Different schools in studying Veena

During the last two centuries, the four southern linguistic areas have evolved their distinct style (bani) of Vina playing i.e., Tanjavur, Andhra, Mysore and Kerala, and each school boasts of eminent Vina players like Dhanammal and the Karaikudi brothers (Tanjavur bani), Sangameswara Sastri and Venkatramana Das (Andhra bani), Subbanna and Seshanna Bhagavatar (Mysore bani and Kalyanakrishna Bhagavatar (senior, Kerala bani). The characteristics of each school have been passed on to the next generation through the guru-sishya parampara (teacher-student tradition). At the same time, an individual musician’s attitude and perceptions also strongly operate to create variations in the fingering technique within the same tradition. In more recent times, we have the example of the gifted Vina player, late S Balachander evolving his own style, largely out of his own inspiration and perspiration.