Indian Classical Music

India as a whole is essentially a mixing pot of various cultures, heritage and traditions of all the people who chose to come and make this land their own. Right from the Aryans, the Dravidians, the Mughals, and the pre-existing Hindu kingdoms, every community and group of people added their special touch to our country’s cultural legacy.
The origination of Indian classical music can be traced back a long way depending on the genre in question. There are mainly 2 branches of classical music widely popular in India. These are Carnatic Music and Hindustani Classical Music. Apart from these, there are local genres too like Sufi, ghazals, qawwali, other regional folk music. These however don’t get classified as classical Music.
The first mention of the classical music is seen in the Vedas which are the ancient scriptures of the Hindu tradition. The samaveda in particular has a detailed section dedicated to music. Over the years the classical music has seen many influences in the form of folk music and Arabic/Persian sounds. It is said that the Samaveda originated from the Rigveda (the oldest Veda) so that its hymns could as Se rendered as Samagana. The hymns further metamorphosed into jatis and eventually into what are known as Ragas today.
What makes Indian classical music unique; is its monotonic nature and the way it is based on a single melody line. It has many rules and guideline, and is based on a framework of Ragas (tones) and Talas (beats).
Another thing that needs mention about the Indian classical music tradition is that it is based on a Gurukul system of teaching. In this system, the Guru, who is the teacher, is supposed to take on a bigger stature than God in the life of the student, who is the Shishya. This is because, in ancient times. There were no written teaching methods. Instead, scriptures, hymns and music were taught only by oral means.

Hindustani Classical
Hindustani music is more widespread in North India. It has two main forms, namely Khyal and dhrupad. There are, however, several other classical and semi-classical forms prevalent too. There is an important Persian influence evident in Hindustani music as far as its instruments, style of presentation, and melodies are concerned. The primary melodies are the Hijaz Bhairav, Bhairavi, and Yaman. Just like Carnatic music, Hindustani music has taken in various folk tunes into its folds as well. The beat is usually provided by Tabla players. The Tabla is a type of drum, usually keep the rhythm. The Tanpura is another popular instrument that is used.

Carnatic Music
Carnatic music that has originated from South India is significantly more structured than Hindustani music. The systematic classification of ragas into melakarthas, and the usage of fixed compositions on lines of Western classical music are proof of this fact. Carnatic raga elaborations are usually much faster in tempo and of lesser duration than their equivalents in other Hindustani music. The opening piece is known as a varnam, and is a kind of warm-up for the vocal chords.

Indian traditional music is loosing its importance but there is still some who like such kind of music and might like this collection of various melodies and themes.
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