--- url: 'https://kalasudha.com/en-au/course/sitar/foundation' title: 'Foundation sitar course for beginners online | KalaSudha' author: name: rajeevk url: 'https://kalasudha.com/en-au/user/4add8741a490747f' date: '2026-11-01T00:59:12+00:00' updated: '2026-11-05T22:36:29+00:00' type: website summary: 'Foundation sitar, prepared by KalaSudha: posture, tuning, Da-Ra strokes, paltas, the cycle and three studied ragas with short gats played with tabla.' tags: - Foundation - Sitar image: 'https://files.kalasudha.com/styles/d12_standard/public/mcp-imported/Sitar-Course-Lesson-Online-Cohort-KalaSudha.jpg?VersionId=4_zf58621fa0f456059ae110919_f11621925fccea142_d20261101_m010049_c003_v0312040_t0012_u01793494849478&h=82966a5b&itok=dEO27Xbg' published: true og: site_name: KalaSudha 'image:url': 'https://files.kalasudha.com/styles/d12_standard/public/mcp-imported/Sitar-Course-Lesson-Online-Cohort-KalaSudha.jpg?VersionId=4_zf58621fa0f456059ae110919_f11621925fccea142_d20261101_m010049_c003_v0312040_t0012_u01793494849478&h=82966a5b&itok=dEO27Xbg' 'image:secure_url': 'https://files.kalasudha.com/styles/d12_standard/public/mcp-imported/Sitar-Course-Lesson-Online-Cohort-KalaSudha.jpg?VersionId=4_zf58621fa0f456059ae110919_f11621925fccea142_d20261101_m010049_c003_v0312040_t0012_u01793494849478&h=82966a5b&itok=dEO27Xbg' 'image:type': image/jpeg 'image:width': '1200' 'image:height': '675' 'image:alt': 'A sitar learner sits cross-legged on a patterned rug playing the sitar, with a notebook of notation open beside him and a teacher seated nearby' --- 1. 1Foundation 2. --- [2Intermediate](/en-au/course/sitar/intermediate) 3. --- [3Advanced](/en-au/course/sitar/advanced) Sitar Prepared by KalaSudha # Foundation Sitar Foundation sitar, prepared by KalaSudha: posture, tuning, Da-Ra strokes, paltas, the cycle and three studied ragas with short gats played with tabla. [Talk to an Advisor](/en-au/form/learner-enquiry?source_entity_type=node&source_entity_id=1843) [See the modules ](#curriculum) Your path9–12 months Modules1A–1C LessonsOne-to-one or in a group Ends inA KalaSudha certificate Overview ## About Foundation **Foundation sitar** takes you from setting up the instrument to two short raga studies played with tabla, with no music background needed. It is the first level of the sitar course prepared by KalaSudha, taught in live online lessons. Singing or humming helps your ear; you do not need to sing. Module 1A covers seating, tuning and fitting the mizrab, then even Da-Ra strokes. You fret cleanly, find Sa and Pa and play the first saptak and five paltas. Module 1B adds shuddha and vikrit swaras, bol patterns with the chikari, the suggested Teentaal, Dadra and Keherwa and swara-bol notation. Read the full overviewShow less Module 1C turns exercises into repertoire. You study three ragas, suggested Yaman, Bhupali and Khamaj, through their pakad and phrases. You learn a short **meend**, a pulled glide to one swara, two prepared gats with four simple variations and a two-minute alaap, then play a gat with a tabla player. Each module has 14 topics, eight core and six electives, and your path is 12 of them. As a typical guide, Foundation takes 9–12 months, and you agree the pace with your teacher. In a cohort, you hear other learners play the same paltas and gats, and an elective has you play a prepared gat in unison with a second learner. Foundation ends with two three-minute accompanied studies and leads to a KalaSudha award (see [certificates](/en-au/indian-classical-music-certificates)). [Ask about Foundation in the Academy](/en-au/academy). ### What you will be able to do - Set up the sitar unaided, name its main parts and check its tuning. - Play 32 alternating Da-Ra strokes with equal attack and no loose-mizrab clicks. - Play ten paltas, four of them in dugun, and tell shuddha from altered swaras. - Recognise three studied ragas from their phrases and play their aroha, avaroha and pakad. - Play a gat in each of two ragas with tabla, keeping the mukhda and sam clear. ### Before you start - You need no previous music or sitar experience to begin Foundation sitar. - You need a sitar your teacher approves, a fitted mizrab, a tuner and a tanpura reference. [Ask about placement ](/en-au/form/learner-enquiry?source_entity_type=node&source_entity_id=1843) Modules ## The three Foundation modules Foundation starts with posture and pitch, then rhythm and notation, then your first ragas and gats. Each module ends with a guided rehearsal and a presentation your teacher reviews. 1. 1A ### Module 1A: The instrument, the ear and the hands 8 core + 4 teacher-set from 14 topics Set up with supported posture and keep a practice record. Tune the main strings, chikari and taraf, fit the mizrab and play even Da-Ra strokes. Then fret cleanly with a free thumb, find Sa and Pa and coordinate both hands in five paltas. 