Carnatic Music is a style of music most commonly associated with Southern parts of India. There are four main elements that make up the basis of Carnatic Music. They are Sruthi (pitch), Thalam (rhythmic cycle), Ragam (melodic scale) and Swaram (musical note).
Carnatic Music is mainly taught through compositions of Purandara Dasa who composed the basic lessons of Carnatic Music and the Trinity of Carnatic Music (Saint Thyagarajah, MuthuswamiDikshitar and ShyamaSastri) who composed Kritis/Kirthanas. Most compositions are written to be sung but they can also be played on instruments such as the violin, veena or flute.