Need RV Size Musical Instrument

[PancakeBill]

Amusing, but never really liked the sound of sitar. 

 

[Luca1369]

Amusing, but never really liked the sound of sitar.

I suppose it's difficult to appreciate, might sound too "twangy" to some, it did to me too until I realized the how the structure of the instrument creates its unique sound and just how superb a musician some Sitar players are. 

Below is a link to a raga performed by Ravi Shankar and featuring his daughter Anoushka.  Watch and listen to it and you might enjoy his fingerpicking technique, his sheer speed is amazing on some of his runs.  His daughter, although in traditional garb here, is very much into modern music and blending it with more traditional Indian ragas.  I must warn you it's a bit long perhaps at 11 minutes, about the length of a short Grateful Dead number.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xB_X9BOAOU&feature=related

 

[Molaker]

I suppose it's difficult to appreciate, might sound too "twangy" to some, it did to me too until I realized the how the structure of the instrument creates its unique sound and just how superb a musician some Sitar players are. 

Below is a link to a raga performed by Ravi Shankar and featuring his daughter Anoushka.  Watch and listen to it and you might enjoy his fingerpicking technique, his sheer speed is amazing on some of his runs.  His daughter, although in traditional garb here, is very much into modern music and blending it with more traditional Indian ragas.  I must warn you it's a bit long perhaps at 11 minutes, about the length of a short Grateful Dead number.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xB_X9BOAOU&feature=related

An interesting sound, but if you have to sit like that to play a sitar, then leave me out.  I'd be stuck in that position the rest of my painful life.

 

[SeilerBird]

An interesting sound, but if you have to sit like that to play a sitar, then leave me out.  I'd be stuck in that position the rest of my painful life.

From what I understand it really helps to study yoga if you want to play the sitar. That helps sitting and playing the sitar since it is an awkward instrument to play. I have seen Ravi Shankar in concert twice and it was two of the high points of my life. He is one of the most amazing musicians I have ever seen. But I have never had any desire to learn the sitar.

 

[PancakeBill]

I give high kudos to sitar musicians.  An interesting note, Sitar is a combination and contraction of sit - arse  meaning position the yogas sit in to play.  The instrument was designed to fit this position.  the sound is what happens with the acoustic form the instrument took, and the screeching sound takes your mind off the pain you are enduring sitting there.  The pain it inflicts is the sharing of pain with the musician.

I didn't make this up, it just came to me in a vision while listening to that link.

As to hearing him in concert being two high points in your life?  I have no doubt.  I would have had to have been high as well. 


All the above, please take with TPFIC.

 

[SeilerBird]

As to hearing him in concert being two high points in your life?  I have no doubt.  I would have had to have been high as well. 

Nope, I saw him first in 1967 at the Hollywood Bowl and the second time in 1974 on George Harrison's Dark Horse tour. I didn't get high the first time until 1977 so I was straight as an arrow both times I saw him. I recently bought Concert For George and his daugher conducting was one of the high points of the concert.

 

[Tom]

An interesting instrument, and clearly a good musician, but I'd think it would be too big to take along in our RV. Like Bill, I'd have trouble listening to it for any length of time. My bod wouldn't allow me to sit like that; Whenever I've eaten at Japanese restaurants with the very low tables, they've had to find me something to sit on besides the tatami mat.

Does George Harrison play the sitar?

 

[Luca1369]

Does George Harrison play the sitar?

Yes.  I've seen photos of George and Ravi Shankar playing together.

I played a Sitar once, or I guess I should say I tried to play it once.  Needless to say, I sat in a chair and placed the kaddu, the large bowl shaped base of the instrument, on a small table to my right. 

 

[Tom]

Thanks Steve. Now that I think of it, I think I might have seen a video clip of that on TV.

 

[PancakeBill]

Isn't Indian music (sitar) played on a different scale?  One of the reasons it sounds so dissonant to western music ears.  I am just not evelved enough to appreciate this stuff.

Back on topic, you would need a big RV to carry one, and some evolved neighbors on campsites to play it.  Accordians are much easier to transport. 

 

[SeilerBird]

George became interested in Eastern music in 1965 when the Beatles were making the film "Help". George met Ravi the next year and took a few lessons from Ravi. But by 1968 George had given up the sitar due to the fact that to become merely good at playing the sitar requires 8 hours a day of practice, not including yoga, for about 20 years. George and Ravi remained best of friends until George died 10 years ago.

Bill - Yep, it uses a few different scales with a lot more notes per scale than western scales. That is why they sound so odd, notes in between notes. It does take a while to get used to the sound, but once you do it is incredibly beautiful music.

 

[PancakeBill]

It is that time spent getting used to it....

Too old for that now.