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INDIAN MUSIC FORUM ARCHIVES: Community Forum: HEY EVERYONE!! I want to know a little about you!

 

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BuddhistMonk
HEY EVERYONE!! I want to know a little about you! Jul 08, 2001 11:31 a.m.

Hello all you indian music lovers out there. My name is Zach, I like in the USA in Tulsa, Ok. My main instrument as of now is the electric guitar. I have played it for about 6 years and play many styles- Jazz, blues, fusion, rock, indian slide, funk, and my own blend of styles. I enjoy studying religions and reading books. Most of all though music is what I love. Tulsa, Ok is an odd place to find someone into indian music I guess, I don't know anyone else here who is really into the music. The way I got into it was through a guitar player named John McLaughlin and then later Ravi Shankar. First I bought a CD by Miles Davis called Bitches Brew, John McLaughlin plays on it, and he caught my interest. I got more of his CDs and finally discovered his band shakti. Meanwhile i was listening to the Beatles effort at indian flavored music. So that led to Ravi Shankar. Then I discovered many great players of indian music though numberous websites. Id like to hear a little about everyone else here and there music. Rajan, hits, A-man, Guffy, ales, Warrenji, Mariano, Bill, sita, Dallas, krasp, harpau, Tabla Lover, BJ, David, Kumar, Nomad, Rod, Adelphus, Russ, Annasuya, Richard, Trivans, laura, and anyone else who is posting on these boards Id like to here about your experience with all kinds of music and what your intruments and talents are like. Have a nice day everyone, I look foward to hearing from you.
hits
Re:HEY EVERYONE!! I want to know a little about you! Jul 08, 2001 02:14 p.m.

Hey, my name is hiten, but call me hits. i live in england, and i'm 14. i play many instruments, but my main instrument is keyboard. after keyboard, it is sitar, dholak and drums that i can play well, and then on the next level is tabla guitar and a bit of violin. i first started playing keyboard when i was 10. my family went to a wedding along with a my mothers friend and daughter. there was a band playing there, and i really liked the music. it was covers of indian film music. there was a keyboard player, congo play, drummer, and two singers. the keyboard player looked really good on stage, and i noticed that many girls were looking at him. on the way home, my dad asked me if i wanted to learn to play keyboard, and i thought for a while. when i think of it now, i feel really stupid, but back then, i thought, yeah, i'll learn, and then when i'm performing i'll have all the girls looking at me. stupid i know, but thats how i started. so i went to a teacher for 2 years, and then i had my first performance. it was a solo thing, using beats from a keyboard. then, i got a drum machine, and started to program that. a few months later, two girls that went to my keyboard class wanted to start singing, and another boy could play dholak, so we started a band that plays garba songs. this is when i got interested in dholak and drums. my dad also got me a new keyboard, well it was a synthesiser. and this is where my collection of instruments and equipment started. i now have over �9000 worth or equipment. i am still leader of that band (our keyboard teacher made me leader) which is called FOLK FOUNDASIAN, and me and my mother (who sings) also hade another band, called KARISMA. i also play freelance with other bands. i'm into all kinds of indian music, including classical, folk, bhajan etc, and also Rnb, and garage. i can also play all styles. as i have said on another forum, if anybody else is into recording and music techonology then plz say, cause i would like to share techniques etc. i just got a ROLAND VS1880 if that means anything to any1, and it is working great. thank you for reading this long piece of writing about myself, but i have a lot to say about music, as what u can learn about it is endless.
HITS
BuddhistMonk
Re:HEY EVERYONE!! I want to know a little about you! Jul 08, 2001 04:51 p.m.

Hello, thanks for your reply. I forgot to mention earlier I just ordered tablas, they will be dilivered in a few weeks. Another thing I didnt mention is i play the hand drums right now. I am participating in a few local drum circles and things now. Really fun stuff. I can't wait to get the tablas.

About the music recording, personally I don't, but I know a guy who records me and my other two bandmates playing jazz songs and flamenco songs. We run the amps directly into a mixer, then straight into the computar via MIDI cables. He has a lot of software compressors, EQs, sound editors, sequencers, and much more. After we get it all recorded, we master it with another software program and burn it onto a CD. We use the Cds to sell at concerts and as our demo tape to get jobs playing at resturants.
richard
Re:HEY EVERYONE!! I want to know a little about you! Jul 09, 2001 01:40 p.m.

Hello All,
You know it was just a few days ago i was t looking around to see what the best Harmonium would be, and saw this board by accident. .

