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SPIVEY HALL EDUCATION
INDIA: SITAR & TABLA
WORLD MUSIC FESTIVAL
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Ustad Shafaat Khan, world-renowned Indian Classical musician, son of Ustad Imrat Khan and
nephew of Ustad Vilayat Khan, has enthralled audiences worldwide at many prestigious
Concert Halls, Music Festivals and Universities all over India, America, Europe, China, Russia and
Japan. Recently, he performed with Stevie Wonder at one of the biggest festivals in the USA,
The Bonnaroo Festival. In the past, he’s shared a television concert with Ray Charles in
Germany. In addition, some of his CDs have been produced by the famous Dr. Deepak Chopra.
His unique concert presentation includes Indian classical/folk music on Sitar, Tabla and Vocal
with Sufi inspired compositions and a multicultural fusion of Eastern and Western music.
VOCABULARY:
Melody: a pleasing series of musical notes that form the main part of a song or piece of music
Rhythm: as the pattern or placement of sounds in time and beats in music
Scale: a series of notes differing in pitch according to a specific scheme
Harmony: when two or more complimentary notes are played or sung at the same time
Solfège: a method of teaching pitch and sight reading
Ragas: meaning ‘colors’ are scales and melodies that provide the foundation for Indian classical music
Swaras: the twelve notes and semitones that are a basic component of Indian classical music
Tala: the cycle of beats that is a basic component of Indian classical music
ABOUT THE MUSIC
Melody and rhythm are the common grounds for music, be it Western or Indian. Indian music is
essentially monophonic (single melody format) while Western music can be polyphonic (multiple notes
played or sung in harmonized unison), monophonic or a combination of both.
Western classical music is based upon the equal tempered scale, and rests upon melody, harmony and
counterpart while Swara and Tala are the two basic components of Indian classical music.
SPIVEY HALL EDUCATION
INDIA: SITAR & TABLA
WORLD MUSIC FESTIVAL
Swaras are the twelve notes and the intervening semitones, while a Tala is a cycle of beats.
Indian classical music is based on the ragas ("colors"), which are scales and melodies that provide the
foundation for a performance. Unlike western classical music, Indian classical music allows for a much
greater degree of "personalization" of the performance, almost to the level of jazz-like improvisation.
Thus, each performance of a raga is different. The goal of the raga is to create a trance-like state, to
broadcast a mood of ecstasy. The main difference with western classical music is that the Indian ragas
are not "composed" by a composer, but were created over the centuries. Thus they do not represent
mind of the composer but a universal idea of the world. The main instrument of the ragas is the sitar.
Each Raga has its own scale consisting of minimum five and maximum seven notes (swaras).
In India, there are stories and legends about various musicians. One of the more famous ones is Tansen.
Stories say that when Tansen sang, he could light lamps with his music.
More About Swaras
SWARAS
Have you ever heard of Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do? Perhaps you’ve heard Julie Andrews sing Do Re Mi in
The Sound of Music? In western music this is called solfège. It’s a way of teaching sight reading and
pitch with syllables and sounds. The Indian solfège is called Swaras.
English Solfege: Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do
Indian Swaras: Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, Ni (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5Lnay3nIk0 )
SITAR
The instrument’s name is derived from the Persian ‘setar’, or threestringed. It belongs to the lute family and is made from a seasoned
gourd, which acts as a resonating chamber, and teakwood. There are six
or seven main strings and from eleven to nineteen sympathetic strings, the two sets being carried on
separate bridges. Twenty frets made of brass and tied to the long hollow neck with string can easily be
moved in order to conform to the scale of a particular raga. The main strings, which are tuned, are
plucked with a mizrab, plectrum, worn on the index finger of the right hand.
Sitars are of varying sizes, and some have an extra gourd at the end of the neck. The most popular
SPIVEY HALL EDUCATION
INDIA: SITAR & TABLA
WORLD MUSIC FESTIVAL
stringed instrument among Hindustani musicians, the sitar is also the best known Indian instrument
abroad.
TABLA
The full name of this instrument is tabla-bayan and it consists of two
drums the tabla being the right hand drum and the bayan, also known as
the dugga, the left. Both drum heads are made of goatskin with a paste of
iron fillings and flour in the center, but the body of the bayan, the bass drum is metal, and that of the
tabla being wood. The tabla is usually tuned by knocking the blocks, which are held by braces on the
sides of the instrument, into place.
First used in India during the Muslim period, the tabla is today the most popular of all the many kinds of
drums in north India.
http://www.ishafoundation.org/indian-classical-music-science-significance.isa
http://www.itcsra.org/sra_faq_index.html
http://www.scaruffi.com/history/indian.html
CRAFT:
SHOEBOX SITAR
Things You'll Need
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Shoe box
Pencil
Scissors
Glue
5 rubber bands
Paper towel roll
Instructions
Find a shoe box to use and make sure it is empty. Take the top off the box and
draw a long oval on the front, making the oval go to about 1 inch from each of the
four edges.
SPIVEY HALL EDUCATION
INDIA: SITAR & TABLA
WORLD MUSIC FESTIVAL
Cut the oval out of the box top. Place a line of glue around the inner edge of the
box top and place it onto the box. Lay the box down on a table until the glue dries.
Wrap five rubber bands around the box to make the strings of the sitar. Make sure
each rubber band sits over a portion of the opening made from the cut-out oval.
Place a line of glue around one end of an empty paper towel roll and place it at the
top of the shoe box to make the handle of the sitar. Hold it in place until the glue
dries.
Tips: Paint the shoe box before putting the rubber bands on to add flair.
http://www.ehow.com/how_8706259_diy-homemade-sitar.html