For many guitarists, learning a raga begins with scales. For others, it begins with a composition. But very few experience a structured journey that gradually develops melody, Alaap, Taans, improvisation and performance as independent yet interconnected skills. That question has shaped much of my work over the last two decades. The result is what eventually became… Continue reading Beyond Repertoire: Raga Bhopali on Guitar and the Evolution of Indian Lead Guitar
Tag: Ragas on guitar
Building Indian Lead Guitar Through Ragas: Expanding a Melody Through Alaap
How the transition from Gat → Alaap → Gat transforms a composition into a long-form musical journey For many guitarists, learning a melody is the destination. You learn a composition, memorize the phrases, perfect the technique, and perform it exactly as it was written. Once the melody ends, the performance ends. Indian classical music offers… Continue reading Building Indian Lead Guitar Through Ragas: Expanding a Melody Through Alaap
Beyond Scales: My Discovery of Alaap on Guitar
For many years, my guitar journey followed a path familiar to countless musicians. Scales. Chords. Songs. Technique. Repertoire. These are important parts of a guitarist’s development. They certainly shaped mine. But somewhere along the way, I became fascinated by a different question: Why do some musicians create a powerful experience with only a few notes?… Continue reading Beyond Scales: My Discovery of Alaap on Guitar
The 3-Phase Raga Development Model: How a Guitarist Becomes a Raga Performer
Most guitarists attempt ragas. Very few can perform them. They start… They explore… But somewhere in between, they stop. The difference is not talent. 👉 It is structure. Most raga learning focuses on content. Very little focuses on development. After over 21 years of working with real learners at Guitarmonk, one pattern became clear: 👉… Continue reading The 3-Phase Raga Development Model: How a Guitarist Becomes a Raga Performer
Ragas on Guitar: Level 4 Ahir Bhairav Composition by Kapil Srivastava
At Level 4 of our Ragas on Guitar journey, students reach a pivotal milestone: when practice becomes performance. I’m very happy to share this — because this is not just a lesson. This is repertoire. A series in the making. It’s built for students to step onto the stage and present a raga with clarity,… Continue reading Ragas on Guitar: Level 4 Ahir Bhairav Composition by Kapil Srivastava
Ragas on Guitar: Introducing Indian Lead Guitar as a Melodic Language
For most guitarists, the instrument is introduced through chords, harmony, and progressions. While this is a powerful musical path, it is not the only way the guitar can exist as a musical voice. There is another lineage of music — rooted in Indian raga traditions — where music is built not on chords, but on… Continue reading Ragas on Guitar: Introducing Indian Lead Guitar as a Melodic Language