Indian Music

📖 Two classical traditions

Indian classical music is broadly divided into two major traditions:

• Hindustani classical music — practised mainly in North India, showing Persian and Central Asian influence, organised around gharanas (stylistic schools/lineages), with instruments like the sitar, tabla, and sarod prominent.
• Carnatic classical music — practised mainly in South India, more closely tied to devotional (bhakti) themes, with a stronger emphasis on structured compositions (kritis), and instruments like the veena, mridangam, and violin.

🎵 Shared foundational concepts

Both traditions share core concepts: raga (a melodic framework defining the mood and structure of a piece) and tala (the rhythmic cycle). However, the specific ragas, terminology, and performance conventions differ significantly between the two systems.

🪕 Folk music traditions

Alongside classical music, India has a vast range of regional folk music traditions — such as Baul music (Bengal, mystic wandering minstrels), Bhangra (Punjab, associated with harvest festivals), and various tribal and regional musical forms, each tied closely to local culture and occasions.