Rag Desh - Anoushka Shankar

Rag Desh - Anoushka Shankar

1. General Points

   • Anoushka is the daughter of the very famous Indian musician Ravi Shankhar.
     • This version was recorded live in 2001.
       • It was recorded at a concert in New York.

2. Instrumentation.

   • The 2 instruments in this piece are the Sitar and the Tabla.
     • A Sitar is a plucked string instrument. It has a very long neck and seven main strings which are used to play the melody. There are also 12 sympathetic strings on a Sitar. These strings are not plucked but resonate with the other strings to create a the characteristic 'shimmering' sound.
       • - A Tabla is a pair of drums. The right drum is smaller, thus higher pitched, and made of wood. It is called the dayan. The left one is larger and made of metal and is called the bayan. The musician plays the Tabla mainly with their fingers.

3. Rhythm

   • This version of Rag Desh uses 2 tals (cycle of beats).
     • The Jhaptal is a 10 beat cycle (2 + 3 + 2 + 3)
       • the Tintal is a 16 beat cycle (4 + 4 + 4 + 4)

4. Structure

   • Alap - This section is played by the Sitar only. - It is slow with no regular beat or pulse. - The melodic line is decorated with slides and pitch bends which are called meends.
     • Gat - The Tabla enters a few seconds after the Gat begins. - The Sitar plays a fixed composition in a moderate tempo. - The Sitar and the Tabla improvise. - The tempo increases towards the end of this piece.
       • Jhalla The music is fast and virtuosic. - The Sitar strings are strummed to create rhythmic excitement.