S. Balachander's Music Blog

Welcome to my blog! Start at the if you are new, or browse the latest posts below.

Latest Articles


Raga Desi - Importance of Shruti Bheda

Posted on 15 November, 20226 min read

What is Shruti Bheda? All around the world, there are many different types of tuning systems or ways to divide a musical octave. The most…


Raga Hamir Kalyan - A Farmaish

Posted on 16 July, 20225 min read

In the tradition of Indian classical music, it is not unusual for a fan or a patron to request an artist to perform a specific Raga or a…


Raga Alapana in Raga Bilaskhani Todi

Posted on 19 June, 20223 min read

I have covered Raga Bilaskhani Todi before. You might have heard my earlier release where I perform a Pallavi in Raga Bilaskhani Todi, with…


Raga Durga - An Oriental Pentatonic

Posted on 29 May, 20224 min read

Raga Durga is very popular in Indian music. It has an audhava or a pentatonic scale. This scale is also found in traditional music of…


Raga Malkauns - The Calming Melody

Posted on 01 May, 20224 min read

There are many systems of Raga classifcation in Indian Classical Music including Raga - Ragini, Melakarta, Janaka - Janya, Thaat, etc. These…


Raga Hamsadhwani - Raga of the North and South

Posted on 17 April, 20223 min read

Raga Hamsadhwani is a very popular Raga played extensively in both North and South India. You may have heard the popular Kriti (lyrical…


Veena and Vani - A musical conversation in Raga Shuddha Sarang

Posted on 03 April, 20224 min read

Indian Classical music has a time-honoured tradition of vocals and veena performing together. You may have already read about it during our…


Raga Bhairav - a Heritage Raga

Posted on 20 March, 20223 min read

There are many systems of Raga classifcation in Indian Classical Music including Raga - Ragini, Melakarta, Janaka - Janya, and Thaat. These…