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url: 'https://kalasudha.com/en-in/faq/instruments-artforms/is-the-chitraveena-hard-to-learn'
title: 'Is the chitraveena hard to learn?'
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  name: rajeevk
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date: '2026-10-19T15:11:49+00:00'
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summary: 'The chitraveena is hard mainly because the slide must be placed exactly for every note and microtone, on a long fretless instrument.'
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  FAQ · Instruments & artforms

# Is the chitraveena hard to learn?

 Updated 19 October 2026

 The chief difficulty of the **[chitraveena](/instrument/chitraveena)** is placing the slide accurately for each note and microtone, with no fingering alternatives. Linear sliding is the basic technique, and the instrument is much longer than a violin or sarod. Because it is fretless, the slide produces continuous glides and microtonal inflection, the gamaka central to Carnatic music.



 

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- [   Chitraveena The chitraveena (gottuvadyam) is a fretless Carnatic slide veena with 21 strings: a cylindrical slide gives continuous pitch and gamaka across the full…     ](/en-in/instrument/chitraveena)
 
  

 

 

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