This paper reports the work done in identification of the essential features for the design of a Music Tutoring System for learning the South Indian Classical Music and the conceptualization of its Graphical User Interface. For this, surveys were conducted in two phases to understand the teaching styles and problems faced in the initial stages of learning of Western and Indian Classical Music. Further, an analysis of two of the existing Western Music Tutoring Systems was carried out based on

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... available literature and a generic framework of music tutoring was determined for which, the Kolb's model of Experiential Learning was used. This was then compared with the results of the survey. In this comparison, the cultural differences and the differences in the music styles of Western and South Indian Classical Music were considered and used to outline a set of contextualized characteristics that a tutor of South Indian Carnatic Music should incorporate into its framework. Based on these features and characteristics, implications for graphical user interface and interaction design of such a tutor is subsequently suggested.