Thank you for your introductions BudhistMonk, Hits, Sita. . . here's mine, it could tend to be a little long, since i'm 52 and the experiences have been piling high for a while i'll try andstick to the basics. . . . .
When i was a teenager i started out doing the electric guitar thing playing in numerous bands, then on a blind whim when i was 19 i started playing Viola and was lucky enough to get scholarships to some Music Schools like Cal-Arts i was there at the inaugaral year of 1970, and that was the start of all this actually i think, because even though i was practising viola and and learning western classical music, that year they had the best teachers of ethnic music from all over the world like Ravi Shankar, Ali Akbhar Khan, and their circles of associates and students, and others and it was way more than i was ready to comprehend although i totally enjoyed and thrilled sitting front row at many of their concerts and classes. It was complete and utter sensory overload then, like how much of a good thing can you take intoo small. . . there was just so much i wish i could have it back again. . so anyway i went on through Manhattan School of Music, after that i did the tour of alot of symphony orchestras, but being a string player the real beautiful thing is the chamber music, like the string quartets of Beethoven, Mozart, Brahms, etc.etc. . . once in a while you'd get a really hot group together to read through these things it's so inspiring like it's the whole point of practising most of your life just to experience the essence of this great music. By contrast simple Kirtan is just as great i've come to realize, playing the harmoium is such utter simplicity without the clutter of all the technique and frustrations of striving for perfection of more complicated music. .

I do practise Yoga as well, my favorite Yoga site is http://yoganiketan.net/ I live in Southern California south of LA and am doing professional Photography in various forms, it satisfies the creative itch. . . thank you everyone, i'm very pleased to meet all of you and am open to sharing ideas and inspirations. . .take care

richard
BuddhistMonk
Re:HEY EVERYONE!! I want to know a little about you! Jul 09, 2001 01:59 p.m.

Sounds like you must be a great musician to get into those schools. Do you still make your living playing music? In the future I'm planning on going to music school for guitar, I hope I can get tabla instruction also wherever I go. I'd just like to be able to make a living playing music or doing something with music. Thanks for telling us about yourself. Have a nice day!
Louis
Re:HEY EVERYONE!! I want to know a little about you! Jul 10, 2001 07:28 a.m.

Okay then, I've just turned 30 and live in Croydon (just South of London in the UK). I got into Indian music through a mate who I now record with (hits see my email) who had a passing interest in Indian music but whose real passion in Arabic music (which I also like). The people who first peaked my interest we're some of the "Asian Underground" artists like Talvin Singh, Bill Laswell, Badmarsh and Shri, and Earthtribe. As we were already mixing electronic dance music with various musics from around the world I started to realise that I loved the sound of the tabla (having spent quite a long time using sampled loops). I was already dabbling with some hand percussion so I decided to bite the bullett and get myself a set of tabla's. I got myself some lessons and was pretty dedicated for about 6 months after which I started to drift a bit. I've not really improved much since then because I don't give the drums enough time but I still enjoy taking them down and whenever the band plays live I bring them out (it's amazing how impressed people get of my fairly grim talents if they're not used to seeing tabla played).

As I started to play tabla I started to listen to other Indian music and go to concerts and got myself truly hooked.

I'm currently involved with serveral recording projects in a friends studio where we run a (techy bit) Soundscape REd Hard Disk Recorder, a Mackie D8B desk and an array of synths and samplers (inc an A3000 sampler, the Novation Supernova and the Proteus 2000). We basically mix up anything that we like the sound of so the output can be a little eclectic but we've got some good reviews and people seem to like what we do.

Louis
richard
Re:HEY EVERYONE!! I want to know a little about you! Jul 09, 2001 08:07 p.m.

Not such a great musician as the talented people here i'm sure, i think i was blessed and very lucky. . . i still play an occasional gig here and there, good luck with the studies and please let us know what's going on. May the inspiration flow through you so strong that you don't know who's doing the playing. .

peace,
richard
BuddhistMonk
Re:HEY EVERYONE!! I want to know a little about you! Jul 10, 2001 09:39 p.m.

Sounds like some very interesting musical ideas and projects. Do you have any of your techno mixed with indian music on the web that i can download and listen? i would love to hear some. Thanks for posting.
Russ
Re:HEY EVERYONE!! I want to know a little about you! Jul 17, 2001 05:21 p.m.

