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
Foundation Level — Sitar
Foundation Levels 1A–1C

Sitar · Sitar

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.

  • 3 modules
  • 36 topics
Show interest View curriculum

What you'll master

Skills you will carry forward

  • 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.

About this course

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.

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. 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). Ask about Foundation in the Academy.

Your learning journey

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.

  • Module 1A: the instrument, the ear and the hands

    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.

  • Module 1B: swaras, bols and the cycle

    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.

  • Module 1C: first ragas and gats

    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.

Your learning journey

Curriculum

36 topics

Sthayi 1A · The Instrument, the Ear and the Hands

14 available topics; 12 on your path.

Core topics Every learner takes these 8

  1. Topic 01

    Instrument, Seating and Practice Setup

    Set up the sitar with supported posture and establish a daily practice record.

    Ready to move on when: Set up without assistance, name the main parts and show seven days of practice notes.

  2. Topic 02

    Tuning Main Strings, Chikari and Taraf

    Tune each string group to the layout your teacher approves.

    Ready to move on when: Tune the main and chikari strings against a reference and check taraf with teacher support.

  3. Topic 03

    Mizrab Fit and Da-Ra

    Fit the mizrab and produce even alternating strokes.

    Ready to move on when: Play 32 alternating strokes with equal attack and no loose-mizrab clicks.

  4. Topic 04

    Clean Fretting and the Free Thumb

    Place the left finger behind the fret without gripping the neck.

    Ready to move on when: Sound eight fretted notes without buzz or visible gripping and release between repetitions.

  5. Topic 05

    Sa, Pa and the First Saptak

    Match reference pitches by voice or humming and locate the first octave.

    Ready to move on when: Match Sa and Pa and play the octave in tune while identifying a deliberately mistuned note.

  6. Topic 06

    First Paltas and Hand Coordination

    Coordinate both hands through five short teacher-selected paltas.

    Ready to move on when: Play five paltas twice at a steady slow pulse with every note aligned to its stroke.

  7. Topic 07

    Guided Rehearsal: Tone and Pitch

    Record exercises and correct one pitch fault and one tone fault.

    Ready to move on when: Submit before-and-after exercises and identify the corrections in your practice record.

  8. Topic 08

    Module 1A Presentation

    Present setup, tuning checks and controlled exercises in one take.

    Ready to move on when: Demonstrate the preceding six core criteria and identify one remaining practice priority.

Electives Your teacher fills 4 open slots from these electives, their own topics or both.

  • Elective

    Singing Before Playing

    Sing or hum four Sa-Pa phrases.

    Ready to move on when: Sing or hum four Sa-Pa phrases and reproduce them on the sitar.

  • Elective

    Mizrab Fit Clinic

    Compare two fits.

    Ready to move on when: Compare two fits and play sixteen clear strokes with the approved fit.

  • Elective

    Care and a Broken Main String

    Demonstrate safe storage.

    Ready to move on when: Demonstrate safe storage and explain a supervised string replacement.

  • Elective

    Returning-Player Hand Reset

    Correct one inherited grip habit on two recorded exercise repetitions.

    Ready to move on when: Correct one inherited grip habit on two recorded exercise repetitions.

  • Elective

    Kharaj-Pancham Layout Study

    Name the teacher-approved bass strings.

    Ready to move on when: Name the teacher-approved bass strings and play a clean low-register phrase on a suitable instrument.

  • Elective

    Gandhar-Pancham Layout Study

    Explain the approved layout.

    Ready to move on when: Explain the approved layout and play four pitches without changing the instrument to an unsuitable tuning.

Foundation pathway

How this level progresses

3 structured modules, taken in order.

Modules are taken in sequence

  1. Level 1A

    Sthayi 1A · The Instrument, the Ear and the Hands

    Topics
    12 topics
    Activities
    56 activities

  2. Level 1B

    Sthayi 1B · Swaras, Bols and the Cycle

    Topics
    12 topics
    Activities
    56 activities

  3. Level 1C

    Sthayi 1C · First Ragas and Gats

    Topics
    12 topics
    Activities
    56 activities

Inside Foundation

  • 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.

Before you begin

  • 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.

Frequently asked questions

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.

Have more questions? Contact our support team and we'll be happy to help!

Next steps

Ready to begin Foundation?

Begin Foundation Level.

Explore Intermediate Level Show interest

Back to Sitar