Sitar.co.za

Fri, September 03, 2010

About Learning Sitar

What is a sitar? In this classic 60's era film excerpt from the Music of India, Nikhil Banerjee explains it better than we ever could. Dharamvir Singh and Markandey Mishra also demonstrate the basics of sitar and tabla in this excellent documentary. We won't pretend that the sitar is an easy first instrument to learn, but if 11 year old Fanny from France can do it, so can you!!

If you're just starting to learn sitar, the first step to is to find yourself a good teacher. If you are based in Canada, South Africa or India, please check the subsection, Teachers, below.

If you're unable to find a teacher close to where you live, there are many teachers offering lessons via the internet or telephone. If you've got a high speed net connection, technologies like Skype and VOIP make this a practical, fun and efficient way to learn. However, this is not recommended for beginners. If you're just starting out, book yourself a 3 month holiday in India, Canada or California, and commit to an intensive beginner's course with a good teacher. With an instrument as complex as the sitar, there's no substitute for hands-on learning.

The best way to buy a sitar is through your teacher. However, Buying a Sitar lists a number of highly reliable vendors of sitars in North America and South Africa. You might also like to read this informative article on sitar construction methodology and you should look for in a good quality instrument.

Documentaries

Books

There are countless books available on Indian classical music and the sitar, but those listed below are what we consider to be must-haves for students and curious listeners new to the sitar and Indian music:

Online Resources

We've scoured the net... and there's not much at all. Here, however, are the best of what we did find:

  • David and Chandra’s Sitar Forum: The epicenter of the sitar universe and the best place to find accurate, insightful and up-to-date information on all things sitar. This is the place to ask questions about sitar music, learning the sitar, or where to find a teacher. Become a member, spend some time reading the threads, and ask a question! We're there to help.
  • The Buckingham Music Sitar Tutorial: Excellent basic information about learning, maintaining and playing the sitar.
  • Sitarplayer.net: Canadian site on learning to play the sitar. Well written with great resources, advice and practical information. This is the place to visit for the "Sargam" font.
  • South Asian Women’s Forum Music Page: A huge collection of detailed articles (with thousands of audio clips) on aspects of Indian classical music. A very good place to visit if you are seeking info on a raga that you are just warming up to.
  • The Wikipedia Sitar Entry: Although it ranks high in Google's search ratings... be careful! A lot of the information here is great, but an equal amount is not completely comprehensive, open to debate and often confusing. There's a been a lot of work done on this entry over the last year but it's very far from being an adequate, complete or accurate source of information. Come on, sitar community, we need to make this entry better! Click "edit" and contribute something!
  • Amelia Maciszewski’s sitar videos: Superb instructional videos on basic sitar practise and theory by Amelia Maciszewski. Great if you're just getting into the intstrument and don't have a teacher.
  • Universal Academy for Musicians: Irshad Khan's Academy offers lessons online (using Skype,) by phone are at one of his studios in Toronto or Bombay.
  • Sharda.org sitar lessons: Basic lessons with videos.
  • Prof. Sanjoy Bandopadhyay: Prof. Bandopadhyay, a well established musician and teacher, teaches sitar online. His students give excellent feedback.
  • Indian Music Lessons: A portal to learning Indian classical music online. The site hosts some very accomplished musicians and teachers, and students give it good reviews.
  • Sitar School of Toronto’s FAQ: An excellent "Frequently Asked Questions" for people new to learning about the sitar.

Videos

Audio Resources

Teachers

South Africa

  • Rashied Hassan

    t: 021 638 6051, m: 082 455 4518,

    Rashied Hassan is the foremost tabla teacher in Cape Town and an excellent person to contact regarding the Indian classical music scene in South Africa. 

  • J.N Chauhan

    t: 021 703 0893, m: 072 369 3335,

    J.N Chauhan currently offers lessons for the violin, harmonium, flute, tabla, sitar and teaches singing. He is also a major supplier of indian classical instruments in Cape Town. He also offers Instrument Repairs.

Canada

  • Sitar School of Toronto

    http://www.sitarschool.com.

    Contact for more information.

