Sitar.co.za

Thu, September 09, 2010

2008 06 08

Sitar.co.za launches new Sitar Wiki


Sitar.co.za has launched a Sitar Wiki!  What is a wiki?  It is a database of information on a subject that is freely open to be added to and edited by anyone. There is so much wonderful information about the sitar and Indian music out there, but it’s so difficult to access or find.  A wiki is an organised repository of this information that all can access.

At the moment, the Sitar Wiki is almost completely empty! Click on the “Wiki” link to the left and you’ll see what we mean. So, we need all our readers to help contribute information. With your help, we can make this the internet’s best resource on the Sitar, Sitarists and Indian Classical Music. Create an account to add or edit pages.  This wiki is set up to allow image and audio uploads, so have fun! 

First, if you haven’t already done so, you need to register for an account on Sitar.co.za’s site, and then familiarise yourself with the wiki’s Getting Started manual.  With a bit of practise you’ll soon see how easy it is to create, link and categorise articles, images and sound files.

To create a page, simply type the topic name in “Create or Find Page.” and click “Go.” If the wiki finds nothing, it assumes you want to create page, and by clicking “Edit” you can start adding information.  To link to another page, you simply surround the topic name you want to link to with double square brackets, like this:

[[Topic Name]]

If you want to assign a certain topic to a general category, you use this format:

[[Category:Sandwiches]]

The wiki will automatically create the category when you do this.  Play around with it a bit, and you’ll soon see how easy it is.  The numbers of topics and categories you can add are virtually limitless.  If you upload a file, you can link to it by using this format:

[[File:filename.zip]]

If you’ve uploaded an image that you would like displayed on the page, use this format:

[[Image:image.jpg]]

A good first step might be to start with biographies and discographies of well known sitarists.  Information on maintenance, playing styles and learning methodologies and compositions would be highly beneficial as well.  But, we need your help, sitar community!

If you need any help whatsoever, please send an email to and we’ll try to respond as quickly as possible.

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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!