Indian Music

Music is an Art, an expression of Creativity. It is also a science as it is a systemized knowledge that is derived through observation and experimentation. Indian music can be divided into classical, folk and modern music.

Origins of Indian Music

The origins of Indian Classical Music can be traced back to the Vedas or the ancient scripts of the Hindus. Musical notes were supposedly created by Lord Brahma and they term music as "Nada-Brahma" or Divine and therefore origin-less. Shiva and Parvathi are also credited with creating Raga and the primordial musical instrument, the Damaru. As such, Indian music was originally devotional in nature and has evolved in the last century to include the entertainment aspect as well. Indian classical music is similar to that of Western classical music in that it divides the octave into 12 semitones of which the 7 basic notes are Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni Sa where Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Ti Do are the western counter-parts. Indian music is based on the use of ragas or melodic frameworks for composition, tala or the cyclic metric patterns.

The last millennium has ushered in an era of dynamic changes in Indian music and it diverged into two branches - Hindustani and Carnatic. Hindustani music depicts a blending of the Vedic and the Persian cultures. Hindustani music is more prevalent in northern Indian and Carnatic in the south.

India has a rich tradition of folk music, and most of these are dance-oriented. Bauls, Bhavageete, Bhangra, Dandiya, Lavani, Qawwali are some of the popular folk music. Indi-pop and Indian Rock are some of the flavors of modern music in India. Unlike classical music, the musical notes have lesser value in the lighter versions. The emphasis is on poetic content and the rhythm.