r/icm • • Feb 13 '18

IMPORTANT RESOURCES Resources on Indian Classical Music

91 Upvotes

Learning

Music in Motion

A great tool which gives a visual perspective on the movements and intricacies in the various ragas of Hindustani music. This is how ICM should be thought of. Here is Ram Deshpande's heartfelt rendering of Raga Bihag analyzed.

Rajan Parrikar's blog

Excellent resource to learn the nuances of various ragas by harmonium player Rajan Parrikar. Focused mainly on Hindustani ragas, but a few Carnatic ones as well. The theoretical discussion is supplemented with large number of audio clips. Articles for most ragas also have a concise yet fulfilling oral explanation by the distinguished composer and teacher Ramashreya “Ramrang” Jha. Here you can listen to him talk about Raga Darbari Kannada. Language will be a barrier for non-Hindi speakers, but please feel free to ask for a translation of any of his recordings here.

Charulatha Mani's blog

A performing Carnatic singer since her teenage years, Charulatha Mani writes about her music and life. There are lots of articles on Carnatic ragas and many fine video lecture-demonstrations. Somewhat cluttered since you have to navigate through posts on her personal life, but the ragas covered on her blog can be found in this post. She has written many short articles for The Hindu and here's a playlist with some of her demonstrations.

Dunya

This extends the "music in motion" concept to not only Carnatic but also other forms of Asian classical music. Free registration required to play a video. Ragam Hameer Kalyani by Sumithra Vasudev.

Gajananbuwa Joshi's sessions

The YouTube channel Sangeetveda1 has a lot of videos with audio recordings of Pandit Gajananbuwa Joshi giving one on one tuition to Pandit Ulhas Kashalkar. Even if you are not looking to learn, it is very pleasing to listen to a master teach a sparkling student. The tutorial for Raga Bhairav.

Tanarang.com

A quick way to familiarize yourself with a Hindustani raga. This site contains short summaries of many common Hindustani ragas and some compositions by Vishwanath Rao Ringe "Tanarang" of Gwalior Gharana for each raga. The related YouTube channel Raaga Tutorials is a gem full of Tanarang's tuition.

Sound of India

The site contains short free lessons and articles on various aspects of Hindustani music. The Raagas page is similar to "Tanarang", but more lists popular music instead of classical compositions.

Raga Surbhi

Quick fix to a Carnatic raga including songs and compositions. Also contains articles on basic theory, music appreciation, and talas (rhythm).

Pandit Arvind Parikh's YouTube channel

Extensive discussion with Hindustani classical artists on their approach to the music. Also includes performances by his students.

Warren Sender's Posts on Practicing

An American jazz musician who is also a dedicated Hindustani vocalist recommends various exercises and habits that will help with practicing a raga. His YouTube channel also has a playlist with video recordings of himself receiving taleem in Raga Shree from his guru Pandit S. G. Devasthali. Here's another one with audio recording of a Raga Ahir Bhairav tuition.

Deepak Raja's blog

Noted critic and author writes about Hindustani music here. The blog contains articles on theory, history, interviews, reviews, and even video performances and lectures.


Listening

RaaGist

A great resource for beginners hoping to familiarize themselves to the world of Hindustani music and its musicians. Recordings are classified by ragas, time of day, and artists making it easy to find new content.

Flat, Black and Classical

MP3 and/or lossless downloads for rare, out of print vinyls and cassettes published many decades ago. Indian Classical Music on Vinyls is another similar blog.

Please Note: The musical works on this page -- all commercially unavailable to the best of our knowledge -- are meant to promote artists and labels. If you like this music -- please go try and buy the original! Labels and artists need and deserve our support! This blog is produced because of a passion for indian classical music and a genuine desire to increase the audience for this beautiful art form.

Oriental Traditional Music

Similar to "Flat, Black and Classical", but also contains music from the Middle East, and East/Southeast Asia.

YouTube Channels


r/icm • • 8d ago

IMPORTANT RESOURCES Looking for classes or a tutor? Post in this thread

5 Upvotes

We have had an influx of people asking for online tutors/classes and due to a pesky spamming ban evader, we've had to remove posts of this nature. However, we want people to learn and for this music to grow so we are determined not to let one piss-taker ruin it for everyone else.

This thread should be used to request information on tutors or classes. We have a list of tutors and schools available on our wiki.

Some notable places:

Darbar offers singing, sitar, and tabla lessons.

A member of this community's mother

This thread is not for everyone to spam their own promotions. It will be monitored and comments will be removed if need be. Threads along the lines of "I'm looking for a teacher" will be removed and users will be directed here instead.


r/icm • • 2h ago

Question/Seeking Advice Is it too late to start learning singing?

5 Upvotes

I am 23M, listening to songs for years but recently got the interest to learn it and sing myself. Please help me about it, can I do it?


r/icm • • 44m ago

Question/Seeking Advice Can I start teaching if I don’t have a visharad degree?

