Santour Virtuoso Kiu Haghighi Talks About His Instrument
Paula: What inspired you to start playing the santour and how long have you
been playing the instrument?
Kiu Haghighi: The beauty and the excitement of the sound interested me in learning to
play this challenging instrument. I began my lifetime study of the
santour at the age of ten.
Paula: What sort of formal training do you have on the instrument?
Kiu: I was self-taught as there were very few santour players during my youth. But
I was fortunate to be blessed with perfect pitch and I learned to read
music and studied the classical radifs with the head of a classical orchestra
where I performed as a santour soloist.
Paula: What are some of the biggest challenges the santour poses to the
musician?
Kiu: A. Keeping the 88 strings in tune.
B. Keeping the hands constantly working on the santour to keep the
hands limber.
C. Being aware that the santour is very sensitive to the humidity
and the weather, in general, as well as intense stage lighting.
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