Amir Khan was a virtually self-taught musician. He developed his own "gayaki" (singing style), influenced by the styles of Abdul Waheed Khan ("vilambit" tempo), Rajab Ali Khan ("taans") and Aman Ali Khan (merukhand). This unique style, known as the Indore Gharana, blends the spiritual flavour and grandeur of dhrupad with the ornate vividness of khyal. The style he evolved was a unique fusion of intellect and emotion, of technique and temperament, of talent and imagination. Unlike other artists he never made any concessions to popular tastes, but always stuck to his pure, almost puritanical, highbrow style.