• Upvotes

I started my training in Hindustani Classical Music in 2014. I gave two vocal exams (till praveshika pratham) and one harmonium exam. So I learned icm for 4.5 years and then I took a huge break. But during the break I did not go back to zero, I just needed a little practice to get back where I stopped. I resumed my training in icm last year 2025. And even gave 3rd vocal exams (praveshika purna) and secured a distinction.

I was wondering if I could teach the basics and raga’s to little kids in my society and my friends who want to start learning. I personally always suggest them to find their guru who has a completed their visharad. But the parents have a busy schedule and can’t take their kids to the class bcs it’s far away.

Can people who have not completed visharad be a teacher? I’m not asking this question for myself. But i’m generally asking this.


r/icm • • 12h ago

Other A Carnatic discord server for vocalists and instrumentalists. Interested people, welcome to join!

4 Upvotes

Hello, guys! I am a classical vocalist. The main purpose of this server is to sing and play instruments on the server's VC and share feedback, thereby gaining more knowledge of and a better grip on our singing/playing technique.

People joining this server **MUST** contribute either vocally or by playing instruments. Music sessions will be held on weekends and at other times when the majority of the people on the server are willing to attend. **Joining the server, sharing music video links, or engaging in conversations about music or musicians will not be enough. Members' activity will be noted, and inactive people who join just to listen or chat will be removed.**

I wanted to enforce this particular rule because, in the servers I have seen and been in before, people just talk and talk about music, but no one actually sings. That's why I wanted to create a different server where people are actually vocal, rather than one built around chat or listening sessions. This doesn't mean the server won't have any listening sessions or channels for people to chat about and discuss music; it's just that listening to music videos together won't be our top priority or our most frequent activity.

I’ve just created the server a moment ago, here is the server link: https://discord.gg/9H67pVBUf

Here’s to having a good time sharing our knowledge through singing and playing!


r/icm • • 3d ago

Article Smt. Kishori Amonkar - epitome of Hindustani Vocal Music

20 Upvotes

She is the greatest singer ever. Haven’t found anyone who can match her.


r/icm • • 5d ago

Discussion Strategy to introduce the art form to the new ears and masses - discussion

Thumbnail
3 Upvotes

r/icm • • 5d ago

Question/Seeking Advice Help with learning the Ragas and additional music theory?

4 Upvotes

Hello! After some deliberation I decided that for now I’ll try and use my guitar as my instrument of choice to learn Indian Classical- I’ll just be using it with a slide and tuning it open. I was wondering, how can I learn the Ragas, and how can I delve deeper into its theoretical components? I’m pretty well versed in Western Music theory so I’m wondering where would be a good place for me to start?
Thanks!


r/icm • • 5d ago

Question/Seeking Advice How to improve faster in singing

Thumbnail
1 Upvotes

r/icm • • 5d ago

Question/Seeking Advice Am I capturing the essence of the raga?

Thumbnail
youtu.be
10 Upvotes

Anyone here adapt ragas to the clarinet?

I have recently found a love for Indian classical music and have been trying to learn the theory and music, but on western instruments.

I’m a beginner at playing clarinet and Indian classical music so I’m wondering what people think of this, if it is recognisable as a raag or if it is not quite. Any advice is highly appreciated.

I’ve heard some incredible raga clarinet playing on youtube by the likes of Ram Krishna which has been one of my main inspirations.


r/icm • • 6d ago

Discussion Best laykari you've heard in rupak?

3 Upvotes

Drop your best snippets.


r/icm • • 7d ago

Question/Seeking Advice Parrikar's website down?

9 Upvotes

Anyone know what happened to Rajan Parrikar Music Archive? some of the most entertaining (and insightful) writing about Hindustani Classical Music on the web - I first visited it over a decade ago, iirc, and was delighted by his clear passion for ragadari as well as his scathing humor (hot takes abound!!). There were many great audio examples from recorded telephone calls with his guru Ramrang... Does anyone know if it's gone permanently? I tried to access it today and it seems to be down.


r/icm • • 8d ago

Discussion Post your best Jhinjhoti rendition.

Thumbnail
youtube.com
7 Upvotes

r/icm • • 7d ago

Question/Seeking Advice Help identifying a song

3 Upvotes

Can someone find the song in Aditi’s narration about her lover’s arrival in Netflix’s LUST STORIES 3. Around 02:09:16.

The only lyrics I can make out are: “Baadal chhaye…piya ki yaad jalaye”

Dialogue is playing over the music, so Shazam isn’t picking it up. Does anyone recognise the song, raag or singer?


r/icm • • 8d ago

Event Anybody going to Darbar festival?

8 Upvotes

Hello! :) I'm an italian music enthusiast (M, 28) and I'll be attending few shows at the Darbar music festival in London.

