How is the Tambura played?

The tambura is a long-necked plucked stringed instrument. The body shape of the tambura somewhat resembles that of the sitar, but it has no frets - only the open strings are played to accompany other musicians. It has four or five (rarely six) wire strings, which are plucked one after another in a regular pattern to create a harmonic resonance on the basic note, and creates a drone sound. It is held upright in front of the musician who is seated. The musician steadies the instrument with one hand and plucks with the other. While not a difficult instrument to play, it is designed to accompany other instruments (such as the sitar or sarod) and never played as a solo instrument.