Ravi Shankar on Indian music

[chandra]

There was some discussion on Indian music a few weeks back here. Just today, I read an interview with Ravi Shankar and I thought his (brief)description might be informative to some....

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Q For someone who knows nothing of Indian music, what are the key differences between Indian and Western classical music? In what ways are they the same?

A I always made it a point for people who are much more oriented to Western music not to expect the things that they are used to -- like chords, harmony, counterpoint, modulations and things like that. We dwell more on the melody, very rich melodies. There are thousands of melody forms, which we call ragas, with six notes ascending and descending. There are special rules and regulations for each raga, which we have to learn. And we improvise on them.

Then, the whole rhythmic part is something so unique. Only now is the West starting to appreciate that, because it is so complex. We don't play just three and six beats or four and eight beats. We do it with seven beats, nine beats, 10 beats, 11, name it. It goes to 102 beats. A composition is based on these rhythmic cycles, and then we improvise.

Some people improvise only 4 percent, 5 percent, but I have always made it a point to improvise almost 80 to 90 percent after choosing the raga and the talas, which are the rhythmic cycles.

So this is the main thing, to listen for the melody and the surprise improvisations and all the rhythmic excitement.

Q Is there a central role for spirituality in music?

A Our music, like all our art forms, is based on nine different rasas. Rasas are the moods, different emotions, like happy, sad, brave, angry. . . . We usually start with something very serene and spiritual, like a beautiful prayer. That is the part which is most spiritual. Then it can be very playful, very romantic, with very fast rhythm, very much interplay with the drums, which gives the effect of dance. So that all different emotions are very, very prominent.

Q Do you ever feel as if you are levitating when you are playing?

A Not actually maybe levitating, but I get a very high spiritual feeling. It has happened to me, I don't know, thousands of times. It may not be for a long period, but even for short periods, when I get so involved and things just come out without my thinking. I don't know what I'm going to do even the next two seconds. That is a very special feeling, and I have experienced it again and again.

Q How have the audiences changed in the past 35 years?

A It has changed so much. There is much more understanding, much appreciation. No matter what music you hear, if you hear a lot fast drumming, lot of noise, lot of virtuosity, lot of fast passages, you are bound to get excited, no matter if it is jazz or African music or Indian music or a Western Paganini violin concerto. Virtuosity has the advantage. And loudness also has a big advantage. And today everything is loud thanks to the amplification system, which really sometimes gives me hurt. I have a problem when I go to a rock concert or any pop concert because it's too loud.

I really feel it has done a lot of harm to music because it's making people conscious of music only when it's loud and with a lot of speed.

Full article here: http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews...ng/11617485.htm

Edited May 11, 2005 by chandra

[PHILLYQ]

Very interesting- thanks for posting that Chandra.

[RDK]

Someone gonna say it, so I may as well be first...

Isn't he related to Norah Jones?

[BERIGAN]

  RDK said:

Someone gonna say it, so I may as well be first...

Isn't he related to Norah Jones?

No, he isn't!

Very interesting article!