Indian Classical music: Indian classical music is of two varieties - Hindustani and Carnatic music. Hindustani music is prevalent in the northern part of the country whereas Carnatic music has its roots in Southern India. Though the fundamentals of these two schools of music remain the same, they differ essentially in their rendition. They can be both vocal and instrumental.

Folk or desi music: This music comes from the various states of the country each different in their language and style, but the impact on the listener is the same. Desi music could be Bhangra from Punjab or Dandiya from Gujarat or Lavani from the state of Maharashtra. Most desi songs are accompanied by dance that compliments the music.

Light music: This is an extremely vast genre that encompasses devotional music, ghazals, patriotic songs and Quwallis. However, the most popular form of light music is Bollywood and Indipop music. Bollywood refers to the Indian counterpart of Hollywood, as in the Indian film industry. This is a real money spinner with legends from Lata Mangeshkar to RD Burman to AR Rehman achieving iconic status. Indian music is known the world over by its remixes, film songs and pop numbers.