SITARS, RAGAS AND INDIAN CLASSICAL MUSIC

Bits and Bobs (downloads)

Sorry for not posting for a while, I've been a bit busy with organising a house move and some other stuff that seems to be unbelievably time consuming. I recently came across a few blogs that I would like to mention. They both feature rare recordings which are pretty hard to find anywhere else. The first one is Oriental-Traditional-Music. There are some real gems available on this site from all across the Middle East and Asia. However, the posts that I found the most interesting are the following: http://oriental-traditional-music.blogspot.com/2011/06/ustad-abdul-halim-jaffer-khan-sitar.html This...

More Wallpapers (Part 3)

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More Wallpapers (Part 2)

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More Wallpapers (Part 1)

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Sore Fingers

Not mine, Ravi Shankar's impressive grooves Just a short post today. I've been practising a lot over the last couple of days and now my fingertips are feeling a tender. I had been neglecting my practice routine a little bit previously but the grooves in my fingertips are coming back nicely. I'm still playing in Bhimpalasi, I just love the sound of it. It's funny how different your playing can be by switching ragas. For some reason this one feels a bit more natural to me than Yaman and I'm finding it a lot easier to explore. That komal Ga is...

Tips For Sitar (images)

Just a quick post today. I'm posting images that may be useful if you're learning. Vilayat Khan style tuning String gauges Ravi Shankar style tuning ...

Finger Oil For Sitarists

Most sitarists have a little secret that is not immediately obvious if you are new to the instrument. You might see players take their hand away from the neck of the sitar and do something quickly near their feet. The secret is that they are dabbing their index and/or middle finger in the a little pot like this one. These usually contain cotton wool which has some kind of oil soaked in to it. Why do we do this? Well, strings can become sticky and friction can build up between the string and your finger (which should have callouses), making...

100 Followers and Shahid Parvez

I've just hit the one hundred followers mark so thank you to everyone who is following the blog and commenting on the posts. Just a short post to say thanks today so here is one of my favourite player, Shahid Parvez. This is an excellent video with all the close ups. Sitar - Ustad Shahid Parvez from Sayeed Mohiuddin on Vimeo. I haven't mentioned much about Shahid Parvez but he really is a legendary player. He comes from a family of classical Indian musicians spanning seven generations. His relatives include Imdad Khan, Wahid Khan,...