What is Indian Classical Music ?

The roots of Indian Classic Music (ICM) stretch back over 5000 years. 2000 years ago the purpose of Indian Classical Music was a spiritual one, rooted in the hindu veydas which said that the music was divine in origin. Over the years Indian Classical Music picked up influences from Persian, Greek and Indian folk music, and evolved into an entertainment art form whilst still retaining some of its meditative heritage. In the twentieth century, as transport, migration, and mass media made the world seem a smaller place, the heritage of Indian Classical Music spread far from it's geographical roots to places such as the UK.

Although many westerners are familiar with the sound of the sitar through artists like 'Pundit' Ravi Shankra and the Beatles, very few have been given the opportunity to realise the great depth and breath of this stupendous musical tradition. At the heart of which is the raga. A raga is the melodic form upon which the musician improvises and is established by tradition and continually to evolving through the inspirational creativity of master musicians. Indian Classical music is therefore very different from the tradition western idea of set musical pieces and this leads to a very different teaching style known as the Guru Shishya.

The Guru Shishya tradition is primarily an oral one, taught directly by the teacher (guru) to the pupil (disciple). This differs method of using notation to pass on set pieces. In fact, the way in which classical indian music has been passed on from generation to generation is closer to blues, jazz or rap than traditional western classical music teaching.

This method of training in Indian Classical Music is actually a key factor in the imbibing of the musical skills. There is no classroom situation. The training which is popularly referred to as the Guru Shishya Parampara literally means Teacher Discipline Tradition. It evolves around the personality of the teacher (Guru) and his capacity to germinate and grow the process of creation in his pupils. Hence, the 'Gurukul' the home of the Guru. The teacher is thus a philosopher and guide rather than a simple source of technical knowledge.

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