Monday, December 31, 2012

A Dummy's Guide to Hindustani Ragas

I have now given up trying to learn more and more Ragas - it is like an ocean, and if I try to learn more and more Ragas my knowledge on Music will always remain shallow.  So now I have decided to focus on some of the more commonly used Ragas, and dive deeper into it.

The result - I have uploaded on YouTube a video series in which I discuss a dozen ragas which are commonly used to compose Bhajans and Abhangs. 

Now you may ask why an amateur half-baked harmonium player like me is attempting to do the equivalent of a Dummy's Guide to Hindustani music - when there are millions of professional musicians out there who are queuing up and jostling to teach you the fundamentals of music.

The reason is simple - I always believe that it is simpler for a layman to understand an amateur than understand a Professional.  This is an undisputed fact. Amateurs tend to focus on the key themes (because they don't know the complicated detail), and they also deliver it in simple layman's terms. And amateurs only share - they don't teach.  So there!

Here is part 1 of the 5 part series which I have labelled as the "Essential Raagas" - the rest of the series is also up on my channel on YouTube.


And I will be a very happy and content person indeed if even one layman feels that she can now recognise at least one Raag after watching this video.

And as usual feedback and brickbats are welcome.