Raga Tilak Kamod

Instrumental Sitar is a studio album by Indian classical sitarist Rais Khan. Khan released the album in 1969 under the His Master’s Voice label. The recording appeared on a 12\" vinyl format and featured traditional Hindustani classical compositions performed on the sitar.

The album includes a rendition of Raga Tilak Kamod as track B1. Khan interprets the raga with alap, jor, and jhala sections followed by a gat in teentaal. The composition adheres to the structural conventions of the Maihar gharana, emphasizing intricate taan patterns and bol-baant techniques. The recording captures Khan’s early stylistic development, characterized by precise meend and gamak embellishments.

His Master’s Voice produced the album during a period of expanded commercial recording for North Indian classical instrumentalists. The label distributed the vinyl in India and select international markets. No additional session musicians or accompanying artists are credited in available documentation. The original pressing includes liner notes with brief commentary on the raga’s melodic framework, though the author remains unnamed.

The release date of 1969 positions the album within Khan’s formative years as a solo artist. Prior to this recording, Khan trained under Ustad Vilayat Khan and began establishing his performance career in Mumbai’s classical music circuits. Instrumental Sitar serves as one of his earliest commercially available works, predating his later collaborations with tabla players and orchestral ensembles.

Specific details about the recording location, production personnel, and total track count remain unverified in public sources. The album cover design features a portrait of Khan with his sitar, consistent with His Master’s Voice’s visual branding for classical releases of the era.