Indian Music: History and Origins

• India is the subject of this lesson on world music cultures

History and Origins

• India is the 7th largest country in the world.
• India has a population of over 1 billion people.
• Over 100 languages are spoken in India.
• The roots of Indian music trace back to the Vedas.
• The Vedas are collections of poems, hymns, and religious texts.
• The Vedas are central to Hinduism.
• Indian music is possibly the most complex musical system in the world.
• It has complicated melodic and rhythmic structures.
• These structures include poly-rhythms, ornamentations, and microtones.
• This complexity leads to a high level of preciseness that is challenging to notate.
• Indian music was passed down through oral tradition for centuries.
• Notation was developed later in the culture's history as a memory aid.
• Students traditionally learn from a Guru on a one-on-one basis.
• This personal instruction is the true way to learn Indian music.
• The notation system is only a skeletal representation of the entire piece.

Tabla

• The tabla is a set of two drums of slightly different shapes and sizes.
• The playing technique is highly complicated.
• It involves different combinations of finger and palm configurations.
• The tabla is a very important instrument in classical Hindustani music.

Sitar

• The sitar is a string instrument with a rich history in Hindustani classical music.
• The sitar has two layers of strings.
• 6-7 strings are on the outside of the frets and are pressed down by the left hand to change pitches.
• The 2nd layer of strings are called the sympathetic strings.
• They are placed under the fretboard and resonate with the played strings.

Nagaswaram

• The nagaswaram is a double-reeded woodwind instrument.
• It has seven tone holes that are covered with the fingers.
• It has a bright sound and intense volume.
• It is similar to the middle eastern zurna and the modern-day oboe.

Mridangam

• The mridangam is a double-sided drum with a tonal head and a non-tonal head.
• The double-headed drum has a huge variety of sounds it can produce.
• A combination of palm and finger combinations are used to create sounds on both sides of the drum.

Today

• India's musical traditions continue today, closely tied to the religious aspect of its culture.
• India's movie industry, nicknamed "Bollywood," is a significant contributor to its music culture.
• India has the second-largest movie industry in the world.
• Music in Indian films is as important as the acting and directing.
• Songs from Bollywood films have been influencing India's music business and pop culture for years.
• Indian film music is often accompanied by choreographed dances, similar to musicals or musical theater.