The Raga
At the foundation of Hindustani classical music is the raga — a melodic framework that defines the notes, phrases, ornaments, and emotional character of a performance. A raga is not a scale or a melody, but a living entity: each has its own personality, its own associations with time of day or season, and its own rules that a musician learns to inhabit over years of practice. Within these constraints, every performance is a unique improvisation.
The Tala
Just as there are a variety of ragas in Hindustani music, so too is there a variety of talas, or rhythmic cycles, within which the ragas are performed. Hindustani singers and instrumentalists are usually accompanied by percussionists, often playing the tabla, a pair of hand drums, or a pakhawaj, a large dual-sided hand drum. The framework of the rhythmic cycle allows both musicians to improvise while staying in sync along melodic and rhythmic lines.
The Gharana
For centuries, Hindustani music was transmitted within hereditary guilds known as gharanas — schools defined by geography, family lineage, and a distinct approach to style and technique. The major gharanas (Jaipur, Agra, Kirana, Gwalior, among others) continue to shape how musicians approach their instruments and their music today. To belong to a gharana is to carry a living lineage.
The Guru-Shishya Parampara
Traditional Hindustani music is not learned from books or conservatory curricula. It is passed directly from teacher to student — guru to shishya — in a relationship that is as much spiritual as it is musical. The student lives in proximity to the teacher, absorbing repertoire, style, and wisdom over years or decades. This transmission is considered sacred, and the lineage it creates forms the backbone of the tradition’s continuity.
The Sitar
The sitar is perhaps the most recognizable instrument in the Hindustani tradition in the West, brought to global attention by Pandit Ravi Shankar in the 1960s. With its long neck, resonating gourd body, and up to twenty-one strings (including sympathetic strings that vibrate without being plucked), it produces a shimmering, layered sound unlike any other instrument. Learning the sitar is a lifelong pursuit — beginners spend years on basic posture, tuning, and the mechanics of a single note before repertoire begins in earnest.
Improvisation
Hindustani music is improvisational, both melodically and rhythmically. Just as a singer or instrumentalist improvises within the contraints of the raga, so too does the tabla player improvise within the constraints of the tala, or rhythmic cycle.
The History
North Indian classical music, also known as Hindustani classical music, is a tradition that is thousands of years old. It’s roots stretch back to the Vedas, but it is an art form that is continually changing and evolving. India is home to many musical traditions, but two main classical traditions remain today: Hindustani and Carnatic. The Carnatic tradition hails mostly from the south (though it is played and sung throughout the country). It is the older form of Indian classical music and is considered devotional, as it is sung and played in praise of gods and goddesses.
Hindustani classical music branched off from this tradition during the Mogul period some 400 years ago. This was a time when music moved from the temple to the royal courts, and it was celebrated and refined by the Rajput kings. Akbar the Great took a particular liking to the music and even appointed the legendary singer Mian Tansen as one of his royal advisers. It was during this time that the music evolved into what we know as Hindustani today.