Cultural & Spiritual Connections of the Sitar

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Part of the video series: How to Play the Sitar

Alankars Technique for the Sitar

Sitar Performance Demonstration

Using Tanpuras for Accompaniment

Women & the History of the Sitar

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Summary: Learn some of the cultural traditions surrounding the sitar and Hindustani music in this free online music lesson on how to play the sitar.

Views: 4,356 | Tags: online, india, technique, sitar, string, instrument, tune, song, hindu, shankar

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About the Expert
Contact: sangeetmillennium.org.com

Amelia Maciszewski Amelia Maciszewski has dedicated her entire life to studying and teaching Hindustani instrumental and vocal music. She has a Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology and has... read more

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Video Transcript

Cultural & Spiritual Connections of the Sitar

This is not just a music that we are talking about, it’s a culture. It is part of a culture and it’s a music culture in itself; and there are some aspects to it as a student of this music non-Indians and Indians alike need to respect. And one of them is that instruments are considered sacred objects. The Vina which is kind of the mother of Sitar is held by the Goddess Sarasvati, the Goddess of Learning in the Arts. And the drums are held by Ganesh the Elephant God and the dance is done by the destroyer god, Shiva. So these instruments deserve respect just like any sacred objects. And part of that in Indian culture is removing your shoes when you are around them. No matter whether you are playing them or not but when you enter the sacred space where the instruments are you should remove your shoes and you should be careful not to step over them as well.