Hello all;
Well, since everyone is jumping into this "meta-group" I guess I will at least get my feet wet too. I had hoped the sitar forum would turn up more interest, but it looks like its run out of steam for the time being. I'm 48 myself and have been crazy about Indian music, especially sitar, since I first heard Ravi Shankar on record back in 1967. Yeah, the Beatles and Ravi is my generation. Saw him and his daughter in concert in Tuscon Az back in November last year. The old boy has still got it! I bought my first sitar at an old Pier 1 store in Fort Worth Texas in the summer of 1970. The store people had no idea what it was, thought it was some kind of weird Indian decorative piece. So I bought it for next to nothing. Still have the old thing although I've restored it myself and added to it. I wrote a short piece on it for the owner of Buckingham music in Austin Texas, just for the fun of it. You might want to take a look at http://www.buckinghammusic.com for the article. I am not affiliated with them nor do I live in Texas, but I've become internet buddies with the owner. As for sitar, I'm self taught as it is almost impossible to find a teacher unless you live in a big city with a large Indian population who has a love and knowledge of their own music. Where I live in New Mexico, there is a large Indian population of scientists and engineers, most of who are musically illiterate! So, here I am my myself. Of course, I do play several other instruments. I have an old mini-moog synthesizer from the late 70s and my old friend, a Gibson ES335 hollow body electric guitar, circa 1969 (BB King style). My interests run the spectrum from fusion jazz, hard rock, bluegrass, and of course Indian. This is getting long, so I'll end here. Good to see some response on this forum at least!
BuddhistMonk
Re:HEY EVERYONE!! I want to know a little about you! Jul 24, 2001 04:07 a.m.

Hello, good to hear from you. Its great that you taught yourself the sitar. Do you know ragas or ever perform concerts? I have to teach myself tablas becuase no one at all around here plays or teaches indian music. I wish there was more interest in Oklahoma and the whole USA in general. But I plan to move after high school is over, hopefully to a place with more interest.
Louis
Re:HEY EVERYONE!! I want to know a little about you! Jul 24, 2001 08:41 a.m.

[quote][b]BuddhistMonk (Jul 10, 2001 09:39 p.m.):[/b]
Sounds like some very interesting musical ideas and projects. Do you have any of your techno mixed with indian music on the web that i can download and listen? i would love to hear some. Thanks for posting.[/quote]

You can check out the Secret Archives of the Vatican stuff at http://www.besonic.com/secretarchives and while you're there try searching for Spaceport Orkestra of Benares who are superb. If you want something mellow I can also recommend Tabla and Strings (also at Besonic).

Let me know what you think of the BeSonic stuff, most of it isn't too up to date but we should be releasing some more stuff soon.

The SAotV stuff to check is probably Activation (Secret Archives of the Vatican mix), We Will Not Hate (which features a wild sitar solo) and Dust (which features Pakwaj and Tabla grooves to build a rhythmic bed for everything else). If you want to listen to Dust, which will be our first single from the new album, you'll need the password "remix".

Louis
BuddhistMonk
Re:HEY EVERYONE!! I want to know a little about you! Jul 24, 2001 01:09 p.m.

Thanks Louis Ill check that stuff out and then get back to you to say how I like it.
BuddhistMonk
Re:HEY EVERYONE!! I want to know a little about you! Aug 01, 2001 02:50 a.m.

Hey my grandparents live in Enid. Back in the day my dad used to refuel jets at Vance Airforce base there. Thats pretty cool that you get second in sitar playing competitions. I will certainly stick with it, thats something i love.
Russ
Re:HEY EVERYONE!! I want to know a little about you! Jul 31, 2001 05:25 p.m.

[quote][b]BuddhistMonk (Jul 24, 2001 04:07 a.m.):[/b]
Hello, good to hear from you. Its great that you taught yourself the sitar. Do you know ragas or ever perform concerts? I have to teach myself tablas becuase no one at all around here plays or teaches indian music. I wish there was more interest in Oklahoma and the whole USA in general. But I plan to move after high school is over, hopefully to a place with more interest.[/quote]

Hi; No,learning and playing ragas is serious business. You absolutely must have a teacher to get real time training and feedback for that. However, you can teach yourself to a certain extent by listening to records (uh oh. .I mean CDs. I'm dating myself again!)
and try to duplicate what you hear. What I know about ragas comes primarily from books. I've never done a concert as such, just for friends. But I have played sitar at amateur talent contests at various universities I've attended over the years, and placed as good as 2nd. I have played in a band before, back in the mid 70s, playing fusion jazz on guitar and synthesizer. Don't do that so much anymore unfortunately. Work gets in the way! Know what you mean about no interest in your area. Same where I live. I also lived in Oklahoma at one time up in Enid, stationed in the Air Force. Seems like a million years ago now. Just got back from a week long trip out to San Francisco. Lots of interest in Indian music there so that was cool! So,if you like it, stick with it!
FullCircle
Re:HEY EVERYONE!! I want to know a little about you! Aug 19, 2001 02:45 a.m.

