Re: Indian classical music

[Chris Chovit <cho@gomez.jpl.nasa.gov>]

Dave Stagner wrote:

>Here's another analogy between Indian classical music and looping -
>the drone.  Chordal harmonic interest, in the Western sense, does not
>exist in Indian classical music.  Instead, the music develops against
>a drone.  I'm sure you're all familiar with that buzzing sound that we
>associate with Indian music.  I can't remember the name of the
>instrument offhand, but it is simply a tuned drone, creating a
>background for the other musicians to work against.  It is similar to
>the sitar, which has a number of resonant drone strings.

Chris chimes in:

This instrument is called a Tanpura (sometimes referred to as a Tambora).
The melodic performer will tune the tanpura to the notes of the raga, and
another person will pluck the strings (no frets) during the performance,
creating the drone.  It is interesting to note that the tanpura strings are
not (necessarily) plucked in rhythm with the performance.

I have programmed a pretty good tanpura sound, using the Roland U-220
(starting with the SITAR1 sound on the ETHNIC card, and changing the ADSR
parameters).

Although tanpuras are used mainly as a tuning reference for the melodic
performer, they also add a rich texture to the piece.  This reminds me:
Often, I will play ambient sounds or environments during a looping
performance (eg. rain, crickets, etc -- sometimes even thru a processor).
This adds a nice rich background to the music.    Does anyone else do this?

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Chris Chovit
cho@gomez.jpl.nasa.gov
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