Indian Classical Music

Indian classical music is one of the oldest forms of music in the world. It is a beautiful form of music which has many types of instruments involved. There are many variations of Indian Classical music. There are many instruments too.

Some of the most popular instruments in Indian classical music are –

  1. Veena
  2. Santoor
  3. Bansuri
  4. Sarod
  5. Tabla
  6. Dholak

The interesting thing about Indian classical music is that it is original. There have been new versions. But, the essence is still the same.

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If we talk about the variations of Indian classical music, there are two main types –

  1. Hindustani Classical music
  2. South Indian Classical music

There are minor changes in the two forms. However, the instruments are very similar. This is because the roots of both these forms of music are the same. There is a further classification of these two forms of music. But, that is a topic for another post.

How is Indian classical music different?

If you compare Indian classical music with Western music, there are no similarities between the two. One instrument that is used in both Western music and Indian classical music is the flute. Though it is not the same kind, it does produce similar sounds.

There are many different types of flutes in the Western music world. You can read about some of these on www.flutepilot.com.

Apart from that, there are no other instruments that are common in both these forms of music.

If you consider comparing Indian classical music with other forms of music, it will go on for hours. In my opinion, music is not something that needs comparison. It just needs to be appreciated. If you enjoy any form of music, you need to be open about it and appreciate it.

Some popular names in the Indian Classical music industry are –

  • Ustad Ali Akbar Khan
  • Hariprasad Chaurasia
  • MS Subbulakshmi
  • Bismillah Khan
  • Ravi Shankar
  • Zakir Hussain
  • Shiv Kumar Sharma

There are many people who are interested in learning this musical form. Mastery over any Indian classical instrument takes a lot of time and effort. If you are thinking about taking Indian classical music classes, there are many who offer classes. Make sure that you learn from the best. It is really important if you want to take it forward as a career.

There are many classical music festivals in India.

Here are some of them based on different categories:

Carnatic Music Festival:

  • Tyagaraja Aradhana
  • Chembai Sangeetholsavam
  • Sankat Mochan Sangeet Samaroh
  • Madras Music Season
  • Kalasagaram Annual Cultural Festival
  • Ramanavami Global Music Festival
  • Purandara Dasa Aradhana
  • Cleveland Thyagaraja Festival
  • Parampara Series – Andhri
  • Chennaiyil Thiruvaiyaru
  • Hyderabad Tyagaraja Aradhana Music Festival

Hindustani Classical music festivals:

There are many Indian classical festivals. But, they are mostly organized as classical events with dance and music. So, it is difficult to categorize Hindustani musical festivals as such.

That was all about Indian classical music. Hope you found this information helpful. Thanks for reading.