Hey I know im probably getting in a little late on the posting ubt i figure ill go ahead and introduce myself. My names Rick and i live in tulsa and I play the sitar. me and bhuddistmonk jam as often as we can but we're both prety much beginners. Ive played the guitar for aobut 3 years and I know a fair amount of western theory and eastern theory. I'm trying to find a teacher right now but until i do im teaching myself to play ragas and I think its goin pretty good. Its certainly one of the funnest things ive so far discovered. I also play the electric bass in a band and I'm ok at that too i guess. I think thats all I really have to say, i look forward to talking to all of you.
Hanuman
Re:HEY EVERYONE!! I want to know a little about you! Aug 19, 2001 03:34 a.m.

Howdy Doody!!!. . Sri FullCircle . . and Welcome to the Board!!!. . You sure sound like you are having a lot of fun!!. . I will look foward to hearing some of your compositions on Yahoo VoiceChat . . . Your colleague Venerable Buddhistmonk is chasing up a microphone for his P.C. . . Meanwhile Peace and Goodwill . . . Hanuman
BuddhistMonk
Re:HEY EVERYONE!! I want to know a little about you! Aug 21, 2001 12:54 a.m.

Dont worry rick your right on time for the posting.
Roh
Re:HEY EVERYONE!! I want to know a little about you! Sep 04, 2001 01:23 a.m.

Hi Zack,

Read your message. I am Rohan, in Bangalore, India.I am also a student and an avid admirer of Indian classical music, specifically Hindustani music. I am learning Hindustani music on the Slide/Hawaiian Guitar. I have been through the whole cycle of listening to different types of music and have settled down on Hindustani music. This music commmunicates directly to your soul. The only prerequiste you need to enjoy this music is a source of spiritual energy. The music will take care of reaching this source and nourishing it!

I am really happy that Westerners like you are taking a lot of interest in Indian music. There is a lots that Indian music has to offer. This is not to say that Western music is poorer in comparison. I love a lot of styles and artists of Western Music, right from Classical Music to good old Rock. In fact one of my all time favourite artistes happens to be the Lords of Psychedelia, Pink Floyd. My point is that Indian music can enrich and broaden your musical sensibilities. It can provide that extra dimension to your musical landscape or should I say soundscape!

Ive rambled on long enough. Ill wind up with one of my favourite quotes on music by an eminent Guitarist. The person in question is Martin Barre, guitarist of Jethro Tull and the quote is: "Music is a 360 degree experience."

Let this circle encompass your being with feelings and experiences so profound that you are constantly aware of the gift of human existence.
HanumanBaba
Re:HEY EVERYONE!! I want to know a little about you! Sep 09, 2001 08:55 a.m.

Hi!!!! ROH from Bangalore . . . WELCOME WELCOME Welllllcccome!!! Mr. Zac/ Buddhist Monk may be FLAT-OUT preparing for a TABLA concert and repairing his P.C. mic.facility . . but Hang-in!! I'm sure he will be back shortly . . Meanwhile Blessings and good wishes.
Roh
Re:HEY EVERYONE!! I want to know a little about you! Sep 10, 2001 04:49 a.m.

Hi Hanuman and Zack,

Great to hear from you guys. Hanuman, thanks for your warm welcome and kind wishes.
Keep at it Zack. After all, Practice makes Perfect. All the more so in Hindustani Music, which has made realisation seep into my lazy bones that there are no short cuts here!
Monk
Re:HEY EVERYONE!! I want to know a little about you! Sep 09, 2001 12:13 p.m.

Hello roh and Hunanan good to see both of you. I have been practicing quite alot and now that school started I have homework and things like that to do. Starting to listen to indian music and then play the tabla has done great things for my music all around. Not many guitarists have rhythmic patterns in there head all the time when they play and improvise, tabla has influenced me in guitar to begin thinking more rhythmically. Music is indeed 360 degree experience. Roh I am also a fan of Pink Floyd, very good band.
I can't wait until I am more experineced on the tabla and can play Indian classical music with people around that I meet. All I can do now is Practice! Have a great day everyone and post back and tell me whats up.

Hanuman-I am working on getting my voicechat setup, should be ready next week sometime. Thanks
Nomad
Re:HEY EVERYONE!! I want to know a little about you! Sep 21, 2001 05:15 p.m.

