KalaSudha in Berlin
The Embassy of India in Berlin gave the sitar an evening of its own in November 2013, with tabla beside it. Register for news of KalaSudha's planned Berlin concerts and workshops.
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About KalaSudha in Berlin
The Embassy of India gave Indian classical music in Berlin a sitar evening on 5 November 2013, with tabla, in its auditorium on Tiergartenstraße. The programme was evening ragas, and the embassy's notice said the evening honoured Ravi Shankar, who had died about a year earlier. The same notice dates the sitar's popularity in Germany and Europe to the 1970s.
KalaSudha is preparing concerts with top-class Indian classical musicians for Berlin, and workshops alongside them. Every Berlin listing will say whether the sitar leads, so you can book with that in mind. The sitar has curved metal frets and buzzes off its broad bridge, the jawari. First-time listeners are welcome.
To play the sitar yourself, start with online lessons from a live teacher through our academy; you need not wait for a Berlin date. Top educationists vet every structured course, and each is built by its instructor with KalaSudha. KalaSudha also sells top-quality sitars, built in close collaboration with the makers, with service worldwide. Any Berlin workshop depends on enough local interest and suitable arrangements, and nothing in the city is confirmed yet. Press Register for updates for Berlin news.
Why Berlin
What sets KalaSudha apart in Berlin
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Listen for the bend
The sitar's curved frets let a player pull a string sideways and bend one note into another. That bend is the meend. Listen for it in the opening alap, before the tabla comes in.
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The wire plectrum
A sitarist plucks with the mizrab, a wire plectrum worn on the index finger. Watch the right hand: the mizrab strikes the playing strings, while the sympathetic strings beneath them keep ringing.
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A sitar of your own
Learn the sitar online with a live teacher, and buy your instrument from KalaSudha. Our sitars are built in close collaboration with the makers, and we service them worldwide.