Understanding the Basics of Indian Raga Music

Sameer Sayani, a student in MUS470 class, performs an Indian rāga on his sitar and talks about the structure of the melody, basic scales, importance of improvisation, constructing phrases with simple notes, and the lack of major harmony. The MUS470 course (Harmonic Experience: Metaphysics and Music) explores philosophic, theoretical, mathematical, and cosmological foundations of music. See the class blog at http://blogs.emory.edu/harmonicexperience

Category:

Education

Tags:

• emory
• university
• college
• college class
• indian
• india
• music
• sitar
• sitar lesson
• raga

[anandvyasorg]

This explanation is lacking in so many ways. In its present form its impossible to call this "Raga.

[kidcaper007]

if I could take this course, I would...

[CommanderMeaty]

what is the name of the instrument

[nightjammer]

I know this is not where my mind is supposed to be when I watch and listen to this, but what is with those two guys and the white socks? Honestly, who, besides your former P.E. teachers, wears white socks any more? I'm just sayin'. Really nice music by the way (. . . but those socks!)

[livedify]

how to improvise,at least on sitar.

[llamonrall]

GENIAL! , ESTE CURSO TIENE TODO LO QUE ME ENCANTA , NO SABIA QUE EXISTIA !!!

[KhaosSoulFury]

You are playing a Sitar, nothing else about this is Indian. I love Indian music and I cannot respect this. This is western music on a sitar.

[KhaosSoulFury]

@KhaosSoulFury With E as the root.

[KhaosSoulFury]

The scales are not the same. They are now, but traditionally, there are quarter tones and 3/4 tones in Indian scales. They can be more accuractely written as E, F, G#, A, B, C & D#, but this is still not entirely not as accurate, and as far off as 3/4 tone from the actual scale.

[dkmkartha]

@oneforrestone Please find a musicians who plays or sings Indian music with the feeling of Raaga (Raga-bhaav) and learn from him or her by imitating him or her on your sitar phrase by phrase and be corrected by them. I learnt the bansuri that way from a singer after I had learnt the basics. Indian music can be learnt only in the direct way--listening and imitating and being corrected by the teacher on the spot and then slowly the Raga consciousness will rise. No short cuts.