Carnatic Raga 4+

Really useful for me.

Really good app

This application is rather excellent for both Indian musicians or, like me, Western musicians trying to study music from the Subcontinent. So this is a review mostly addressed to European, American or Australian instrumentalists who came to Indian music through the usual entry-doors (The Beatles, The Byrds, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Davey Graham etc.) You can either learn the Raga (and with 950 to choose from, that is A LOT of memorising) as it is (and it is illustrated splendidly because the descending Raga is, in most occasions, very different from the ascending), or, if you have studied, for example, other kinds of music like Arabic or North African and you want to find an equivalent in Carnatic music to a particular Maqam, you can tap the notes on the keyboard and the app will give you the most number of approximations or perfect matches, in notes, to that particular Maqam. The list of virtuosi therein contained makes for excellent reading, and of course one, after devouring their biographies, goes straight on YouTube to check them out, thus expanding further one’s knowledge. There are also exercises, to be performed at various speed as the dexterity increases. All in all, a highly satisfying experience. Now we need one for Hindustani music as well! Giorgio Curcetti, musician (guitar, bass, oud, bouzouki, Chaabi mandole, banjo, ukulele, sitar)