How To Play Sitar -book and CD

PROS There is some good info here. For example, a chart that captures some of the critical elements of various ragas. CONS Where to start? This is one of the worst written books I have purchased in a long time. The chart mentioned under "Pros" uses such tiny print its impossible to read without scanning it and enlarging many times. Alford introduces highly technical Indian musical terms prior to and sometimes without ever defining them. The book is very disorganized, and filled with grammatical and spelling mistakes. Apparently no one bothered to proof-read/edit this book prior to publishing. Then there is the accompanying CD, which is equally a mess. There are only two (very large) tracks on the CD. The first track (Book Sections 1-5) starts off with the notes of the Indian SARGAM and tuning the sitar. Very boring stuff, and not necessary to include on a CD. But you have to fast forward to any interesting exercises and examples. Some CD players don't have a fast forward, just go track by track, so this can be impossible. I had to use a sound editor to split the single track up into multiple smaller tracks so that I could access each exercise/example directly. Also, the book only goes up to Section 5.5. However, track 2 of the CD starts with section 6, which obviously has no counterpart in the book. All in all, I would not recommend this book to anyone. I purchased the book because I heard it was a good book, but it is obviously grossly over-rated.

I bought almost all sitar books and Indian music books available on Amazon. This one is probably the worst. The CD that came with it is empty... it does not play anywhere, and shows to be an empty recordable CD when inserted into a computer. It's probably a mistake, but what a mistake to make! The book is ok, nothing impressive. It rehashes all common info on sitar playing and ragas, all of which exist for free on the internet. I was hoping to find personal insights and teachings from Clem Alford.

I bought this used, and wanted to know more about sitars and what made them tick. This helped fairly well there. the CD did not work at all. All scratched up. Disappointed there. Because it is no longer published, no chance of getting g back up or replacement. I think it could have used more close up pictures to reveal more understanding. It is a small book. I'll probably see if I can find a different book with more detailed into. I think you might be wise to do the same.

I am still awaiting the arrival of my sitar, so I have not yet actually taken the lessons in this book. But I did read through it, and it looks pretty good. Detailed explanation of the different types of sitars and tunings, explains how to tune & reviews the scales as well as an extensive list of traditional meditative songs. Also an interesting story about the author who was a world-famous bagpipe player until he discovered the sitar, moved to India and studied under a sitar guru for many years.

The CD does not work...and it reads "error" anywhere I have tried to play it. It's been very disappointing!!!

I ordered this item on 14 May 2013, and when it finally arrived (sometime in June) the enclosed disk was unreadable. Whom do I contact to arrange for a replacement disk or how do I download the disk(which I have already purchased). If there is no support for this product please let me know so I can just chuck it and use the instructional discs I have already purchased from Ashwin Batish. Thank you for your attention to this request. Andy Brown

I purchased this book without any previous knowledge of the sitar. It is poorly written with little explanation for the true beginner. It contains undefined terms, poorly photographed images and is only 49 pages long, actually more like a booklet than a true book. Perhaps it might find a more appreciate audience in those with knowledge of the instrument, who understand Indian musical theory and vocabulary.

This book is great for learning , a no nonsense approach to a classic Indian instrament I am going to have a teacher too. It has helpful drills in it and directions on where to place your fingers.