There is a system of seven notes which are arranged in a means not unlike Western scales. However when we look closely we see that it is quite different what we are familiar with. Many common rhythmic patterns exist. They revolve around repeating patterns of beats. The interpretation of the rag and the tal is not the same all over India.
Today there are two major traditions of classical music.
There is the north Indian and the south Indian tradition. The North Indian tradition is known as Hindustani sangeet and the south Indian is called Carnatic sangeet . Both systems are fundamentally similar but differ in nomenclature and performance practice. Many musical instruments are peculiar to India. The most famous are the sitar and tabla .