Sympathetic and Drone strings?

[funkalicious101]

Ive been checking out eastern instruments lately and something i cant wrap my head around is the difference between drone strings and sympathetic strings.
(although im sure i could easily if i had a better idea of what they each did)

All descriptions I can find are rather complicated so I was just wondering if anyone around here could post a kind of dumbed down description of what they each do.

thanks

[lemur821]

Sympathetic strings could be considered drone strings (since they do drone), but the basic distinction is that drone strings are meant to be strummed (or "bowed" in the case of an instrument like the hurdy gurdy), and sympathetic strings are meant to simply resonate with the rest of the instrument to fill out the sound. While players might strum the sympathetic strings on occasion (I believe sitarists will begin or end some songs with a strum of the sympathetic strings), their primary function is to sit and sound pretty without having actual notes played upon them.

[spudmaster34]

My understanding lines up with Lemur's

[funkalicious101]

so a drone string is would be like plucking an open string along with a fretted note?

and i had an idea of what sympathetic strings were before.

[spudmaster34]

Originally Posted by funkalicious101

so a drone string is would be like plucking an open string along with a fretted note?

and i had an idea of what sympathetic strings were before.

Kind of. Have you ever seen a harp guitar? They have regular strings (which you can fret) and drones (which you cannot)

[funkalicious101]

ok, i thought you mean they were always strummed along with the fretted strings. but i guess they are the same as the bass strings on an archlute.

[lemur821]

Originally Posted by funkalicious101

ok, i thought you mean they were always strummed along with the fretted strings. but i guess they are the same as the bass strings on an archlute.

Well, not really. Not every unfrettable string is a drone string. Unless the performer uses them to sustain a drone they're just bass strings. Lutenists typically do not use their strings as a drone.

Whether the drones are strummed with the melody string/strings depends on the instrument. Mountain dulcimers are played that way, as is the hurdy-gurdy. I think sitarists generally strum their drone strings separately. Some instruments consist only of drones, like the Indian tanpura.

[funkalicious101]

ok, thanks for having all that patience with me, but i think i finally get it.