How to learn the sitar Bill and Ted style

March 1, 2011 8:09 AM

How do I go to India for a year to learn the Sitar?

I've been taking Sitar lessons in the UK for a few months - the only trouble is there aren't that many tutors here so my lessons are far away from home/expensive and I can only go to one every couple of weeks due to work/life commitments.

It would be amazing to do a Bill and Ted and disappear for a year to learn how to play - so my question is: Is this actually possible? Assuming I can just pack up and go, what would I need to do to find and train with a sitar maestro for several months or a year? Is India the best place? How would I find a teacher...where would I stay....how much money would I need to support myself? Bonus points for anyone who has actually moved country to learn a new skill :)

posted by cardamine to grab bag (2 answers total)

Check out India Mike. There is at least one regular there who has traveled to India many times to study music.

One slight hitch will be getting a visa that allows you to stay in India for a year, as India only issues tourist visas for six months.
posted by Sara C. at 8:53 AM on March 1, 2011

As Sara says, the one year visa is not applicable for tourism. What you need to do is to find a music school that you can enroll into, and then get a student visa for the duration of the course.
posted by vidur at 11:59 AM on March 1, 2011