Enayat Ali, was the most well known and one of the finest Sarod players belonging to the Sarod Gharana of Shahjahanpur. It is interesting to note that all the above three stalwarts of Sarod playing took extensive training at one point of time from masters of the Senia Gharana - the Gharana coming down from Mian Tansen - and thus the Sarod Gharana of Shahjahanpur later on came to be known as the Senia Shahjahanpore Gharana. One (or more) of these three are credited with the idea of modifying the Afghan Rabab by adding a metal fingerboard and metallic strings and also with the addition of the Chikari (Jhala) and Tarab (sympathetic) strings. Thus the modern Sarode was born.

Gulam Ali was the grandson of another Afghan Rabab player Gulam Bandegi Khan Bangash who was commissioned as a soldier in the army of Raja Vishwanath Singh of Rewa. Bandegi Khan trained his son Haider Khan and grandson Ghulam Ali Khan in the art of Rabab playing. Ghulam Ali also received musical training from Pyar Khan and Jafar Khan who were distinguished Rabab players (the Senia Rabab, which was different from the Afghan Rabab ) and direct descendents of Tansen. Raja Vishwanath Singh gave Ghulam Ali Khan instruction in Dhrupad singing, the slow, ornate and dignified style of vocal music, that was prevalent then. Ghulam Ali later became a court musician in Gwalior, the most important musical center for North Indian music at that time.