Western Musicians and  Indian Classical Music
Adam Duncan

 Western musicians are attracted to Indian music for several reasons; however, the dominating reason is usually a sincere urge to understand the music and the cultural aspects of this music. They want to understand this antediluvian form of music and its evolution. The western trained musician wants to get an understanding of the theoretical aspects of the music. The fact that Indian classical music (ICM) is not usually written in staff notation is another reason to want to understand this music and how it is transferred from the Guru to the student. The religious aspects of ICM are usually what enthral a Western musician to want a better understanding of this music. Therefore it can be stated that Western musicians can gain a sincere interest for ICM in many ways.

 The age of ICM and the mystery surrounding its evolution is of great interest to the western musician. With regard to ICM, there is a dearth of material that explains its evolution. There are numerous musicologists who are regarded as experts in the field of ICM. Still, these experts are often left to speculate as to how ICM really evolved.  In utter contrast, the evolution of European music has countless records. The manuscripts left behind by great composers of the past allow us instant access to that music. If a student of music wants to perform a piece by Shostakovich, Brahms or Beethoven, he or she can simply pick up the score and begin learning the music. There are of course thousands of poetry books from the past that remain today as sources of Eastern musical study. In many students it prompts an interest to learn the language- Hindi, Urdu, Brij Brasha, Punjabi, and Purvi- so as to have a better understanding of the music itself. However, we will never truly know how the music was really sung five thousand years ago as there are no printed manuscripts.

 ICM instrumental music is in some cases kept as a secret closely guarded by family members belonging to a certain lineage or gharana[1]. In understanding why ICM has been so close guarded, one must understand the nature of the compositions. In the days of kings, a family of musicians could be rewarded with many gifts for their talents. The ruling Nawab would usually award musicians large sums of money, jewels, land, or in many cases a mansion[2]. So if these compositions were to give fame and fortune to these musicians, then it is quite understandable why an Ustad[3] of the past would not want his compositions readily available in print for anyone to steal from him.   Even still today, you will not find a hand written version of Ustad Vilayat Khan’s composition Madhuvanti. However, today the student of ICM now has over a century of recordings which in most cases are readily available to listen to and transcribe or learn.

 The learning system of ICM seems romantic to many western musicians studying ICM.  The western student has usually been exposed to books containing stories of Kalifas and their children, how the Kalifa could get the child to perfect the music through what we would today call  violent means, the idea of the Guru and student being constantly together, the Guru  spending  time with a particular student, bringing  him or her to concerts, and pushing the student beyond the limits to achieve his or her potential-  all these aspects open a window to the classical method learning as an  apprentice  and hold an interest for the western trained musician.

 Cultural aspects of ICM and the ever present role of religion are of particular interest to the western musician. The mix of the practices of Hindus and Muslims, like the Gandha-Bandhan and Puja, are quite remarkable. All these aspects are discussed in the book The Life of Music in North India Today, by Daniel Neumann.

 Most importantly, the western musicians want to better understand the music itself. Starting with a raga, it is conceptually entirely different than any form of western music. A common view of a raga held by western musician is that a raga is simply a scale. The more informed and serious student wanting a better understanding of ICM will realize this is false. Each raga is a combination of notes meant to evoke a certain mood or feeling. Each rag is meant for a specific time of the day and sometimes a particular season. This is a very scientific approach to music, and ICM has been practiced this way for centuries. In western classical music, the pre-composed music will also evoke different moods from the listener. Of course, there are pieces of music in western music which are to be performed at certain times of the day too, such as a Nocturne. However it is very different to hear a good exposition of raga Marwa than to listen to a Chopin Nocturne. So there is usually an urge to better understand the scientific time theory that surrounds ICM.

 Of enormous interest to the western musician is the improvisational aspect of the music.

Again, there must be a small understanding of the structure of a raga before venturing into this difficult aspect of ICM. In each raga, there is what’s called a vikr step. Within a raga there are usually five to ten notes being used in the scale. However, as opposed to western music, one does not simply play the scale ascending and descending. One must respect the vikr steps. That is, a vikr step is the order by which the notes ascend and descend. In rag Desh, the notes[4] ascend as follows: C D F G B C1. The descending order is as follows: C1 Bb A G F E D C. So it is much different to improvise within this frame work. That is why the student must properly understand the raga in which they are playing. If the student does not understand and plays notes in the wrong order, then they would not be playing ICM. So, again an urge to understand how to properly render a rag, and improvise within it is a large attraction to the western musician.

Three people must be mentioned in speaking about the creation of western interest in ICM: Ravi Shankar, Zakir Hussain and Yehudi Menuhin. If it were not for the efforts of these people, ICM would have not succeeded in crossing over to North America so successfully. Listening to these people perform ICM so fluently on their instrument has inspired people to learn ICM for the past 50 years. Ravi Shankar with George Harrison; Zakir Hussain playing with John McLaughlin  and Yehudi Menuhin performing in both Western Orchestras and with Ravi Shankar helped stimulate such an interest. However, it is simply the urge to better understand ICM that drives the western trained musician to venture into the study of ICM.

About the author: Adam Duncan- a young musician from Canada- has studied classical guitar under Louis Trepannier, and musical composition under Steven Gellman and Dr. John Armstrong. He is the author of several books on the topic, including, “Advanced Guitar Techniques”. Adam,   already an accomplished musician by 2002, taught himself to play sitar. He then learnt from Anwar Khurshid and Ustad Shahid Parvez, and is now continuing his sitar studies under the guidance of Ustad Shahid Parvez.

Bibliography
Ahmad, Najma Perveen
Hindustani Music: A Study of Its Development in 17^th and 18^th Centuries
New Delhi: Manohar, 1984

Kippen, J.R.
The Traditional Tabla Drumming of Lucknow in Its Social and Cultural Context
Belfast: Queen’s university, 1985

Nueman, Daniel M.
The Life of Music in North India: The Organization of an Artistic Tradition
Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1990

Prasad, Anil
“Spheres of Influence”, interview with John McLaughlin
http:www.innerviews.org/inner/mclaughlin.html