  • John Campana

    16 Manchester Ave.
    Toronto, Ontario
    .

    A legend in Indian classical music circles, if you’re in Toronto and want to start learning sitar, get in touch with John. If he’s not currently teaching, he’ll certainly be able to point you in the right direction. John is a founding member of the Toronto Gharana, and one of the reasons why Toronto is currently one of the best place in the world to learn sitar.

  • Irshad Khan

    Universal Academy of Musicians
    3590 Kaneff Crescent, Suite 2013
    Mississauga, Ontario
    Canada L5A 3X3
    t: +1 905 275 0325

    Traditional training directly from the source from one of the world’s best sitarist. Visit Irshad Khan’s website at http://www.irshadkhan.net. Online lessons via voice/video chat or phone are also available.

USA

  • Ali Akbar College of Music

    215 West End Avenue
    San Rafael, CA 94901
    t: +1 415 454 6264

    http://www.aacm.org

    One of the best places to learn Indian classical music. If you’re considering taking lessons here, check out AACM’s excellent YouTube page (http://www.youtube.com/user/AliAkbarCollege) with many videos of classes in progress. It looks like a fun place to study.

India

  • Chote Rahimat Khan

    Panjim, Goa

    http://ragakhan.free.fr/Chhoteenglish.htm

    f you’re in Goa and are looking for a sitar teacher, Ustad Chote Rahimat Khan is the one. He teaches both privately and with the Kala Academy in Panjim/Panaji (http://www.kalaacademy.org/). The Kala Academy has a ten year sitar diploma program (!) and will arrange student visas for foreign students.

  • Irshad Khan

    Universal Academy for Musicians
    Bungalow # 4, Sarguroh Park II
    Deonar Farm Road, Deonar
    Mumbai 400088
    t: +91 22 25583969 / +91 22 25559002

    Irshad Khan teaches in Bombay on a seasonal basis. For more information, visit http://www.irshadkhan.net. Online lessons via voice/video chat or phone are also available.

Finally, David annd Chandra Courtney maintain a massive list of teachers worldwide. We're not sure how current the information is, but it's definitely worth a look.

Buying a Sitar

South Africa

  • J.N Chauhan

    t: 021 703 0893
    m: 072 369 3335

    Importer of many Indian musical instruments, including sitars.

USA

  • Andy’s Music

    2300 West Blemont
    Chicago, Illinois, 60618
    t: 1 773 8681234
    http://www.andysmusic.com

    If you’re looking for the best sitar you can possibly get, and are able to pay for it, this is the place.  An extraordinary collection of rare, historic and top quality sitars: http://www.andysmusic.com/indian.html

  • Ali Akbar College of Music Store

    http://www.aacm.org/shop/sitar.html
    215 West End Avenue
    San Rafael, CA 94901
    t: +1 415 454 6264

    If you don’t have the time and money to visit India to hand pick a sitar, the AACM Store is the place to go. They ship worldwide, and all instruments they sell have been individually selected - it’s difficult to find instruments of this quality even in India. A great place to buy music, books and strings as well.

India

  • Hiren Roy

    96/1 Rashbehari Ave
    Calcutta
    t: ???
    f: ???

    Hiren Roy makes some of the finest professional sitars available.  The waiting list is long (a year, the last time we checked) but it’s well worth the wait.  If you’re in Calcutta, you might be lucky enough to get one off the shelf.  Other retailers, such as AACM, also stock a limited number of Hiren Roys.

  • Rikhi Ram

    http://www.rikhiram.com
    G-8, Marina Arcade
    Connaught Circus
    New Delhi 110 001
    t: +91 11 23327685
    f: +91 11 23316983

    Rikhi Ram produces excellent, professional quality sitars and is very reliable place to buy sitars off-the-shelf.

Now Playing:

Nikhil BanerjeeClick to launch Sitar.co.za's continuously updated video channel. An ever-expanding collection of the best new, archival and interesting sitar and Indian classical music related videos on the internet. Click on any video for more information or to start a discussion.

Events

View all Events. Please send an email to events@sitar.co.za to have your event listed.

Music

  • Ravi Shankar Interview: Audio documentary with Ravi Shankar speaking to the BBC's Anita Bhalla.
  • A Chairy Tale: A rarely seen Norman McLaren animated film featuring a full soundtrack by Ravi Shankar and Sri Chatur Lal (tabla.)
  • Trippy Monkey’s Video Archive: The best archive of sitar and Indian classical music related videos on the internet. Full concerts, documentaries, and rare television broadcasts. Trippy also maintains an Esnips archive of rare recordings.