1. 1 Instrument, Seating and Practice SetupCore Set up the sitar with supported posture and establish a daily practice record. 2. 2 Tuning Main Strings, Chikari and TarafCore Tune each string group to the layout your teacher approves. 3. 3 Mizrab Fit and Da-RaCore Fit the mizrab and produce even alternating strokes. 4. 4 Clean Fretting and the Free ThumbCore Place the left finger behind the fret without gripping the neck. 5. 5 Sa, Pa and the First SaptakCore Match reference pitches by voice or humming and locate the first octave. 6. 6 First Paltas and Hand CoordinationCore Coordinate both hands through five short teacher-selected paltas. 7. 7 Guided Rehearsal: Tone and PitchCore Record exercises and correct one pitch fault and one tone fault. 8. 8 Module 1A PresentationCore Present setup, tuning checks and controlled exercises in one take. 9. 1 Singing Before PlayingElective Use your voice to find Sa and Pa, and carry each sung phrase onto the sitar straight after. 10. 2 Mizrab Fit ClinicElective Find the mizrab fit that suits your finger with your teacher and check that it stays still through slow strokes. 11. 3 Care and a Broken Main StringElective Learn to store and handle the sitar safely, and how a broken main string is replaced under supervision. 12. 4 Returning-Player Hand ResetElective Bring a grip habit from earlier playing into view and replace it with the corrected hand position your teacher shows. 13. 5 Kharaj-Pancham Layout StudyElective Work with the bass strings of the kharaj-pancham layout used in the Maihar line, on an instrument suited to it. 14. 6 Gandhar-Pancham Layout StudyElective Learn the gandhar-pancham layout of the Etawah / Imdadkhani line as your teacher approves it, keeping your instrument in a suitable tuning. Show 10 more topics Your teacher fills 4 slots from the electives, their own topics or both. 2. 1B ### Module 1B: Swaras, bols and the cycle 8 core + 4 teacher-set from 14 topics Extend to ten paltas and hear the altered swaras. Play bol patterns with controlled chikari and recite the suggested Teentaal, Dadra and Keherwa. Read and write swara-bol notation and compare two recordings of one raga. 1. 1 Review and Physical ResetCore Review posture and strokes before extending the exercise set. 2. 2 Shuddha and Vikrit SwarasCore Extend to ten paltas and identify altered swaras by ear and position. 3. 3 Diri and Chikari ControlCore Recite and play short bol patterns with controlled chikari punctuation. 4. 4 Counting and Reciting the CycleCore Clap and recite the proposed Foundation cycles with sam and khali clear. 5. 5 Reading and Writing Swara-Bol NotationCore Read and notate a palta with strokes, matras and octave marks. 6. 6 Listening: Two Ways into One RagaCore Compare two teacher-selected recordings of the same raga and locate audible differences. 7. 7 Guided Rhythm RehearsalCore Rehearse paltas and bols against a proposed Teentaal track. 8. 8 Module 1B Review and Oral CheckCore Present rhythm studies, notation and definitions used in the exercises. 9. 1 Extra Palta DesignsElective Widen your daily exercises with new palta designs your teacher demonstrates, working each one slowly through the octave. 10. 2 Bol Recitation Before the StrokeElective Speak the bols and their accents aloud before you play, so the stroke follows the spoken pattern. 11. 3 Dadra and Keherwa AccompanimentElective Take a short exercise into Dadra and Keherwa, counting the beats of each cycle as you play. 12. 4 Notation from a Heard ExerciseElective Train your ear and your notation together by writing down a short exercise you hear, then playing it back. 13. 5 Taraf Listening and TuningElective Listen to the taraf strings and learn how retuning them changes the sitar's resonance. 14. 6 First Jhala GestureElective Play a short chikari pattern set by your teacher as a first step towards jhala, keeping the melody on top. Show 10 more topics Your teacher fills 4 slots from the electives, their own topics or both. 3. 1C ### Module 1C: First ragas and gats 8 core + 4 teacher-set from 14 topics Study three ragas through their pakad and grammar and land a one-swara meend. Learn two short gats with four variations and play a two-minute alaap. Play four cycles with tabla, then present two three-minute accompanied studies. 1. 1 Foundation Review and Intonation RepairCore Resolve pitch and hand-coordination faults before repertoire assessment. 2. 2 Three Ragas: Grammar and RecognitionCore Study three contrasting ragas through their pakad, phrase movement and working grammar. 3. 