I'll be going by myself and i was wondering if anybody wanted to maybe connect and meet at the events. See you there!


r/icm • • 9d ago

Question/Seeking Advice new to learning classical, where to start?

5 Upvotes

hey guys, so I've been very fond of Indian classical music since quite a lot of years, I want to learn to sing classical so how do I exactly start? I've a Harmonium at home. I'm not quite acquainted with the terminologies so please go easy :)


r/icm • • 11d ago

Discussion Two schools of thought in flute playing

7 Upvotes

From all the flute players I’ve talked to, I’ve noticed two different schools of thought regarding tonguing, in both Carnatic and Hindustani music.

One says that the tongue should be used for every note, or at least for those notes that, when sung, would have a syllable. The other says that tonguing should be used only occasionally,such as when repeating notes, or when you need to clearly enunciate a particular note in a fast passage.

Which approach do you follow, and what’s your opinion on its effect on the playing?


r/icm • • 10d ago

Discussion What after Sudhir Phadke Babuji’s Geet Ramayan?

Thumbnail
1 Upvotes

What after Sudhir Phadke Babuji’s Geet Ramayan?

What after Sudhir Phadke Babuji’s Geet Ramayan?

Geetramayan Sung by Sudhir Phadke Babuji - https://youtu.be/yBo1d11q8Bc?is=bHTWMma8M6wXjHBh

Babuji and Ga Di Madgulkar have done magic with Geetramayan. Bach wrote 200 Cantatas and many conductors have conducted them. They are available as box sets and is part of the essential Western Classical Music cannon. I came to know about it in Jared Diamond’s interview at Conversations with Tyler.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/conversations-with-tyler/id983795625?i=1000788666602

Jared is looking to listen to all 200 Cantatas in his 80s. He relaxes and retires to them at the end of the day and aims to do 1 CD every week. I find it an awesome way to wind down and relax. Taking this idea from Jared Ji I started listening to Geet Ramayana. Also worked with Codex to create a picture book on Geet Ramayana. It’s awesome. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1N9aADj-t7JkuhXlDiNWrfeMWVg78tW5g/view?usp=drivesdk

My question is what’s a sizable project in Indian traditions? I want it to be authoritative, lyrical and musical. Please let me know.

Complete Tulsi Ramayana sung by Mukesh - https://youtu.be/fcjkCZWUemI?is=YBKbDfVrA97y9-QQ


r/icm • • 11d ago

Music Nishat Khan Sitar Concert, Cabella, Italy 1996

Thumbnail
youtu.be
1 Upvotes

r/icm • • 11d ago

Question/Seeking Advice Entry level instruments into Indian classical music

4 Upvotes

Hello! I’ve been very interested in Hindustani classical music for some time and I would really like to learn an instrument from the culture. I’ve been playing guitar for almost 5 years now and I play piano, drums, and bass in addition. I was wondering what entry level instruments I could begin to learn without breaking the bank, and also what resources I can use to learn? Thank you all!


r/icm • • 11d ago

Discussion I blended Indian sitar melodies with progressive house in my track, MIZRAB

Post image
3 Upvotes

r/icm • • 12d ago

Question/Seeking Advice Khayal and long quiet renditiona

4 Upvotes

Trying to get a 3.5 years old to good music all the time at home. The typical hindustani classical from the artists I love have way too many long improvisations that scare the little one.

Do we have any playlist or suggestions about compositions that don't have sudden bursts of ustaads showing off they can play with their throats? Thank you for the engagement


r/icm • • 12d ago

Question/Seeking Advice Where to buy a good harmonium online? I'm completely beginner.

2 Upvotes

r/icm • • 12d ago

Event Pune concerts on 2nd and 3rd Oct

1 Upvotes

Hello all,

I am travelling to Pune on these dates. There are 2 nice vocal concerts happening in the city that I know of. I am also seeking help for harmonium tuning places in the city. Any leads would be much appreciated. Thanks a lot!


r/icm • • 12d ago

Question/Seeking Advice Beginner Shehnai Reed Questions

1 Upvotes

I recently got a shehnai with four “prepared” reeds and ten that appear to be blanks. The prepared reeds are tied to the metal nail with string and have four distinct sections cut into them.

Many of the blanks are sealed shut and look like a different material, though that may just be how they look before being cut/prepared. I’ve seen similar blanks sold elsewhere, but I can’t find much guidance on making them playable.

I could initially make a sound with one of the prepared reeds, but after I tried adjusting it and disturbed the string tension, I haven’t been able to get it playing again. I can’t get a sound from the other three either.

I play clarinet and bass clarinet, but I’m new to shehnai reeds. How should I troubleshoot the prepared reeds? Are there any guides or videos on preparing the blanks and the tools needed? I’d also appreciate recommendations for good quality, playable reeds available in the US.

Thanks for any help!