David and Chandrakantha Courtneys Homepage

Announcements
CLASSES We are back from our trip, and classes are going on now. For info check classes Check out the latest book An American in Hyderabad: life in India in the 1970s

Announcements

CLASSES

We are back from our trip, and classes are going on now. For info check classes

Check out the latest book
An American in Hyderabad: life in India in the 1970s

Who Are We?

We are Chandrakantha and David Courtney, a husband-and-wife team who are involved in Indian Music. We are based in Houston, TX We teach, perform, and have a number of recordings, books and other material for anyone interested in Indian Music

What Is On This Site?

Search & Navigation

Search - Domain wide search engine.
Index - Book style index for the domain

Learning Indian Music

Our Classes - This is a link to information about our classes. We teach North Indian classical vocal, tabla, dilruba and esraj in the Houston TX area.
F.A.Q.s - These are "Frequently Asked Questions" about Indian classical music, and about the learning of this music.
Teachers and Performers - If you do not live in the Houston area, or if you are interested in some subject other than what we teach, this is a world-wide list of performers and teachers of various aspects of Indian music and dance.
Suppliers of Indian Instruments - Obviously if you want to learn an Indian instrument, you must have one for practice. This is a world-wide list of places where you can get them.
Electronic Aids In Indian Music Education - This is a paper that I delivered a long time ago.
New Approaches To Tabla Instruction - This is another paper that I delivered a long time ago.

Products and Services

Tabla Repair - Head replacement and other repairs.
Products and Services - Find our various products and services here, such as CDs books, and other services.
Advertising - Advertise in CHANDRAKANTHA.COM.

Indian Classical Music

Fundamentals of Rag - Introduction to the North Indian concept of the rag.
Index of Rags - A few common North Indian rags.
Laharas - A collection of laharas for tabla / pakhawaj solos as well as Kathak dance performances.
Fundamentals of Tal - An introduction to the North Indian approach to rhythm.

Avartan - The cycle.
Bol - mnemonic syllables
Popular Songs - A breakdown of many Bollywood songs organised by their tals.
Index of Tals - The common rhythmic patterns in North Indian music.
Khali - Waving of the hands.
Lay - Tempo.
Matra - The Beat
Sam - First beat of the cycle.
Tali - The claps.
Theka - The "Groove".
Vibhagh - The measure (bar).

Genre - A breakdown of the styles of North Indian music.
Film Songs in Rags - An index of classical based film songs indexed by rag.
Notation - A discussion of the North Indian approach to musical notation

Filmi, Bollywood, and Other Indian Pop Music

Bollywood / Filmi - The most popular form of music in India today.
Ghazal - A form of song which has evolved from poetic recitation.
Bhangra - This was originally a folk song/ dance that has shed its folk associations and is now considered to be a urban commercial genre.
Kirtan/ Dhun - Kirtan and dhun are forms of Hindu religious songs.
Qawwali - This is a form of Islamic devotional song.
Bhajan - This is a Hindu devotional song.
Geet - A general term for a non-classical song.

Indian Folk Music

The Vaoaiya Folksong Of Northern Bangladesh - The vaoaiya (Bhawaia).
Kushan Theatre Revival in Bangladesh - Efforts to revive and popularise a traditional Bengali folk art.

Dance

Classical Dances

Bharat Natyam - Most popular form of classical dance in India today
Kathak - Traditional North Indian classical dance.
Kuchipudi - Classical dance of Andhra Pradesh.
Kathakali - Traditional folk theatre of Kerala.
Manipuri - Traditional dance of the North East Indian state of Manipur.
Odissi - Classical dance from Odissa.

Non-Classical Dances

Bollywood Dance - Indian Filmi Dance.
Mohini Attam - Traditional dance from Kerala.
Andhra Natyam - Traditional dance from Andhra Pradesh.
Folk Dance - Overview of Indian folk dances.

Instrumental Music

Indian Instruments - The place to go for information on the musical instruments of India.
Tuning Indian Instruments - Overview on how to tune a variety of Indian instruments.
Western / Indian Note Equivalents - A very useful table to assist you in tuning instruments, especially if you are using a keyboard or electronic tuner as a reference.
Sitar - A series of pages on various aspects of the sitar.
Tabla - Introductory article on the Indian drum known as the tabla
Tablasite - Articles, and resources on the Indian tabla
Sarangi - Articles, and resources on the Indian sarangi.
Dilruba - Articles, and resources on the Indian dilruba.
Esraj - Articles, and resources on the Indian esraj.

History Of Indian Music

Historical Development of North Indian Music - A brief overview of the Hindustani system of music.
Mythological Origins of Sangeet - History of North Indian music from a mythological standpoint.
Indian Film Songs & Events of the Year - World events, South -Asian events and film world events as well as videos of film songs for particular years.
The Tawaif, The Anti-Nautch Movement, and the Development of North Indian Classical Music - A look back at this once noble profession.
The Gharana - Brief look at the gharana.
Origin of the Sitar - A look at the history of the sitar.
Natya Shastra - A brief look at the oldest surviving work on stagecraft in the world.
Contemporary Indian Music and The Vedas - A look at historical view relating to the connection between contemporary music and the classical Vedas.

Forums

ICM Newbies - Forums specifically for newcomers to ICM.
General Discussions - General topics relating to ICM.
Carnatic Sangeet - Discussions relating to South Indian music.
Sitar & Surbahar - Technique, teachers, theory, history etc, of the sitar & Surbahar.
Tabla - Technique, teachers, theory, history etc., of the tabla.
Sarod - Everything about the sarod.
Vitat (Sarangi, Dilruba, Violin, etc.) - Everything about Indian bowed Instruments.
Traditional Indian Dance - Everything about Indian dance.
Dhrupad & Rudra Vina - Everything about vocal and instrumental dhrupad.
Classical Film Songs - Discussions related to classical songs from the films.
These Forums - Suggestions, coding and login issues, features, etc.
Forum Archives - Forums past

Chandra & David

Chandra's Bio - Information about Chandrakantha Courtney.
David's Bio - Information about David Courtney.
Contacting Us - Here are our e-mail, snail-mail and telephone numbers.
Other Sites - Other sites of Chandra and/or David Courtney.
Videos - Videos either by us or about us.

Misc. Topics

Biographies - Links and bios of famous Indian musicians.
Rosin & Indian Bowed Instruments - More than you ever wanted to know about rosin.
Chandrakantha Courtney's Music Page - Streaming audio and video of our music.
Introduction to Spectrum Analysis - If you are a newbie to spectrum analysis, check this out.
The Twain Hath Met - A secret brotherhood in India?
Other People - Other people who have contributed to this site.