3 Short Meend to a Known PitchCore Connect two notes by pulling to a target already heard or sung. 4. 4 Prepared Gats and the Return to SamCore Learn two short gats with their mukhda and four simple toda variations. 5. 5 First Alaap and Phrase VariationCore Expand three taught phrases into a short unmetered opening. 6. 6 Playing a Gat with TablaCore Keep the gat cycle while listening to a tabla player and cueing the return. 7. 7 Guided First PerformanceCore Rehearse both gats, short openings and the oral repertoire check. 8. 8 Foundation Portfolio and PresentationCore Present two prepared raga studies and complete the Foundation evidence review. 9. 1 First Jod PulseElective Take your first step into jod by giving prepared phrases a steady pulse with no tala cycle underneath. 10. 2 Basic Jhala CloseElective Learn to finish a prepared gat with a short jhala that balances chikari and melody. 11. 3 Teacher's DhunElective Learn a short dhun your teacher proposes, working phrase by phrase so each ending stays clear. 12. 4 Additional Raga RecognitionElective Widen your listening with raga phrases your teacher chooses, learning to tell them apart by ear. 13. 5 Voice-to-Sitar Phrase StudyElective Follow sung phrase contours on the sitar in the Etawah / Imdadkhani manner, letting the instrument trace the voice. 14. 6 Prepared Gat with a Second LearnerElective Play a prepared gat alongside another learner and learn to listen and keep together through the cycle. Show 10 more topics Your teacher fills 4 slots from the electives, their own topics or both. Why Foundation ## What Foundation builds - ### Clean attack before speed Mizrab fit, even Da-Ra strokes and fretting without a grip come first. The checks listen for buzz and clicks and watch for gripping. - ### Three ragas by ear Study three contrasting ragas through their pakad and phrases, then recognise them by ear and explain their aroha, avaroha and pakad. - ### First gats with tabla Learn two short gats with their mukhda and play four continuous cycles with a tabla player, recovering from a slip and agreeing the ending. Lessons ## Ways to learn ### One-to-one Learn at your own pace. You book online lessons through KalaSudha in your own time zone. [Register interest in 1:1 lessons ](/en-au/course/sitar/foundation/show-interest) ### In a group Learn in a group on a timetable. [Ask about group lessons ](/en-au/form/learner-enquiry?source_entity_type=node&source_entity_id=1843) Questions ## Questions about Foundation Entry, pace, assessment and what you show to finish the level. ### How do I read sitar notation in sargam? Sitar notation in sargam writes each swara, Sa, Re, Ga and the rest, with the stroke and the matra it falls on. Foundation sitar teaches it in module 1B: you read and notate a palta with strokes, matras and octave marks. You read an unfamiliar four-matra exercise and write a taught palta with each note aligned to its beat. ### Which ragas should a sitar beginner learn first? Foundation sitar studies three contrasting ragas, suggested Yaman, Bhupali and Khamaj, chosen for their different swaras and movement. Your teacher confirms them or substitutes ragas that keep the same contrast. You learn each raga's pakad, phrase movement and working grammar, and prepare a short gat in two of them. ### How is the Foundation level of the sitar course assessed? The Foundation level of the sitar course is assessed through playing and oral questions with a notation task; there is no separate theory paper. You present two three-minute studies with tabla accompaniment, and your portfolio adds a two-minute unmetered opening, four continuous cycles with a tabla player and a one-swara meend. Your teacher also tests recognition across your three studied ragas. Each clause is marked met or not yet met. ### How do I learn alaap, jor and jhala and play a gat with tabla? Sitar alaap starts at Foundation with a two-minute unmetered opening built from three taught phrases. You also play a prepared gat for four continuous cycles with a tabla player, cueing the return to sam. A first jod pulse and a short jhala close are Foundation electives; full jod and jhala come at Intermediate and Advanced. ### Still have questions? Our support team can help you find the right answer. [Contact support](/en-au/form/learner-enquiry?source_entity_type=node&source_entity_id=1843) Next steps ## Ready to begin Foundation? Tell us what you want to learn and where you are today. An academy advisor will help you find a good next step. [Talk to an Advisor](/en-au/form/learner-enquiry?source_entity_type=node&source_entity_id=1843) [ Back to Sitar](/en-au/course/sitar) Next level ### Intermediate [Explore Intermediate ](/en-au/course/sitar/intermediate)