Playing a raga... A far cry from the blues

[Scott Miller]

I played a duet with a sitar player at a Diwali party this week. We played a raga based on a song (Vaishnav Janato), the sitar player basically showed me the scale, and gave me some Youtube links, and we rehearsed briefly, and off we went.

Well, they say it sounded great, but I was kind of too into it to tell. For a blues player like me, it was something different; a seven-note major scale (minus the two) ascending with a natural 7, and an eight-note scale descending, with a flat 7. Natural 7 going up, flat 7 going down. Trippy. Extremely cool to have both 7ths to muck around with. Not to mention the rhythm. Wow. A short trip to Mars, is what it felt like. I would do it again, though.

 

[jrm]

I saw a group play a raga once... sitar, different hand drums, etc.. it was awesome and intense. The sitar player broke a string half way through and changed it still playing without anyone noticing. It was killer.

 

[MuseCafeChris]

Barbershop raga is the best.

 

[tone4days]

i would need to change my shorts trying to play in front of a crowd who knew better on such an important occasion

good for you

very cool music indeed

t4d

 

[RickC]

I saw a group play a raga once... sitar, different hand drums, etc.. it was awesome and intense. The sitar player broke a string half way through and changed it still playing without anyone noticing. It was killer.

Something that always catches my attention at Indian Classical music concerts. The players will tune strings, tighten drum heads, etc during the performance, incorporating the actions into the performance, nearly seamlessly.

/rick

 

[Lucidology]

Very similar to applying some of the Arabic scales I use for belly dancers ...
Really fun and cool to mess with .. good for you Scott ...

 

[jzilla]

lucid, you look very focused...

 

[Lucidology]

lucid, you look very focused...

Good observation ... I truly am ... (sorry the thread hi-jack Scott)
The belly dancer's movements have everything to do with what we play ..
Instead of playing a specific melody ... we play a specific Mid-Eastern beat as requested by the Belly Dancer ...

Then her gyrations dictate our phrasing and accents ...
This sets up a very syncronized performance and endears you to the dancers
Being in sync with their movements holds a great deal of meaning...
It's both intense at times & really fun ...

You can hear some of what I do during the first part of this thread's clip:

Scandalous Mid-Eastern Mutt

Here's the same dancer, on another night,
with a sword on her head walking towards us as we play for her ...

 

[sfarnell]

I played a duet with a sitar player at a Diwali party this week. We played a raga based on a song (Vaishnav Janato), the sitar player basically showed me the scale, and gave me some Youtube links, and we rehearsed briefly, and off we went.

Where's the YouTube links? I played the scale but it didn't sound like an Indian raga to me

 

[Tone_Terrific]

Good observation ... I truly am ... (sorry the thread hi-jack Scott)
The belly dancer's movements have everything to do with what we play ..
Instead of playing a specific melody ... we play a specific Mid-Eastern beat as requested by the Belly Dancer ...
[/IMG]

I know, by your posts, that you are one far-ranging, active musician, and I do congratulate you on your versatility and staying power!

 

[2leod]

How cool is this!

I'm just listening to Harry Manx doing "Voodoo Child" and I come across this thread. Harry does the east meets west thing really well - on this one he has blues, jazz and Indian flavours swirling together in a really cool way.

Even cooler! I went to check his site to put up a link and he has Voodoo Child streaming - you can hear it here;

Harry Manx

I have never been in a setting where I had a chance to explore these idioms, but I've been listening to them a lot lately - I guess I'm gonna have to sit down and try some new stuff.

 

[isfahani]

Very similar to applying some of the Arabic scales I use for belly dancers ... Really fun and cool to mess with

Is that a fretless Godin you're using for that?

A short trip to Mars, is what it felt like. I would do it again, though.

Welcome to the world I live in... please come back for visit soon! Guitar Players should also check out raag Bhairavi as it's easier to play than most...

Honestly, I've been in it so far for so long that I'd much rather listen to, say, Ali Akbar Khan play 'the blues' than anyone else.

 

[karmadave]

The best 'fusion' of Blues and Raga, I've heard, is 'East West' off the Paul Butterfield Blues Band album of the same name. Someone has transcribed Mike Bloomfield's solo and posted it here.

http://www.fretplay.com/tabs/b/bloomfield_michael/east_west_main_solo-tab.shtml

-KD

 

[jzilla]

Good observation ... I truly am ... (sorry the thread hi-jack Scott)
The belly dancer's movements have everything to do with what we play ..
Instead of playing a specific melody ... we play a specific Mid-Eastern beat as requested by the Belly Dancer ...

Then her gyrations dictate our phrasing and accents ...
This sets up a very syncronized performance and endears you to the dancers
Being in sync with their movements holds a great deal of meaning...
It's both intense at times & really fun ...

You can hear some of what I do during the first part of this thread's clip:

Scandalous Mid-Eastern Mutt

i was teasing you but i can imagine how much of a symbiotic exchange it must be.

'scadalous mid-eastern mutt' is very cool man...

 

[Scott Miller]

Then her gyrations dictate our phrasing and accents ...

Kind of like Fred Wesley writing horn arrangements based on James Brown's dancing.

Youtubes of Vishnav Janato:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLbqn7hmOo0&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2qeHKVqh2w

 

[shigihara]

......the sitar player basically showed me the scale, and gave me some Youtube links, and we rehearsed briefly, and off we went.
......For a blues player like me, it was something different....
...Wow. A short trip to Mars, is what it felt like. I would do it again, though.

this might be helpful... it was to me... prasanna is m*****f*****

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFMBQj0lwZ4&feature=related

 

[keninsyr]

Barbershop raga is the best.

Too much f..........ing perspective.