Hey there, Its nice to see that someone is interested in the rest of the group! Well, ok, Iam 20 year old female, living and studying in Canada. I have fallen in love with the Tabla through one of my professors and since then it has penetrated my soul and the rest of my being. I am not a trained musician in any of the fields, I see that so many of you have such wonderful talents, and that is beautiful. Music has always been part of my life however- maybe not playing but the rhythm, which reflects the heartbeat, the cycles and the resonance which mirrors our being all too often. So, I am a social anthropology student, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and it is among one of my passions of course. Anyway, I am anxious to hear more about hte rest of you
Nomad :)
BuddhistMonk
Re:HEY EVERYONE!! I want to know a little about you! Sep 21, 2001 06:06 p.m.

Hey great to hear from you Nomad! How long have you been studying tabla? I have been for a few months now.Im practicing alot and getting better. Slow process though. Im alot faster than when i started though. Bless you! have a nice day

monk
HanumanBaba
Re:HEY EVERYONE!! I want to know a little about you! Sep 22, 2001 03:44 a.m.

Hi!! . . NOMAD . . . Greetings !!! . . . Navaratri, the Festival of Nine-nights starts in about three weeks so make sure you use your social-anthropology skills to tune-in to your local Hindu temples and Devotional centres for that . . . over the nine nights there is normally several TABLA presentations . . as well of course as VOCAL, DANCE, POETRY, and other INSTRUMENTAL Items . . . The SIKH GURDWARAS are also good for TABLA presentations and inter-action . . . My INTRODUCTION is already on this board . . Namaste
Nomad
Re:HEY EVERYONE!! I want to know a little about you! Sep 22, 2001 01:54 p.m.

Thanks for the information, I will be sure to check it out!!!!
roh
Re:HEY EVERYONE!! I want to know a little about you! Oct 12, 2001 04:20 a.m.

Hi Nomad

Great to hear from you. You have made an excellent choice of instrument. The tabla is one of the most versatile percussion instruments, capable of reproducing any rhythmic sound. And yes, life is one hell of a rhythmic procession! So let the bols roll!
poing chakalaka
heya rou Oct 12, 2001 05:49 p.m.

Its good hear somone from india and his perspectives on the subject.
ive been to your country and thats where i got my first tabla lessons. in pushkar.
that was 2 years agoand im still playing.

ive been playing all kinnds of string instument for the last 10 years(guitar, mandolin, oud, bango) last night i played a sitar for the first time in my life and i have no words to describe the feeling.
it was overwhelming. well thats my next destination of instrument
poing chakalaka
hello nomad, Oct 12, 2001 06:02 p.m.

Hello nomad,
music is in the soul, in the mind and in the body, but only if want it to be. for me each step i take is part of a rythem, or a song thats playing in my head. i used to think that only if you are a musician you can really apreciate complex and intricate music, just like only a wine expert can tell a relly good wine.
anyway over the years iv proved myself wrong thanks to different people i met on different roads.
the love of music derives from many places and not just the head that knows the complexity and mathematics behind the scenes.
welcome. .
danny
StarFire
Re:HEY EVERYONE!! I want to know a little about you! Oct 13, 2001 01:31 a.m.

I am the grandmother of a beautiful 8 year old girl who wishes to learn the dances of India. She is mixed heritage of Indian, Arab, Scots/Irish, Welch, and Choctaw. She is studying the Hindu religion, attends the temple whenever possible, and wants to learn the dances, but we are unable to find classes she can attend locally. She has watched the dancers at temple festivals. She even mimics their graceful hand movements in her sleep.

Does anyone know where I can find Indian dance instructional videos or DVDs? I would prefer basic, but at this point would settle for any level. I want very much to give them to her for her birthday.

You can contact me at starfire@airmail.net if you have any suggestions.

Thanks!
StarFire
BuddhistMonk
Re:HEY EVERYONE!! I want to know a little about you! Oct 14, 2001 12:17 a.m.

Hello all! Its great to see some new people around. Makes me happy. Everyone feel free to post up whatever youd like and Ill respond if I can. Im sorry though I am not sure where you can get Classical Dance videos, maybe someone in the dance forum can be of better service to you.


The world is a rhythmically complex experience. I notice this quite a bit lately.
roh
Re:heya rou Oct 16, 2001 01:48 a.m.

Hi Danny,

Good to hear from you and even better to know that you appreciate and are learning Indian music. What can I say about Indian classical music! It is one vast ocean that stretches into infinity!
roh
Re:heya rou Oct 16, 2001 01:48 a.m.

Hi Danny,

Good to hear from you and even better to know that you appreciate and are learning Indian music. What can I say about Indian classical music! It is one vast ocean that stretches into infinity!
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