The saro or sarode (Hindi: सरोद; Bengali: সরোদ) is a stringed musical instrument, used mainly in Indian classical music. Along with the sitar, it is the most popular and prominent instrument in Hindustani (north Indian)classical music. The sarod is known for a deep, weighty, introspective sound (contrast with the sweet, extremely rich texture of the sitar). The tonal quality somewhat resembles the classical guitar, particularly at the lower notes, though in the higher ranges the sound is less rich than the guitar. It is a fretless instrument like almost all other Indian instruments, since Indian music depends extensively (in some cases almost entirely) on continuous slides between notes, known as meend (glissando).