Khamaj is a Shadava – Sampurna (consists of 6 notes in Arohana and 7 notes in the Avarohana) raga from the Hindustani music tradition. It is a very popular raga in lighter forms of Hindustani Classical Music. Many Ghazals and Thumris are based out of Raag Khamaj. There has also been quite a good number of Hindi film compositions in Raag Khamaj as well. When is Raag Khamaj sung? Raag Khamaj is sung in the 2nd division of the night…
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RIYAZWP25 – Avail 25% off on the quarterly subscription. Contrary to what is deemed, learning to sing is not just easy but also is fun and engaging. RIYAZ as a platform offers just that user experience. Taking a subscription on RIYAZ allows a user to practice more than 10 minutes daily and offers all the product features to learn on the go. The premium version is loaded with features that are just necessary for anyone to become a singer. The…
Palaghat R. Raghu was a renowned percussionist from the Carnatic Music tradition. His instrument of expertise was the Mridangam, which he learnt from early childhood. Palaghat was a well known figure not only in India, but all around the world. He toured across Europe, America, Australia, Malaysia and Singapore extensively in his career. He performed alongside well known Indian Classical musicians like Pandit Ravi Shankar, Hariprasad Chaurasia, Shivkumar Sharma and Allah Rakha in many many concerts. He also taught music…
Kumar Gandharva was renowned Hindustani classical vocalist who was known because of his unique style of singing. He was a known as a child prodigy due to his genius musical abilities. By his early 20s, he was seen as a star of Indian classical music. At the peak of his music career, Gandharva was struck by Tuberculosis and was told that he could never sing again. That however didn’t stop him. He started to perform again after 6 year with…
Uppalapu Srinivas was a Carnatic classical mandolin player. His skill on the instrument was so perfect, that he was considered to be the successor to Pandit Ravi Shankar. His music was even heard by famous international artists like George Harrison (Lead Guitarist of The Beatles). He said his favourite piece of Indian music was “Mandolin Ecstasy” performed by Uppalapu Srinivas. He also won a number of prestigious awards for his contributions to music such as the Padma Shri (1998) and…
Pandit Ram Narayan is considered to be the first internationally successful sarangi player. He is credited with popularizing the sarangi as a solo concert instrument in Hindustani Classical music. His career first started with playing on All India Radio, as an accompanist with vocalists. He soon grew tired and ventured into composing in Indian Cinema. Some of the scores he composed were used in the movies Adalat, Kashmir, Madhumati and many more. After trying out many different fields he realised…
Ustad Zakir Hussain is widely regarded as one of the greatest tabla players of all time. He single handedly raised the profile of tabla as an instrument to a whole new level globally. Considered a child prodigy at his instrument, he started touring the world at the young age of just 11. Some of the big names in Indian Classical music whom he accompanied at that time were Pandit Ravi Shankar, Pandit Ali Akbar Khan, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi and many…
Ustad Vilayat Khan was a renowned Indian Classical Sitar player. He was one of the first sitarists who developed the “gayaki ang” (mimicing vocal music) on sitar. His performances were so engaging that his Mumbai concert at Vikramaditya Sangeet Parishad drew the headline “Electrifying Sitar”. He was also a composer, giving music to films such as Jalsaghar by acclaimed film maker Satyajt Ray. In these videos, learn how Ustad Vilayat Khan charmed the world with his skilful sitar playing. He…
Pandit Ravi Shankar was the best known Sitar player in the world, in the second half of the 20th century. He was not only a “Sitar Maestro” but also a composer of Hindustani Classical Music. His influence does not end with just Indian musicians. Some of the famous international artists influenced by him were Yehudi Menuhin (One of the greatest Violinists of the 20th century) and George Harrison (Lead Guitarist of The Beatles). Pandit Ravi Shankar was also awarded the…
I was mulling over the number of people, both professionals or experts, non experts or even family , friends and acquaintances….. that I’ve either worked with or have had help me across the last 18 years. I thought I’d start putting down all the PEOPLE INVOLVED IN THE MUSIC JOURNEY and I added to it some people I personally have not yet worked with but I know my colleagues have. So here’s what I came up with…… and I realised…