the sitar project  
last updated December 19, 2010
   

aFounder members of the sitar project at the Queen's Hall, Edinburgh, 2005

 Technique           The music
a a a a a   a
Holding sitar Playing strokes Making notes Playing patterns Maintenance   Understand Rag
Performance    
a a a a a   a
Alap
Jor
Gat
Jhala
Chakradhar
   Understand tal
Introduction

The sitar project aims to support people who want to learn sitar in Scotland. This website contains material to support people's learning, when they cannot get access to their guru.The information is presented under 12 aspects of playing sitar. Click each heading to explore these.

 


The material is organised into 4 levels of study. Click each heading for an explanation:

 

Beginners


Covers the basic skills and knowledge to handle the instrument confidently and play basic material so that you can successfully progress to the next level. Click here to print a list of all the topics for beginners.


Improvers


Covers the skills and knowledge to be able to play a short performance of gat, composed tans and concluding jhala and to lay the foundations for progressing to the next level. Click here to print a list of all the topics for improvers.

 

Intermediate


Covers the skills and knowledge to play a performance including some improvisation on the gat and some improvised jhala and to lay the foundations for progressing to the next level. Click here to print a list of all the topics for intermediate.

 

Higher


Covers the skills and knowledge to be able to play a short alap followed by performance of gat including extensive improvisation and concluding jhala and to lay the foundations for advanced study. Click here to print a list of all the topics for higher.

 

 

 

The material has been selected and designed using the following principles:
- easier things should be taught before more difficult things
- the most useful and relevant things should be taught before rarer, less useful or less relevant things
- one thing should be taught at a time

 

These principles will help you make more rapid progress. Having said that - there are no short cuts to learning sitar and there is no alternative to steady practice.

 

theSitarProject meets on Fridays in term time at Tollcross Community Education Centre in Edinburgh. Click here to visit the Tabla Alba website and click the learning tab for more information about dates, times and prices.

 

The sitar project was started by the South Asian Arts Collective, Edinbugh in 2004. To contact us click here.