Middle Eastern Sitar sounding scales?

[SeekGod]

Ive tried different tunnings to try and get that middle eastern feel, but I can't seem to get it to work, are there any scales or ways to get a sitar type sound out of the guitar

[wild_axeman]

You can use weird tunings but your don't have to.

You can use a droning open string while you play arab or hindu/sitar sounding scales on an adjacent string to good effect.

as far as scales this site has all you'll ever need:

Scaleopia (http://www.geocities.com/scaleopia/ )

[Cosey]

Egyptian and Gypsy scales are two that come to mind.

[Bluesum]

Try playing in natural minors.

[Cosey]

Originally posted by Bluesum
Try playing in natural minors.

Harmonic minor is more arabic sounding than natural, but its better suited for spanish music if you ask me.

[luecke]

i believe your problem is that you are hearing music with 1/4 tones in it, and your guitar only has frets that play 1/2 tones.

quote i stole from some webpage ...
"Western music works in haf tones. That's how you get a G# or an F# as opposed to a G or and F. If you can wrap your mind around it, the Eastern tradition embraces quarter tones. Thus there is a note in between the sharps and flats. Therefore, as an example, there is a note between F and F#. Pretty cool stuff. That's why when you listen to Eastern singers, their voices just kind of go all over the place and it sounds very . . . umm well it sounds pretty different to a first time listener."

you can try using bends to get some of those notes, but i dont know how much luck you will have.

[MadMattUK]

U guys recommend any good middle eastern classical stuff? Sitar music too etc

[Bluesum]

Originally posted by Cosey
Harmonic minor is more arabic sounding than natural, but its better suited for spanish music if you ask me.

Whoops - that's what I meant. Thanks for the correction. I mentioned it because the Beatles' Within You Without You has a harmonic minor feel.

[bones98]

Didn't I make a thread about this a long time ago?

[bones98]

btw, Sitar is not middle eastern, its indian.. If you mean those guitars they use in arabic music, well they're classic guitars and some others but not sitars.

[Cosey]

Originally posted by Bluesum
Whoops - that's what I meant. Thanks for the correction. I mentioned it because the Beatles' Within You Without You has a harmonic minor feel.

No worries :)

And yea thats a good song :)