India Travel

Indian Music

Dhol	Tabla	Sitar

Indian music has always been an integral part of Indian culture and is an indispensable part of the Indian heritage. Indian classical music is divided into two major traditions, the North Indian music and the South Indian music. The north Indian music is referred to, as Hindustani Sangeet while the south Indian music is known as the Carnatic Sangeet.

The Indian music system is based on two important pillars known as the ‘rag’ and the ‘tal’. Rag is the melodic form and ‘tal’ is the rhythmic form. Rag can be roughly equated with the Western term mode or scale. There is a system of seven notes, which are arranged in a means somewhat similar to Western music and are used to create all notations for the rags. The ‘tal’ or rhythmic patterns are also varied and ranges from simple 6 beat ‘tal’ like ‘Dadra’ to relatively complex 16 beat patterns like “tintal’. Many common rhythmic patterns exist and they revolve around repeating pattern of beats.

There are various instruments that are used in Indian classical music and most of them need years of practice before one can attain mastery. The most common and popular instruments are Tabla and Sitar.

Other than the Indian classical music, India also has a rich heritage of folk songs and each region has their own form of folk songs. The extreme cultural diversity creates endless variety of folk styles. Each region has its own particular style. While you can tap your fit to the lucid rhythm of ‘Baul’ song from Eastern India, the slow and melodious “Heer” from Punjab is definitely going to sooth your years. The fast and rhythmic Punjabi Bhangra can effortlessly put the Western latest dance mix to shame. Bihu from Assam, Bhojpuri from Bihar and Bhatiali from Bengal are a few others to name.

Instruments used for folk music are very different from that of classical music. These instruments are not refined and are often manufactured by the musicians themselves or local craftsmen from locally available materials. Although instruments like tabla might be found at times, it is more likely to see cruder form of drums such as dafli, dholak, or nal being used for folk music. Other common folk instruments include ektara, dotara, saringa, rabab, however, these instruments are often called differently in different regions as per their local dialect.

There are other religious forms of music like Sufi, Kawali and Bhajans that are sung in praise of the guru or God. While Sufi and Kawali are the Islamic form of religious music, Bhajan is typical to Hindu religion. These forms of music are equally popular and enchanting. In India music being perceived as a medium of worship for most religion has highly encouraged the growth of these music forms.

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