--- url: 'https://kalasudha.com/en-int/vocal/carnatic-classical' title: 'Carnatic Classical: singing of South India' author: name: Anonymous updated: '2026-10-31T16:34:01+00:00' type: website summary: 'Carnatic classical singing is the voice-centred art music of South India. The kriti is its main song, and gamaka, the oscillation on a note, shapes each raga.' tags: - Vocal image: 'https://kalasudha.com/themes/custom/music_agency/assets/icon/logo.svg' published: true og: site_name: KalaSudha 'image:url': 'https://kalasudha.com/themes/custom/music_agency/assets/icon/logo.svg' 'image:secure_url': 'https://kalasudha.com/themes/custom/music_agency/assets/icon/logo.svg' 'image:type': image/svg+xml 'image:alt': KalaSudha --- Tradition # Carnatic Classical कर्नाटक संगीत The classical singing of South India, shaped by raga, tala and gamaka Sub-disciplines 9 Carnatic music, the classical tradition of South India, builds on raga and tala and centres on the voice and the kriti. Students begin with exercises in raga Mayamalavagowla. [ Explore Courses ](/en-int/courses?discipline=232) [ Show interest ](/en-int/vocal/carnatic-classical/show-interest) [Sign in to follow](/en-int/user/login?flag_anon=follow_term-232&destination=/en-int/markdownify/taxonomy/term/232) [ Share ](/en-int/share/term/232) ## Overview **Carnatic music** (also Karnatak) is the classical tradition of South India, practised across the southern states and not only in Karnataka. Each piece follows a **raga**, which governs melody, and a **tala**, a rhythmic cycle built from units called angas. Its northern counterpart is [Hindustani classical](/en-int/vocal/hindustani-classical) music. The voice is the centre of the system: there is no separate instrumental repertoire, and [Carnatic instrumentalists](/en-int/instrumental/carnatic-classical) learn their music through singing. Singers ornament notes with **gamaka**, oscillations on a note and glides from one note to another, integral to how each raga is heard. The main composed form is the [**kriti**](/en-int/vocal/carnatic-classical/kriti), a three-part song of pallavi (refrain), anupallavi and charanam, the main concert item since the early twentieth century. A typical concert pairs the singer with violin and mridangam. Composed pieces alternate with improvisation: alapana, an unmetred exposition of the raga; niraval, variations on one line of the song text; and kalpanasvaram, phrases improvised on the note names. Purandara Dasa is called the pitamaha, or grandsire, of Carnatic music and is credited with its teaching curriculum. Kritis by the **Trinity**, Tyagaraja, Muthuswami Dikshitar and Syama Sastri, sit at the heart of the modern concert, and most song texts are in Telugu and Sanskrit. Students start with **svaravali** (sarali) and janta exercises in raga Mayamalavagowla, then tala alankaras and simple songs called gitams. Varnams, which set out a raga's characteristic phrases, come next, then kritis. Part of **Vocal**: Indian classical vocal music (Sanskrit gita, Hindi geet) is singing built on raga and tala, in two traditions: Hindustani, with forms such as khayal, and Carnatic, with the kriti. [### Kriti A kriti is a composed Carnatic song in one raga and tala, with three sections (pallavi, anupallavi, charanam); kritis by the Trinity composers stay central to concerts. Explore ](/en-int/vocal/carnatic-classical/kriti) [### Kriti A kriti is a composed Carnatic song in one raga and tala, with three sections (pallavi, anupallavi, charanam); kritis by the Trinity composers stay central to concerts. Explore ](/en-int/vocal/carnatic-classical/kriti) [### Kriti A kriti is a composed Carnatic song in one raga and tala, with three sections (pallavi, anupallavi, charanam); kritis by the Trinity composers stay central to concerts. Explore ](/en-int/vocal/carnatic-classical/kriti) [### Kriti A kriti is a composed Carnatic song in one raga and tala, with three sections (pallavi, anupallavi, charanam); kritis by the Trinity composers stay central to concerts. Explore ](/en-int/vocal/carnatic-classical/kriti) [### Varnam A varnam is a Carnatic composition of words and solfa passages that sets out the phrases of one raga. Students learn it before concert pieces, and concerts often open with one. Explore ](/en-int/vocal/carnatic-classical/varnam) [### Varnam A varnam is a Carnatic composition of words and solfa passages that sets out the phrases of one raga. Students learn it before concert pieces, and concerts often open with one. Explore ](/en-int/vocal/carnatic-classical/varnam) ## Frequently Asked Questions Where can I learn Carnatic vocal music online with a live teacher? KalaSudha gives live one-to-one [Carnatic vocal](/en-int/vocal/carnatic-classical) lessons online, each with a vetted teacher. In Carnatic music, the classical tradition of South India, the voice is the centre: instrumentalists learn their music through singing too. Singers shape each raga with **gamaka**, oscillations on a note and glides between notes. Beginners start at **Foundation** with exercises in raga Mayamalavagowla, then move to forms such as the [kriti](/en-int/vocal/carnatic-classical/kriti), the main composed song of a concert. Each level of our [courses](/en-int/courses) ends in a KalaSudha award, and workshops and summer camps run where enough learners sign up. Have more questions? Contact our support team and we'll be happy to help! Stay close ## Keep KalaSudha close. 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