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How do movable frets help musicians play different musical modes?

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Koto — stringed instrument A Japanese musician plucking the strings of a koto with the right hand to generate a pitch and pressing the strings with the left hand to alter the tone.

Movable frets are a key feature on many lute family instruments, such as the Central Asian dutār and the Indian sitar, that allow musicians to adapt their instruments to different musical modes.1

Because these frets are tied onto the neck with strings rather than being permanently fixed, they can be adjusted to align with the specific notes required for a particular raga or melodic framework. This flexibility is essential because different musical traditions utilize varying tonal systems and scales that may not conform to a single, rigid set of fret positions. By repositioning the frets, a performer ensures that the instrument is accurately tuned to the unique intervals and microtonal requirements of the mode being played.123

This practice contrasts with Western fretted instruments, such as the guitar, which typically use fixed frets and are constructed according to equal temperament to accommodate a more limited and standardized tonal system.41