Indian Music And Its Uniqueness
Indian music is considered one of the ancient music traditions because of the authentic and historical importance given to this music around the world. Indian music has diversified itself into various sub-genres which makes it unique for music lovers all over the world. I feel a great sense of connection with Indian music because of its divine power. The reason I believe Indian music is divine is because of the history that each instrument has and the way they are taught. The Indian genre of music follows the Gurukul system which is considered sacred in our tradition. In India, we feel that Guru means the teacher has the superpower or has mastered that particular art form and is transferring his or her knowledge in a very holy manner to their students so the overall process is very organic and divine. In India, every Instrument has its history and significance. It takes months together to get the right material to make the instrument and everything involves a very intricate handwork process. As you all know from my previous blogs that I am a percussionist and a drummer. I feel privileged that I have been formally trained in a few of the renowned percussion instruments of India.
Meditative aura in music is what makes it so significant in everyone’s life and Indian music to plays the same role and it also adds divinity along with meditative aura. From the percussion instruments I play, I too had to go through the organic process of Gurukul and learn my instruments in a very traditional way because in India music is considered as God, and musical instruments to are considered the same. We are expected to respect the instrument so that the instrument creates mesmerizing music through the touch of our hands. Most of the percussion Instruments in India are made from animal skin and wood. Both of these materials are seasonal and to make a great instrument we need to look for the right wood and skin so that the tune is pitch-perfect. The respectful process that goes to make the instrument as well as learning them is what creates the meditative aura around us. In India, the instruments are used in religious sanctums like temples where they perform the musical piece in an ensemble as respect towards God. These ancient practices make this music divine which I have emphasized from the beginning and this is the uniqueness of Indian music.
The folk genre of music in India is now getting popular among the world because of the unique features it upholds. India is a diversified nation with different languages in each state. Every part of India has its folk music and varies with one another in terms of rhythm, tones, notes, and dialect. Folk music in India is also considered divine and is taught in a few places and takes a long time to master the art even after the completion of all the levels of training. The history, background, and the learning process makes the Indian music meditative and valuable. Indian music is considered as one of the hardest musical languages because of high mathematical and tempo involvement. The beauty of Indian music is once we learn the basic musical dialect in the classical arm of the music we can perform a good piece on any Indian classical percussion instrument as long as we know the technique to play the instrument. I feel this quality of the Indian percussion Instrument as unique and how one musical language connects all these instruments.
I would just like to say one thing and that is every musical genre is great and unique because of the cultural and traditional backgrounds. History plays a very important role in setting up the environment for that particular music as it signifies the importance of why that genre was created or an instrument. So keep enjoying your music and stay safe during these stressful times.
