India

India

Indian music can be considered to be one of the oldest unbroken traditions in the world. The basis for Indian music can be derived from Sangeet, which involves vocal music, instrumental music, and dance. Today these forms have split into Rag and Tal, which also vary in style throughout India. Musical instruments vary as well but two of the most famous are called the Sitar and the Tabla. Over centuries, there have been many famous musicians and composers like Ravi Shankar, Amir Khusru, and Muttusvami Dikshitar. Music is expressed through religion by chanting, at festivals, and on holidays. Children can go to specialized music schools and can become pupils. Music is a huge part of the Indian culture.

Early Indian music can be conveyed through the Indo-European theory. This theory states that groups of cultures from unknown origins spread throughout Europe and parts of Asia and became very successful. A part of these groups consisted of Indo Aryan which was very significant to India. The roots of the Indian system were generated from Vedas, which are Hindu manuscripts. Indian music has seven modes and follows modulation like the Greek music. Sangeet is the basis of Indian music which consists of three art forms: vocal, instrumental, and dance. The present system is also divided into Rag and Tal. Tal is rhythmic and resolves around repeating patterns of beats. This system varies between the North and the South. The North is called Hindustani Sangeet and the South is called Carnatic Sangeet. They vary in nomenclature and performance, even the instruments differ.

In the North, the most famous instruments are the Sitar and the Tabla. The Tabla is a pair of small drums: a small drum; for the right hand called a dayan and a larger drum called bayan. The dayan is made wood and the bayan is made of metal like steel. The most striking characteristic of these drums is the black spots on the top. The spots are made of soot, gum, and iron which creates a bell like timbre. The Sitar is a long necked instrument and has seventeen strings. It has three to four strings to play and three to four for drone strings. There are also a series of sympathetic strings lying under the frets and are only vibrated. In the South, Saraswati Vina is a popular instrument. The body is made of jack wood, usually carved from one block of wood. The body has three sections: resonator, neck, and head. There are twenty-four frets made of brass and set in wax