Riyaz () is the systematic practice of music, dance or any other

art form The arts or creative arts are a vast range of human practices involving creative expression, storytelling, and cultural participation. The arts encompass diverse and plural modes of thought, deeds, and existence in an extensive range of me ...

usually under the guidance of a teacher or preceptor. In

Hindustani classical music Hindustani classical music is the Indian classical music, classical music of the Indian subcontinent's northern regions. It may also be called North Indian classical music or ''Uttar Bhartiya shastriya sangeet''. The term ''shastriya sangeet'' ...

tradition, it is employed as a repertoire of exercises to cultivate the musicality of one's voice or fingers. It is known as Sadhakam or Sadhana in

Carnatic music Carnatic music (known as or in the Dravidian languages) is a system of music commonly associated with South India, including the modern Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and southern Odisha. It is o ...

. It is followed rigorously by the students as well as exponents of vocal and dancing forms.

The practice

The ''Riyaaz'' or ''Sadhakam'', which often starts early in the morning at four, is taken seriously by the students for it requires intensity, discipline and commitment for years and forms an important component in the ''Guru - Shishya parampara'' (teacher-student tradition). In Carnatic music, the impression is that the assiduous sadhakam of the Trinity of Carnatic Music was the bedrock of the excellence of the old-world vidwans. A popular system for practice of the

tabla A ''tabla'' is a pair of hand drums from the Indian subcontinent. Since the 18th century, it has been the principal percussion instrument in Hindustani classical music, where it may be played solo, as an accompaniment with other instruments a ...

, known as ''chilla'', is mostly followed by

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

exponents of music and involves 10–12hours of daily for 40days.

References

Music of India Hindustani music terminology Learning methods Musical terminology {{music-stub

The practice

Further reading

References