Articles

Welcome to Living Traditions - a new written collection by Darbar's George Howlett, exploring how music with ancient roots is adapting to a fast-paced, interconnected modern world. Expand your appreciation through 21 different perspectives!

The Mridangam maestro discusses cross-cultural teaching, the rhythms of the ocean, and the future of Carnatic percussion. By George Howlett | Part of Living Traditions: 21 articles for 21st-century Indian classical music

Discover Indian classical music via styles you like - this article builds sonic bridges to rock, jazz, jungle, hip-hop, house, and more. By George Howlett | Part of Living Traditions: 21 articles for 21st-century Indian classical music

Exploring ten strange, beautiful instruments from India's classical traditions. By George Howlett | Part of Living Traditions: 21 articles for 21st-century Indian classical music

Carnatic music's wealth of powerful, highly developed ideas deserves far more global attention. Here's an in-depth South Indian primer. By George Howlett | Part of Living Traditions: 21 articles for 21st-century Indian classical music

There are two kinds of Indian classical music, Hindustani (North Indian) and Carnatic (South Indian), descended from the same parent tradition which had its roots in ancient worship rituals.

Like North Indian music, Carnatic or South Indian music is also underwritten by raga (melodic structure) and tala (rhythmic cycle).

The present-day format of Carnatic music performance is thought to have grown out of the tremendous flowering, especially of music and dance, in the district of Thanjavar during the reign of King Ragunath Nayak..

The violin is one of the most important instruments in Western classical music, owing not only to a unique strength of tone that stands out among other instruments...

The veena is a large plucked lute and one of India's oldest instruments with a recorded history going back to about 1500 BC.

The mother of all North Indian drums, the pakhawaj is also known as the mridang, the generic word for any barrel-shaped drum.

One of the most ancient drums of India, the mridangam, which literally means 'body of clay', originated in South India. To this day it remains the leading percussion accompaniment for Carnatic music

The ghatam is a South Indian drum resembling a porous earthenware or clay pot, a common household object in North and South India used for cooling drinking water.

Indian classical music has a built-in pecking order, not only based on the seniority or ability of musicians but also by drawing a clear distinction between vocal and instrumental music.