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Welcome to Malola Vihar !!

Carnatic music is considered one of the oldest systems of music in the world. Carnatic music is completely melodic, with improvised variations. The main emphasis is on vocal music; most compositions are written to be sung, and even when played on instruments, they are meant to be performed in a singing style (known as ga-yaki). Like Hindustani music, Carnatic music rests on two main elements: ra-ga, the modes or melodic formulæ, and ta-l.a, the rhythmic cycles.

Carnatic music is traditionally taught according to the system formulated by Purandara Dasa. This involves swaravalis (graded exercises), alankaras (exercises based on the seven talas) and gitas or simple songs. After the student has reached a certain standard, varnams are taught, and later, the student learns kritis. It typically takes several years of learning before a student is adept enough to perform at a concert. The learning texts and exercises are more or less uniform across all the South Indian states. The learning structure is arranged in the increasing order of the complexity. The lessons start with the learning of the sarali varisai (solfege set to a particular raga).Carnatic music was traditionally taught in the gurukula system, where the student lived with and learnt the art from his guru (perceptor). From the late 20th century onwards, with changes in lifestyles and need for young music aspirants to simultaneously manoeuvre a parallel academic career, this system has found few takers. We conduct traditional carnatic vocal classes for children and adults in Ashburn, VA, USA. The classes are usually held during weekday evenings and weekends making it convenient for you and your kids to attend.  Classes are split into levels such as basic, intermediate and advanced.  If you are interested in learning music, please contact us.