(Sitar). The Hal Leonard Sitar Method is designed for anyone just learning to play the sitar. This comprehensive and easy-to-use beginner's guide serves as an introduction to sitar and its technique, as well as the practice, theory, and history of raga music. This deluxe edition includes 42 audio tracks for demonstration and play-along, plus over two hours of video lessons. Lessons include: choosing an instrument; tuning; postures; right- and left-hand technique; Indian notation; raga forms; melodic patterns; bending strings; hammer-ons, pull-offs, and slides; Tabla and Tanpura practice tracks; changing strings; and much more!
Since the thirteenth century, the sitara stringed, plucked instrument of Indiahas transformed into an instrument beloved by millions in its country of origin as well as all over the world. The Journey of the Sitar in Indian Classical Music details the origin, history, and playing styles of this unique stringed instrument. Dr. Swarn Lata relies on more than thirty-five years of experience teaching sitar to students from diverse cultures and communities as well as extensive research from libraries, museums, temples, and musicologists to compile a comprehensive guidebook filled with fascinating facts about the sitar. In a carefully organized format, Lata offers an in-depth examination of the meaning of musical instruments, the styles of different gharanas, and the place of the sitar in Indian classical music. Music is an extraordinary medium of expression that has the capability to bring the world together. This step-by-step guidebook shares a one-of-akind study of a unique instrument that produces a beautiful sound while providing an unforgettable spiritual experience to all who listen.
"A handy reference to master the art of playing the sitar. The sitar is an extremely popular Indian stringed instrument having a pumpkin gourd at one end, 19-20 frets, 7 main strings and 11 sympathetic strings"--Page 4 of cover
The sitar has been popular since the 1960s. Since that time it has always had a considerable mystique among musicians. It also has an undeserved reputation for being difficult to play. This book/CD set cuts though the mystique and misapprehensions and presents the material in a simple fashion that is easily understood both by Indians and non-Indian musicians alike.Learning the Sitar begins with basic background information, including a discussion of Indian music, the history of the instrument, the parts and other important terms It then moves on to basic exercises and finally finishes with some simple compositions in Bilawal, Kalyan and Kafi. This is covered in a mix of staff notation as well as traditional Indian Sargam notation.
One of Library Journal's "Best Arts Books of 2020" The definitive biography of Ravi Shankar, one of the most influential musicians and composers of the twentieth century, told with the cooperation of his estate, family, and friends For over eight decades, Ravi Shankar was India's greatest cultural ambassador. He was a groundbreaking performer and composer of Indian classical music, who brought the music and rich culture of India to the world's leading concert halls and festivals, charting the map for those who followed in his footsteps. Renowned for playing Monterey Pop, Woodstock, and the Concert for Bangladesh-and for teaching George Harrison of The Beatles how to play the sitar-Shankar reshaped the musical landscape of the 1960s across pop, jazz, and classical music, and composed unforgettable scores for movies like Pather Panchali and Gandhi. In Indian Sun: The Life and Music of Ravi Shankar, writer Oliver Craske presents readers with the first full portrait of this legendary figure, revealing the personal and professional story of a musician who influenced-and continues to influence-countless artists. Craske paints a vivid picture of a captivating, restless workaholic-from his lonely and traumatic childhood in Varanasi to his youthful stardom in his brother's dance troupe, from his intensive study of the sitar to his revival of India's national music scene. Shankar's musical influence spread across both genres and generations, and he developed close friendships with John Coltrane, Philip Glass, Yehudi Menuhin, George Harrison, and Benjamin Britten, among many others. For ninety-two years, Shankar lived an endlessly colorful and creative life, a life defined by musical, emotional, and spiritual quests-and his legacy lives on. Benefiting from unprecedented access to Shankar's archives, and drawing on new interviews with over 130 subjects-including his second wife and both of his daughters, Norah Jones and Anoushka Shankar- Indian Sun gives readers unparalleled insight into a man who transformed modern music as we know it today.
For practitioners and enthusiasts of Indian Classical Music, compositions for string instruments - Sitar, Sarod and Vichitra Veena - are hard to find. For the first time, 8 raga-s have been documented and presented in an easy to read and play notation system: Ome Swarlipi. A treasure trove of compositions, tana-s and toda-s for raga-s such as Yaman, Des, Khamaja, Bihaga, and Kafi, this book brings Misrabani style, one especially suited to string instruments, to the English-speaking world in a universal script which address the limitations of traditional Indian music notation systems.
