musical instruments in india

justinjohnsonstyle

never been to india, but im going beginning of october. i'd like to pick up some nice tablas and a sitar. does anyone know the best city for musical instruments? are some cities better than others for music? north vs. south? also, does anyone have any idea as far as prices go? id like to get some fairly high quality instruments. oh yeah, $US please, if possible
thanks

oytun

i found this web site,this shop is in mumbai

http://www.indianmusicinstruments.com/default.htm

there are also street sellers in mumbai and goa that r selling sitars or some kind of traditional percussions.price is depending on your bargaining talent in street shops .
once i found a sitar in goa in a street shop,seller wanted $100 for it.with a good bargain i could buy it for 50-60 $ but it was hard to carry for me all on my trip.

cheryl

Hi, well the beetles wrote their indian influnced music and songs in Rishikesh back in the 60's. I know the hotels are very reasonable there too. It's a very spiritual and holy place for meditation, mantras and yoga. Perhaps you could try there. I'm also into percussion and have thought about learning the sitar and maybe even buying one. I fly to Delhi 17th Oct and plan to go to Manali, Dharamsala, Rishikesh then down to Goa and Kerala. I hope to get some voluntary work for 1 month in Kerala at a centre for humanity and nature. I am just waiting to here from them. Good luck on your travel
Love and light
chery louise from the UK

Bryan

Without a doubt your best bet is Varanasi
You will also find musical tuition there

There are three schools of tabla in India Lucknow, Varanasi and Lahore
As tabla is an integral part of worship for Sikhs I've heard that Amritsar also have excellent music shops

I was taught in Dharamshala by Guru Jee ...At least thats what we all called him
He is based in Ajmer but moves to Bagsu (Dharamshala) during the hot season

He's a quite eccentric old man with a huge love of music.
He was a musical professor for years and is now retired
he has a collection of musicians who he hooks up with in the himalayas and he does ad-hoc recitals.

I bought tabla from a shop at the very top end of Pahar Ganj at the opp end from the railway
across the busy road and next to the furniture shops
Must say it would have ehelped to ahve known more as i have the feeling he would have taken advantage if i didnt have a musician friend with me

Varanasi however would be your best bet as it is the centre of musical excellence in India from all accoutns and many westerns I've met who are learning tabla spend 3-4 months in Varanasi each year.

Hope that helps
Bryan

__________________
Then let us pray that come it may
(As come it will for a' that),
That Sense and Worth o'er a' the earth,
Shall bear the gree an a' that.
For a' that, an a' that,
It's coming yet for a' that,
That man to man, the world, o'er
Shall brithers be for a' that.
- Burns

SHIMLA

Miraj, an obscure town 475 kms. south of Mumbai once enjoyed the distinction of being the best place to buy a Sitar and a Tambora.

I do not know if this still holds true, but you can get information in Mumbai.

__________________
Whoever said money can't buy happiness didn't know where to shop !

deepsesame

Hey there,

Since you're looking for tabla/sitar -- i thought this might help you,
Its a forum for indian music
http://66.139.254.145/archives/1/0406.html

Btw,if you're looking typically at tabla or sitar,Information at tourist centers in mumbai or north india would be able to provide you with details for the same.

However,you might also be interested in trying out variations of the sitar i.e the Veena which is traditionally south indian and variation of the tabla i.e the mridangam which is southindian as well,In which case you can head south to Chennai--Culturally chennai is THE best place to learn about anything related to music,It is culturally the most friendly indian city,You will be able to get a lot of information related to music and culture here.

--Deepa

India Edge

Friends:
I puchased some pretty decent Hyderabad made tabla (about $120 inc case) in Chennai but I had to look for 'em. Most of the sets I saw there were of lighter weight or lower quality. A friend has brought back some nice tamburas from Mumbai. A word of caution - get good cases and carry on stringed instruments on the flight home. You can check tabla if they're well packed in a HEAVY case - stuff clothes around them. Try to buy instruments at the end of your trip so you don't have to carry them around with you in India.
-Greg

__________________
India pics
India vids

justinjohnsonstyle

wow. as this is the first post i have made i was surprised at the quick responses and supreme quality of information. huge thanks to the members and administrators of this brilliant site.
-justin

mojorootsmusic

Does anyone know about any classical hindustani music school in Jaipur or Kolkata?

Shiver me Timbers

Em, as a left-handed guitar player, I was wondering if there are suitable left-handed sitars in India, I'm useless with my right-hand.

__________________
Europe to India Overland / Andaman's Tips / Pakistan Tips / Flickr Photos / IM Photos

Chandra

JJ: I'd say Varanasi. You'll get a fairly good sitar for around 400 usd, I think.

wildnwacky

Dunno too much, but most of my bandmember friends buy instruments from New Bharat House (Lajpat Nagar) in Delhi....& in Mumbai its from Furtado's in South Bombay.

soulfood

There was another thread on this topic couple of days ago.

I can speak only about Delhi. Daryaganj is the place where you'll find lots of small shops with all kinds of musical instruments. It's a good place if you're looking for value for money.

A little more expensive but a better option in terms of quality is Rikhi Ram in Connaught Place. They are experts in sitar and are also quite famous. The Beatles have bought there.

torryquine

Greg, where did you manage to find them? My husband want's to get a set and as Mamallapuram is our last stop on this trip, Chennai would be an ideal place.

Nick_H, you are very knowledegable about music and Chennai, do you have any suggestions?

TQ

__________________
http://werenotafraid.com/

India Edge

torryquine:
Stopped in at Sruthilaya where I found mostly only lighter weight tabla sets (I prefer heavier drums). They had one heavy bayan of fair quality but the accompanying dayan seemed a bit light and not of high quality. Too bad because the staff was friendly and eager to help (although no one spoke english) and I would have liked to buy here. Then to Sapthaswara where I did find one decent quality set made in Hyderabad with a 3 kg bayan and a nice heavy sheesham wood dayan. Although they had quite a lot of sets to choose from this was the only heavy weight set they had. The young guy showing me the drums was very nice but spoke no english and so kept referring me to another man (the owner?) who was particularly unfriendly and indifferent. Anyway, since I was very limited on time to do my tabla shopping (would have liked to check around some more) I bought this set along with a fiberglass case for $145 U.S. which is probably about half what a set of similar quality would cost here. Good Luck!