This list will be available in the “Learn-Online” page above as well.

Heard this on youtube a week ago from a Dharna sung by Sant Sujan Singh ji . ( 4:14 onwards )
Apparently the tune’s originally from an old hindi film. I like it , so I tried playing it.

I first heard this Rajasthani Folk tune sung on SaReGaMaPa 2007 by Raja Hassan. Fantastic Tune, and Fantastic singing.
Here’s what I could manage to play after re-listening to it just twice. I added my own random alaaps and mistakes

Personally I’m happier with the Audio recording in my previous post, but this still feels quite OK, so I’ve put it up.

I read in the book Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, that true mastery of a skill is only achieved after about 10,000 hours of practice. Makes great sense.
After some rough calculations, I’m guessing that I have only about 800 hours worth of practice, including all my lessons.. hahah. ( But in all fairness, I spend quite a lot of time listening to Indian Classical Music. Ustad-ji says listening and trying to pick up nuances from other great musicians is very, very important. )

I’ve come up with 2 conclusions.
1) I can really appreciate the effort and dedication that professional musicians must to put into their practice.
2) As an enthusiast, I’m very grateful for whatever I can do now.

The basic structure of the system I will be using to serve online workshops has been put in place.

No obligations. Learn what you want, when you want, if you want.
But please carefully read through the “learn-online” page at the top first.


There are 3 free lessons up for beginners who have some experience with the Indian system of music , have had some contact with Dilruba / Esraj before, and want to just ‘figure it out’.

* Detailed Lesson on tuning for people with no previous knowledge of the Indian music system is complete for now, but may be added on to based on your questions.
It includes an introduction to the Indian notation system with nice illustrations and simple video demonstrations + detailed illustration for tuning + high quality audio of my Esraj being tuned.


1 workshop to build your note-matching skills and develop your ability to play from any scale ( A#, C#, D# ) without retuning have been put up.

1 workshop consisting of Exercises for Beginners has been put up.
1 Intermediate workshop (Meends) has been put up.
1 Composition in Raag Yaman / Tintaal for beginners - It’s a nice fun composition you can use as a Shaan. It will also challenge your accuracy as you try to play it at faster and faster speeds.


Lessons for proper sitting position and proper hand placement on the playing string are also in the queue.
By Proper - I don’t mean right or wrong. I simply mean, Ustad Piara Singh -> Ustad Baljeet Singh -> Ustad Maiya Singh — their style… which is the TarShehnai or Gayaki (Singing) style.
This is a big deal - because it took me a very long to get it right. Once you do, playing embellishments and adding ‘mithaas’ (sweetness) to your music becomes much easier.

More content will be organized and put up on an ongoing basis.
See the Lessons section on the right - to get a list of what is currently available.

I bought a RiyazStudio license over the weekend.

I think it’s definitely worth it. The best thing is that it feels alive compared to the physical Tanpura and Tabla boxes. The Tanpura sounds very realistic. The Shruti-box type drone helps add to the atmosphere. Tabla accompaniment works great as expected.

It’s a great tool for practice.
Thanks Jackson for pointing it out to me, and Thanks to Jonathan for a very useful product.

I made a couple of recordings:

The warm up - hadn’t practiced this for a while, and just felt like playing it today. The mistakes you hear are due to indecision on my part.
Jamming - Composition for the Shabad, Mouli Dharti Moulia Akaash in Raag Shudh Basant , DeepChandi taal.
Mouli Dharti Moulia Akaash - Manav Jamming (117)

Second Tune:
Jamming - Tune for the Rajasthani folk song Kesariya Baalam
Kesariya Baalam Jam by Manav (116)

How I recorded these

I couldn’t record myself on a new track over the digital tabla recording because I don’t have a microphone attached to my computer.
RiyazStudio was playing on my speakers, and I positioned my portable recorder close to my Esraj - you’ll have to turn the volume up quite a bit in order to hear what the software Tabla and Tanpura sound like.

Jackson from the USA got in touch with me 2 days ago through Youtube. He mentioned a software program called RiyazStudio.

What is it ? It’s a software version of the tanpura box and tabla box most people use to practice Indian Classical Music. Having RiyazStudio is like having both the Tanpura and Tabla boxes in one program.

I’ve got to say, the audio samples on their website sound excellent.

The price is also very attractive: you save about US$250 if you buy RiyazStudio instead of the tanpura and tabla boxes separately.

Anyway, here’s what Jackson said to me about it ..

I asked: Do you have it?

Yeah I do have it. It’s really an awesome program. The sound is amazing. The current “semi-classical” version is much improved in functionality over the screenshot on the website.. It’s more than just a few loops now for each taal, it’s all these variations with more or less detail and at different tempos, and it’s programmable. The guy that created it is always updating and always lets you know and emails you a link to download any new versions.

I said: I’m on a Mac at home, and that crossover thing sounds like a headache, does it work well?

I’m actually on a mac too, but I found Crossover … works just fine (as long as you have an Intel mac). It was a little odd to set up but not a challenge. Actually using it is as easy as opening the Riyaz program.

Anyway if you need any help or anything let me know. I highly recommend trying the program.

So there you go, if you’re looking for a Tanpura and/or Tabla box - he’s an interesting solution.
Thank you Jackson.

** Update **
Check out RiyazStudio’s youtube channel.