Oct 1, 2009 12:00 PM, Compiled by Sarah Benzuly

Hafez Nazeri on creating ‘The Hafez’

“The traditional setar has remained unchanged for hundreds of years, and I wanted to find a way to make a more modern instrument that's accessible and dynamic enough for the younger generation of performers while still respecting its integrity as a iconic piece of Persian culture. The result of years of trial and error is the first modern Iranian instrument, ‘The Hafez,’ which was built by Iran's best setar makers, the Safari brothers, and named after my namesake, the 13th-century poet. The Hafez has geared tuning pegs to sustain the pitch of the strings with greater reliability and a wider neck to incorporate two new lower strings and allow room for the artist to play chords on the instrument. These modifications give the instrument greater melodic and harmonic range (11 extra pitches possible). I can't wait to see how the U.S. public reacts to hearing it for the first time this fall at my Pantages Theater [October 3, L.A.] and Carnegie Hall [November 14, New York City] shows.”

Check him out online at www.myspace.com/hafeznazeri.

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