Sounds of India
Welcome to the 'Sounds of India' - the blog dedicated to Indian music!
India offers a rich and varid heritage of music. Sound in different forms - be it the myriad vocal styles or the complex rhythmic patterns - is embedded in the fabric of Indian culture. For years, India has been the cradle of musical experiments. Sounds of India have a universal appeal. They have transcended geographical borders and cultures to become an integral part of world music and a global culture. Indian artists are sought and revered across the world.
Objectives
The objectives behind this blog are two-fold:
1) to explore various forms and nuances of Indian music
2) to generate and spread awareness about Indian music
Structure
The blogs would be theme-based. The themes would largely revolve around Indian Instruments, Rhythms and Raagas, and Collaboration of Indian music with world music. Minor themes such as Indian folk music, Research on Music etc. will evolve over time.
Participation
All and everyone interested in music are welcome to contribute. Hopefully, over a period of time, these blogs will become a rich, one-stop source of information on various facets of Indian music.
Tabla enthusiasts may also visit
http://www.northindiandrums.blogspot.com
Yours truly ,
Rajiv
India offers a rich and varid heritage of music. Sound in different forms - be it the myriad vocal styles or the complex rhythmic patterns - is embedded in the fabric of Indian culture. For years, India has been the cradle of musical experiments. Sounds of India have a universal appeal. They have transcended geographical borders and cultures to become an integral part of world music and a global culture. Indian artists are sought and revered across the world.
Objectives
The objectives behind this blog are two-fold:
1) to explore various forms and nuances of Indian music
2) to generate and spread awareness about Indian music
Structure
The blogs would be theme-based. The themes would largely revolve around Indian Instruments, Rhythms and Raagas, and Collaboration of Indian music with world music. Minor themes such as Indian folk music, Research on Music etc. will evolve over time.
Participation
All and everyone interested in music are welcome to contribute. Hopefully, over a period of time, these blogs will become a rich, one-stop source of information on various facets of Indian music.
Tabla enthusiasts may also visit
http://www.northindiandrums.blogspot.com
Yours truly ,
Rajiv
posted by Rajiv S. Bhatt at 10/04/2006 01:37:00 PM
9 Comments:
Tabla playing is an extremely intricate art and science. Although there is yet no absolute clarity on the origin of Tabla, the fact remains that today Tabla has gained a prominent position in the repository of Indian Classical & fusion music, both as an accompaniment and a solo instrument. Tabla has an unfathomable and rich repertoire of rhythmic compositions which when played by an exponent (an Ustad or a Pandit), keeps the listeners spellbound. Gaining mastery in the art and science of Tabla requires an immensely committed, sincere and enduring effort from a student. Even great masteros of Tabla consider themselves lifetime-students of Tabla, thus bringing into perspective the vastness and potential of this enchanting instrument. The more one travels down the road of Tabla, the more he/she gets involved and greater becomes his urge to travel further. Such is the captivation of the fascinating North Indian percussion instrument – The Tabla!
Sure sounds so very true, but i believe that this goes with all the learning, be it playing the tabla or the sitar or guitar or even vocal.... any learning related to Indian classical would be a lifetime learning where there is no end which one could reach.
Of course I write this with the very little knowledge that
I have but I was so very tempted to make a post [:)]
Devanshi, i agree. Which is why one can only remain a life-long student of (Indian) music, and never proclaim that he has mastered the art and science of music.
ok... I have very interesting questions. Do you beleive that any student (of Indian classical) would be at advantage if he/she starts off at an early age? Does the age of initiation make any difference at all in the learning?
and yes, how would any parent realise what specifiacally is the child inclined to? should the child be encouraged or should it be allowed to choose on its own?
Devanshi, am glad that you asked these questions. Let me try and respond to them one by one.
1: Research shows that childern who start learning music at an early age tend to excel in academics and are generally more intelligent and less 'disruptive' (based on factors such as frequent skipping of classes, times in trouble, in-school suspension, disciplinary reasons given, arrests, and drop-outs) than their counterparts who haven't been initiated to music.
Music stimulates the whole brain. Even the brain of a child in mother's womb is stimulated by music. Musicians appear to have additional specializations, particularly hyperdevelopment of some brain structures. In a study conducted in the U.S, 66% of music majors who applied to medical school are accepted, the highest percentage of any group.
Personally, I believe that learning music enhances creativity, which enables one to 'think out of the box' to resolve problems in every walks of life and to excel.
These are some of the reasons why it is highly recommended that parents initiate their childern to a well-structure music programme when at a very early age. Giving music (or any form of art) a low priority in a child's education is a great mistake to my mind.
Below are some links which detail the benefits of learning music, particularly at a tender age:
http://www.menc.org/information/advocate/facts.html
http://www.childrensmusicworkshop.com/advocacy/12benefits.html
http://www.muscleshoalsmusic.com/lasts%20a%20lifetime.htm
http://sciam.com/print_version.cfm?articleID=0007D716-71A1-1179-AF8683414B7F0000
For more on this, do a google search on 'benefits of music'.
2: Learning music depends largely on ones 'ability' and 'willingness' to learn. At a younger age, I think the 'ability' to learn outweighs the 'willingness' to learn. Initially, a child may not be very willing to learn, but his ability (in terms of grasping, muscular flexibility (for instruments such as piano or tabla), and the time available to practice) is generally quite high. Being able, the child quickly starts enjoying music, and thus becomes more and more willing to learn. With age, the childs 'ability' as well as 'willingness' to learn music increases.
I consider two forms of ability, 1) physical ability, and 2) mental ability. While both these forms are essential for learning music, physical ability is more important in the formative years while mental ability is more important in the latter years. For instance, while learning Tabla, one needs to be able to practice for 3-4 hours (or more) at a stretch in order to master the techniques of Tabla playing. This might be physically taxing as one grows older. Also, with age, one also tends to have less patience and more time constraints. Once the foundations of music are set through practice (i.e. physical abilty), learning music becomes more a mental process, where one learns largely from listening and/or observing other artists, and starts exploring and experimenting music in a wider format. However,this has to be complemented by physical
practice, to sustain/enhance ones musical abilities. A person who might consider learning music at a later age would be very 'willing', but not quite able to learn.
Hence, I would believe that earlier the initiation, the better it is.
3: A child's musical interests could be guaged by exposing him/her to various forms (classical, folk, semi-classical etc) and mediums (vocal, instrumental, dance) of music. At very early age, the child should be made and encouraged to listen and watch various forms and mediums of music. Child's reactions must be closely observed to assess his/her's interests. It would be a good idea to allow the child experiment and learn 2-3 instruments of his/her's interest and also classical vocal for few years. The child may eventually want to gain expertise in the form and medium of music he/she likes.
So, parents should initiate and encourage the child to learn music, but the child should be allowed to pursue the form and
medium of music he/she desires.
thanks... that was really very insightful!
wat would u say??? is playing tabla or any other instrument a gods gift???? as people say so....or playing any instrument can be exceled through immense commitment n sincere effort....what i mean is do u think only few people can do well in it??? coz what i have seen is singing is gods gift even if few people tries a lot 2 learn even with full commitment n dedication they dont do so well while some people can... there is some kind of a spark within such people they grasp the things fast...whom i believe r gifted by god...so what would u say is really music within us??? or it can be inculcated if someone wishes to n tries it with dedication can also do well.
I believe musical abilities are inborn, and they can be further developed and groomed through proper training. Inborn abilities and aptitude + devoted learning under a Guru + years of dedicated riyas are essential to excel in any form of music.
I read this after a while.. and i believe its amazing !! Good Job Rajivbhai !! its really nice info...
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