View the complete Music Archive...

Articles

  • Sitar Making In India: Scott Hackleman's detailed and highly readable account of the year he spent in Delhi learning the art of sitar making in Katar Chand's shop.
  • Annapurna Devi: Mohan D. Nadkarni accounts his meetings with this enigmatic artist and comments on her legacy.
  • Quality Sitar Construction: An informative article on sitar construction methodologies and what you should look for in a good quality instrument.

View all Articles...

Learning Resources

  • Tabla Lessons: A half hour of basic tabla lesson demonstrations, recorded in Bangalore, June 2003
  • Electronic Tanpura Samples: Tampura samples in all keys (C# for sitar)
  • Electronic Tabla Samples: A collection of electronic tabla samples, of about 10 minutes each, in a variety of tempos and taals.

View all Learning Resources...

Useful Links

  • David and Chandra’s Sitar Forum: The epicenter of the sitar universe and the best place to find accurate, insightful and up-to-date information on all things sitar. This is the place to ask questions about sitar music, learning the sitar, or where to find a teacher. Become a member, spend some time reading the threads, and ask a question! We're there to help.
  • Ali Akbar College of Music: A great place for strings, sitars, music, books and the all-important fibreglass cases.
  • Tabla.co.za: Information on learning the tabla and an excellent resource for South African Indian musicians. Local events listings and information on local musicians.
  • The Buckingham Music Sitar Tutorial: Excellent basic information about learning, maintaining and playing the sitar.
  • Sitarplayer.net: Canadian site on learning to play the sitar. Well written with great resources, advice and practical information. This is the place to visit for the "Sargam" font.
  • Patrick Moutal’s Indian Music Page: A wonderfully sprawling French site packed with rare recordings, photos, videos and all sorts of fascinating information.
  • South Asian Women’s Forum Music Page: A huge collection of detailed articles (with thousands of audio clips) on aspects of Indian classical music. A very good place to visit if you are seeking info on a raga that you are just warming up to.
  • The Wikipedia Sitar Entry: Although it ranks high in Google's search ratings... be careful! A lot of the information here is great, but an equal amount is not completely comprehensive, open to debate and often confusing. There's a been a lot of work done on this entry over the last year but it's very far from being an adequate, complete or accurate source of information. Come on, sitar community, we need to make this entry better! Click "edit" and contribute something!
  • Radel Tabla and Tanpura Machines: The essential accessory for any sitar player is a tabla machine. Radel's models are superbly built and their customer service is exceptional. They ship worldwide.
  • Swar Systems Indian Music Software: Sitar.co.za hasn't demo'd this software yet, but it gets regular complimentary reviews. If you've had a good (or bad) experience using it, let us know! Available for Windows and Macintosh.
  • Audacity: Open-source audio recording software for Windows and Macintosh.
  • Riyaz Studio: Tabla/Tanpura accompaniment software ideal for sitar practise. Inexpensive and easy to use. If you can't afford or obtain a tabla machine easily, this is an excellent choice.
  • Amelia Maciszewski’s sitar videos: Superb instructional videos on basic sitar practise and theory by Amelia Maciszewski. Great if you're just getting into the intstrument and don't have a teacher.
  • Deepak Raja’s world of Hindustani Music: A treasure trove of articles on Indian classical music, including rare interviews with many instumentalists.
  • The Toronto Gharana: The Toronto Gharana: A website devoted to Indian classical music in Toronto.
  • That Which Colors the Mind: 12 minute sample of Steven Baigel's wonderful documentary on sitarist Nikhil Banerjee. (from Stevenbaigel.com)
  • Andy’s Music Indian Instruments Page: Rare, vintage and historic instruments. If you're looking for the best, and have the cash to spend, this is a great place to start.
  • Trippy Monkey’s Video Archive: The best archive of rare sitar and Indian classical music related videos on the internet. Trippy also maintains an Esnips archive of rare recordings.
  • The Sitar Factory: Lots on information on sitar maintenance and repair, as well as interesting info on electric and experimental sitars.

Do you have any favourite sitar or Indian classical music links? Email them to us!