Comments on: Is India the Root of All Music?

By: Frederick Peemoeller

Frederick Peemoeller — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 21:59:27 +0000

I definitely agree with you that Indian music shares its root with other cultural music, but as a fan of punk rock and loud grungy nonsense, I don’t think it belongs in all music genres. The ektara and sitar seem to be the Indian version of the guitar, but it will never replace a guitar in wester music. Just like the ukelele has its place in some pop songs, it is never used in hip hop, metal, or punk rock. These Indian instruments and their artists have an amazing and beautiful sound, but that sound turns to racket if it is fused with the wrong kind of western music. Imagine if 50 cent serenaded us with the voluptuous sounds of the sitar in the background. I don’t know what you imagine, but I imagine something unpleasant.

By: Danielle Steussy

Danielle Steussy — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 06:08:41 +0000

Last Sunday, I was listening to a cultural music show on NPR while working on homework. I wasn’t paying much attention to the music until a catchy song started playing and drew my mind away from my studies. It had a distinct Indian flavor but with a strong dash of western pop and jazz. I waited until the song was over and took down the name of the artist, Shankar Mahadevan, so I could immediately download it from iTunes. As it turns out, he’s an Indian artist who composes music for Bollywood movies. I was so intrigued by his style of music that incorporates western genres but still keeps it’s Indian identity. Amidst all the musical travesties being produced in the United States currently, I think Americans are already embracing this musical fusion, as was evident by Slumdog Millionaire’s “Best Original Song” and “Best Original Score” last Oscar season and the exposure of such artists like Shankar Mahadevan.

By: Jeff Severn

Jeff Severn — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 17:59:37 +0000

In 1965, I remember hearing the Beatles song “Norwegian Wood” from the Rubber Soul album. It was the first time I’d heard the strange but alluring sound of the Sitar. I think it was the first released Western pop song to feature the Sitar.
George Harrison (who was playing the Sitar) later did take lessons from Pandit Ravi Shankar and Shambhu Das.
The Beatles spent enough time in India to write two albums worth of music during their stay.
On a side-note, Nora Jones is Ravi Shankar’s daughter