Attributed to India's immensity and variety, Indian music envelops various kinds of genres and structures which incorporate traditional music, folk, country, rock, and pop. It has a set of experiences crossing a few centuries and created in more than a few geo-areas spreading all over the sub-continent.

Indian old-style classical music is a rich practice that began in South Asia and can now be tracked down in all edges of the world. Its beginning dates back to holy Vedic sacred texts a while back where chants fostered an arrangement of melodic notes and cadence cycles.

☛ The two primary customs of Indian traditional music are Carnatic music, which is most popular in the peninsular (southern) locales, and Hindustani music, which is popular in the northern, eastern, and central districts. The fundamental ideas of this music incorporate Shruti (microtones), Swaras (notes), Alankar (ornamentations), Raga (tunes made from essential grammar structures), and Tala (cadenced patterns utilized in percussion).

Its apparent framework isolates the octave into 22 sections called Shrutis, not all equivalent yet each generally equivalent to a quarter of an entire tone of the Western music. Both the old-style classical music are depending on the essentials of The seven notes of Indian Classical music.

These seven notes are likewise called Sapta svara or Sapta Sur. The fundamental contrast between Hindustani Music and Carnatic Music is their tunes. Hindustani music has just six rags, while Carnatic music has 72 rags. Hindustani has seven sub-styles in singing, yet Carnatic has just a single style in singing.

☛ Rabindra Sangeet, melodies composed and created by the great Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore, draw on the unadulterated Indian old style and conventional folk-music sources, including the Baul genre. They have a strong influence on the Bengali social life.

☛ Sufi music alludes to the devotional music of the Sufis, crafted by Sufi writers like Rumi, Hafiz, Bulleh Shah, Amir Khusrow, and Khwaja Ghulam Farid. Qawwali is the most popular type of Sufi music and is most generally tracked down in the Sufi culture in South Asia. Nonetheless, music is additionally fundamental to the Sema function of the whirling dervishes, which is set to a type of music called Ayin, a vocal and instrumental piece highlighting Turkish instruments like the ney (a reed woodwind). The West African Gnawa is another structure, and Sufis from Indonesia to Afghanistan to Morocco have made music fundamental to their practices.

☛ Film music or Bollywood music is India's most popular type of music. In all honesty, it is one of the most prevailing parts of Indian popular music and classical music alongside western music.

FAQs

Q1.  What is unique about Carnatic Music?

Apart from the sound energy of Nada Yoga and its vibrations, Carnatic Music inspires positive physical and spiritual impacts, eliminating mental stress. Carnatic music in its instrumental structure accompanies many benefits for youngsters, who can refine their hand-eye synchronizations and motor abilities.

Q2. How did Indian music originate?

Starting the historical backdrop of Indian music with the melodic examples of Vedic chanting is essential. The most seasoned music, which had a language structure was the Vedic. The hymns of the Rig-Veda were known as the richas. The Yajur Veda was additionally a religious serenade. Yet, genuine music in Northern or Southern India, of those past days could never have just been of this sort.

There were non-Aryan individuals with their own craft. For example, Santhal music from the Eastern locale of India might have been passed down from them. While the distinctions are self-evident, there is no question that such music of individuals added to the arrangement of what we presently call Hindustani Classical Music.

Q3. What are the main features of Indian music?

Main features or Characteristics of Indian Music folk, Classical (Hindustani and Carnatic) and pop music, among others. Classical music is characterized by microtones (or shruti), notes (or swara), ornamentations (or alankar), raga) and rhythm patterns or tala.

☛ SHRUTI - It means the smallest interval of pitch that the human ear can detect and that a singer or musical instrument can produce.

☛ SWARA - Swara connotes a note in the successive steps of the octave (23 different pitches). The seven swaras are Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, and Ni.

☛ Ornamentation or alankar different kinds of ornaments (alankar) add finer tones and textures to the melody.

Q4. Is Indian music important to culture?

Indian music has always had strong ties with mythology and religion. Music infuses all aspects of cultural life in India: song and dance have a noticeable role everywhere- in the home, on the street, at the temple, at social events, in festive celebrations. India is amazingly diverse in its religious and ethnic alignment, and, as these two streams flow through virtually all Indian cultures, traditional music in India embraces an immense and sophisticated tapestry of classical and folk music.

Indian classical music centers on the ‘guru-shishya’ model. Culturally, It has predominantly been contributing to the cultural aesthetics of this music: encouraged the development of devotional theaters for direct religious worship and elaborate vocal traditions embodying the human voice.

Q5. What is the purpose of Indian music?

Apart from being profoundly emotive and pleasing, Indian classical music has one unique hidden quality - its ability to heal our bodies, cleanse our minds and uplift our spirits. Indian music has enormous potential to create a state of mental well-being in a person. Singing can improve breathing and lung function.

Playing instruments strengthens the motor functions of the brain, and Raagas and rhythm help organize our thoughts, reduce hypertension, depression and anxiety. Indian classical music, due to its organic origins, has the potential to bring us closer to our inner being. Music is the most effective way to increase one’s spirituality. It has a direct link to the gods.

Q6. What kind of music is used in India?

India is a very diverse country and so is the music. It can be classified under these genres:

☛ Indian Classical Music : The two main traditions of Indian classical music are

☛ Carnatic Music :  found predominantly in the peninsular regions, and

☛ Hindustani Music : found in the northern, eastern, and central regions. There are ten main styles of singing in Hindustani music like Dhrupad, Khayal, Tappa, Chaturanga, Tarana, Sargam, Thumri and Ragasagaram, Hori, and Dhamar.

☛ Folk Music : It has diverse forms including Ravindra Sangeet, Bihu of Assam, bhangra, lavani, dandiya, and Rajasthani.

☛ Popular Music : These include Filmi, Pop, Rock and metal music, Hip hop. Language-based various provincial folk and elite music are also there.

Q7. What is Indian folk music used for?

Folk music primarily is related to festivals, religious traditions, folk stories, and the simple life of the people of India. Folk songs and poems have been used in social gatherings to work together. Folk music has to be and is the most important one in a society and culture. As the name suggests, Folk is the music of the people.

Folk never eliminates people and culture from its lyrics and rhythms. It keeps the people connected to their past and their culture. Folklore has a vital position in handing down social norms, spiritual know-how, and information and in preserving the strong social shape.

Q8. How many types of folk music are there in India?

There are 4 types of folk music. They are primitive/tribal, elite/art, folk, and popular. India is a geographically and traditionally diverse country. There are different types of folk music associated with a specific state. Here is a curated list of ten (10) of the finest folk music from around the country:

1) Bihugeet- Assam, 2) Baul- Bengal, 3) Lavani- Maharashtra, 4) Pandavani- Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, 5) Bhavgeet- Karnataka, 6) Nattupura Pattu- Tamil Nadu, 7) Zeliang- Nagaland, 8) Maand- Rajasthan, 9) Kajari- Uttar Pradesh, Bihar,  10) Baryi- Arunachal Pradesh.

Q9. What is the Speciality of folk songs?

Folk songs are important to music because they give a short history of the people involved in the music. Folk songs often pass important information by oral tradition from one singer or generation to the next as well. These often exist in several versions and are marked generally by simple, modal melody and stanzaic, narrative verse.

Folk songs give us a snapshot of life forgotten or on the verge of disappearing. Almost everyone can relate to a folk song. Folk songs also tend to highlight facets of living that all cultures share, shedding light on the similarities between people as opposed to differences.