Indian Classical | Bigger than the 0.

Indian classical music is one of the most venerable continuing musical traditions in the world. It has been said that the origins of this system go back to the Vedas (ancient scripts of the Hindus). The world of Indian classical music is awash with legends about its origins, and its importance in defining Indian culture.

However the advent of modern historical and cultural studies has given a fresh realistic perspective on this question. Study has shown that Indian music developed within a very complex interaction between people of varied races and cultures. Apparently the ethnic diversity of present day India has existed since quite some time.

The basis of Indian classical music is “sangeet”. Sangeet is a combination of three art forms: vocal music, instrumentala music and dance. Although these three art forms have originally descended from theatre, today they have differentiated into complex and highly refined individual forms of art.

The present system of Indian classical music is based upon two important pillars: raga and tala. Raga is the melodic element, while tala is rhythmic. Raga may be roughly equated with the Western term mode or scale, though there are some differences. At its most basic, it compromises of the system of seven notes, arranged like the western scales. But, the raga system is more complex in that it is further subdivided into quartertones and incorporates heavy use of microtonality, while western classical music is generally limited to the twelve semitones. The talas (rhythmic forms) are also much more complex than traditional western rhythms. While many common rhythmic patterns exist, such as the standard 4/4 time, there are also rare and unusual rhythms such those involving 25 beats and 13.5 beats.

In terms of elements and style, Indian classical has more in common with the western tradition of Jazz than it does with western classical. While Western classical music has generally separated the role of the composer and the performer, very often, in Indian classical, the performer is the composer. Apart from this, like jazz, Indian classical incorporates a lot of improvisational elements.

The interpretation of the raga and the tala  is not the same all over India. Today there are two major traditions of classical music. There is the north Indian and the south Indian tradition. The North Indian tradition is known as Hindustani sangeet and the south Indian is called Carnatic sangeet. Both systems are fundamentalaly similar but differ in nomenclature and performance practice. While Hindustani sangeet has arabic and persian influences, Carnatic classical is generally more theory based and stricter.

There are many musical instruments peculiar to Indian classical. Instruments typically used in Hindustani music include sitar, sarod, tanpura, bansuri, shehnai, sarangi, and tabla. Instruments typically used in Carnatic music include Flute, gottuvadyam, veena, mridangam, kanjira, and violin. Some of these, such as the Sitar and Tabla are much more famous than others owing to their being stereotyped in western culture.

All of this makes up the complex and exciting field of Indian classical music. While the complexity and intricate details can mean that one needs to dedicate a lifetime to understand and master it, which has given rise to the guru-shishya tradition for teaching and learning music. However, this does not mean that the lay person cannot appreciate Indian classical music. But to truly appreciate and learn about it, one must experience it. After all, the proof of the pudding is in the eating.