“The weakest ink is stronger than the strongest memory.”
– Tabla Maestro Srikant Bhatlawande
Musical illiteracy: it’s a seldom discussed problem in the worldwide bansuri community, but it is widespread – and it may be impacting you – so it warrants a discussion.
Most bansuri players these days cannot read or write Indian classical music, leaving them unable to take advantage of one of the greatest educational techniques mankind has ever created: the ability to put thoughts onto a page, or to read the thoughts of those who came before them, who in a moment of creative genius or inspiration, laid their thoughts down onto paper (or PDF!) for the benefit of current and future generations.
Can you imagine how much success you would have in life if you were illiterate, unable to read or write English, Hindi or whatever your local language is? You wouldn’t get very far, very fast, or with any degree of comfort or success.
Similarly, your ability to read and write Indian classical music will be a primary determinant in the quality of the music that comes out of your bansuri. A world of raga and tala opens up to the mind that comprehends the exceptionally easy to learn Indian classical music notation system. Ragas, compositions, taans, jhalas and tihais you learn now will, rather than fade away into your distant memory, become inspirational practice material for literally decades to come.
A few nights ago I wanted to remember the raga Hansa Nad, which I had last performed ten years prior and rarely practice or listen to. I opened my notebook of lessons collected over ten years of studying with Pandit Vijay Raghav Rao. There was a jhaptal composition of Hansa Nad that I had completely forgotten that I had ever known. I studied it for a few minutes while waiting for dinner. Later that night I played it (and loved it) for a half hour with Saawan Kakkeri accompanying me on tabla…and I plan to start playing it a lot more. Recovered from what may have been lost for eternity.
It is not simply that written music serves as an archive of past lessons and an assurance of present and future musical inspiration and education, it is also an irreplaceable method of understanding the music. Can you imagine trying to learn calculus verbally, without writing out the formulas and equations and seeing them in front of you? By seeing the music on a page, frozen in time, we can more easily analyze, conceptualize, and memorize the music. Our increased understanding of the music frees up our mind so we can listen on a deeper level to the finer details of the music, and when the music is coming out of us provides extra time to consider, plan and more beautifully deliver our next phrase.
All this results in better music and therefore increased happiness for ourselves and our audience.
Dr. Kerry Kriger plays a Rajasthani folk tune atop a mountain near Jodhpur, January 2018, accompanied by Dr. Krishan Kumar Sharma on drums, and the students of the Shree Sarswati Bal Veena Bharati School.
Video: How To Learn, Practice And Read Indian Classical Music
Enough talking about becoming musically literate! In this video, I teach an actual bansuri class to students around the world via video conference on May 27th 2019. While aimed at bansuri players, much of the material is equally applicable to musicians in any branch of north Indian classical music.
Concepts covered include:
– How To Learn Indian Classical Music (0:30)
– How To Practice Indian Classical Music (6:24)
– How To Read Indian Classical Music (19:00)
– How To Play A Simple Alankar In Kalyan Scale (24:45)
– When To Breathe While Playing Bansuri (32:25)
– How To Improve Your Tone And Sense Of Pitch (37:57)
Video recorded live from Bogota, Colombia. Dr. Kriger’s flute is Sa (three holes closed) = F (+8 cents).
“Hi Kerry, thank you for the webinar. It’s always important and useful to remember the principal points of the bansuri practice.”
– João Soares, Lisboa, Portugal
Video: Another Lesson On How To Read & Write Indian Classical Music (and Bhoopali specifically)
In this Bhoopali video, I explain how to read and write Indian classical music. I hope you find it beneficial!
Learn a lot more Bhoopali right here.
Video: Bansuri Bliss Composers Circle with Dr. Kerry Kriger
In this video, Bansuri Bliss Founder Dr. Kerry Kriger teaches the inaugural Bansuri Bliss Composers Circle, with a focus on explaining the fundamentals of reading and writing north Indian Classical Music, and specifically, writing scale exercises in raag Kirwani with a goal of improving one’s understanding and use of ornamentation.
Learn Indian Classical Music In A Systematic Manner
If you are tired of struggling with bansuri and want to learn in a systematic manner so that your music actually sounds Indian and you can play freely, consider becoming a Bansuri Bliss Member.
Bansuri Bliss Membership gets you direct access to Dr. Kerry Kriger through a complimentary introductory private lesson upon signing up, and online group lessons every weekend (group size is small enough that you can always ask your questions and get replies).
As a member, you will also gain access to the entirety of the Bansuri Bliss Academy, where you can download over a hundred pages of written music in a variety of ragas AND watch videos of Dr. Kriger clearly explaining how to play the music.
Bansuri Bliss Membership gets you an array of courses in a variety of ragas, complete with audio, video and downloadable PDF compositions. The compositions are written in clear, precise notation of a higher quality than any you will find elsewhere online (as virtually all compositions online are written in degraded notation that was altered in order to be typed, losing much of the nuance of truly correct Indian musical notation). Dr. Kriger’s musical notation maintains the traditional style to the finest detail, and is visually easy on the eyes, facilitating a successful practice session.
If you want to achieve Bansuri Bliss, then sign up for a Bansuri Bliss Membership today.
“Musical concepts don’t start off as symbols on paper, but through notation we write them down, visualize them, learn them, imagine them and create with them.”
– Edinburgh University Fundamentals of Music Theory Course
Imagine Being A Great Composer
This section is applicable to anybody, though I first thought of it specifically as it relates to flute players with physical limitations, including elderly musicians, for whom lung capacity and finger strength may be limited.
Most of us start playing an instrument because we want to be great musicians. Regardless of whether we accomplish that goal, I suggest we should also have another goal: to become a great composer. If you have physical limitations, you may actually have a much higher chance of becoming a great composer, as composition is a skill that is not limited by lung capacity or finger dexterity. Composition takes place in your mind, and comes from your understanding of music and music theory.
So imagine being a great composer – like Beethoven, Stravinsky, Tyagaraja or Dikshitar; all who have inspired generations of musicians and provided enjoyment and enlightenment to multitudes of listeners.
Start by writing out the music you learn during your music lessons (i.e. transcribe the lesson). Write it out cleanly and correctly after class, and proofread it to fix the inevitable mistakes. Ask your instructor to confirm it is correct. Once you have the basics of writing music you learned from your instructor, start writing a few lines of your own music every day. Pick a raga. Pick a taal if you understand taal, or simply write alap so you need not worry about rhythm. Put notes on the page that make sense, one after another, using your knowledge of how music works. Repeat daily for the rest of your life…or whenever you are inspired.
The next thing you know, you or someone else maybe performing your compositions at a live concert, or in the recording studio. You may even start publishing books of Indian classical music, like Bhatkande.
Best of luck reading, writing, transcribing and composing music!
It doesn’t have to be clean or pretty, it just has to be correct. Get your thoughts on the page, and clean it up later.
“If you have the space in your life and you’ve always wanted to learn the wind flute, you will find no better system than this man has created. Especially if you’re coming to it from a Western perspective. The website is an incredible resource hub of more than you’ll ever need. Also, check the frog situation.”
– Chris Gange, Australia
