, television, on stages and cricket stadiums, as 
part of government shows. After several years of studying the sitar, the 
instrument which it evolved from came to his attention: the rudra veena, 
the most ancient stringed classical instrument in the world.

Connor visited Kasar Devi in Almora more than a decade ago. This town is 
renowned for having very unusual geological phenomena (i.e.: compasses 
don't work, gravity can defy its usual laws). It is also famous for 
promoting extreme creativity energetically, which often seems to come to 
people in their dreams. Steve Jobs of Apple, among others, visited this 
town and claims many of his inventions occurred there. One night, Connor 
fell asleep in this Himalayan town and in his sleep he played an 
instrument which at the time did not exist. This instrument sounded just 
like a rudra veena; very deep and resonant. But it had the body of a 
guitar, and with many more strings. He woke up and knew it had to be 
created. He began drawing the design on the indie cover of a book to 
keep his vision. Since then, he has done everything to forge this 
fantasy from the ether, to build the fruits of his imagination.

ABOUT THE INSTRUMENT

The Rudratar is an instrument developed by Connor. The instrument has 25 
strings. 4 main playing strings, 3 sets of triple run chikari drone 
strings and 13 sympathetic strings (taraf). These taraf are finely tuned 
to the composition being played. When noted on the main strings are 
played, they then resound themselves without being touched. This sound 
is very characteristic of Indian Classical sitar and other such 
instruments. It is tuned and played in the style of rudra veena. It 
possesses similatiries to the vichrita veena, as it is also played with 
a thick chrome steel slide. It is also inspired by surbahar (giant 
sitar) and even bass guitar. Connor has studied with several prominent 
artists of the vichrita veena, surbahar, sitar and rudra veena, so the 
instrument takes influence from all of these.

Western Classical guitar luthier Ryan Gibson took on the project and 
installed a harp attachment onto the body of a Faith Venus guitar, and 
performed the main body of work modifying the instrument. It was then 
taken to India where adiitional bridge work and experimantation was 
carried out by esteemed sitar makers Ajay Rikhiram, Rahul Nath and Vijay 
Yadav's team. At later stages, the instrument was taken to Ian Dickinson 
from the guitar workshop in Glasgow to have the string positions altered 
slightly. The final stage was taking it to Toss Levi in Holland to have 
tonal work, to increase response, and to install a jawari. Mr. Levi is a 
specialist in this mysterious area of acoustics instruments and their 
sympathetic response. He assisted throughout the entire developement of 
the instrument with many ideas and a lot of expert advice, sometimes 
tying in with the Western luthiers when they were required to do work 
more ordinarily carried out by Indian luthiers.

It has taken five years and an unimaginable amount of experimentation 
and perseverance for the instrument. Now it is finally complete.

Connor will perform an Indian Classical rendition on this one-of-a-kind 
instrument, accompanied by Elric Reinartz on Pakhawaj and Jurian 
Reinartz on Tanpura.

Samples and videos

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