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The music of India includes multiple varieties of folk, popular, pop, classical music and R&B. India's classical music tradition, including Carnatic and Hindustani music, has a history spanning millennia and, developed over several eras, it remains fundamental to the lives of Indians today as sources of spiritual inspiration, cultural expression and pure entertainment.
What is american (of the United States) music ?
The relationship between music and race is perhaps the most potent determiner of musical meaning in the United States. Through the verbally passed on slave songs and learned church music, African American musical styles became an integral part of American popular music through blues, jazz, rhythm and blues, and then rock and roll, soul and hip hop.
Whereas country music and upper class patronized symphonies etc are seen as typical white music. Present day popular american music is just an unplanned/unscientific amalgamation of notes.
Comparison of Indian music with its classical, folk and pop components with american music which is mostly just pop is therefore heavily one sided in favour of Indian music.
From purely listening pleasure point of view, I find that Indian music is deep, meaningful, spiritual, pleasurable to ears and stresses on vocal presentations. American music is more instrument oriented and repetitive. Take away the orchestrations and there is nothing left there. There isn't even any melody to sing it.
Occasionally, a Daniel Bedingfield, Dido or a Joey Macintyre comes along and proves to be a one song wonder.
What is american (of the United States) music ?
The relationship between music and race is perhaps the most potent determiner of musical meaning in the United States. Through the verbally passed on slave songs and learned church music, African American musical styles became an integral part of American popular music through blues, jazz, rhythm and blues, and then rock and roll, soul and hip hop.
Whereas country music and upper class patronized symphonies etc are seen as typical white music. Present day popular american music is just an unplanned/unscientific amalgamation of notes.
Comparison of Indian music with its classical, folk and pop components with american music which is mostly just pop is therefore heavily one sided in favour of Indian music.
From purely listening pleasure point of view, I find that Indian music is deep, meaningful, spiritual, pleasurable to ears and stresses on vocal presentations. American music is more instrument oriented and repetitive. Take away the orchestrations and there is nothing left there. There isn't even any melody to sing it.
Occasionally, a Daniel Bedingfield, Dido or a Joey Macintyre comes along and proves to be a one song wonder.
As a person that has studied both Indian and western classical music, I can objectively say that Indian music is far superior.
1. It allows for creativity & flexibility instead of rigidity of written western music.
It encourages mastery over music whereas w c m encourages ability to adhere strictly to the written score.
2. Concept of ragas with assigned notes for ascending and descending scales (aaroh/avaroh) creates a permutation that creates infinite possibilities. It is thus, more scientific and structured while still allowing the freedom of creativity so important in music.
3. Ragas are assigned time of day, moods, locales, settings. These have a unique rendition effect.
Some baroque music can be tranquil.
4. Gradation of scale, notes, tones etc is scientific in both types of music, but more sophisticated in Indian style.
5.Beats - (tala) plays an integral role in music. In western, it is like a forced merger.
There are many differences that are very technical in nature. My western music teacher often comments on how Indian music spans all scales (low- Kharj to highest), is set in various speeds (vilamb to drut) and is beautifully set in minors. Most western music is set primarily in majors thereby restricting it. It takes a connoisseur of music to understand the subtleties.
An Indian classical singer can sing ANY type of music - western classical included. The same can not be said for a person trained in western form of music.
Although lyrics are becoming more and more mundane and pedestrian day by day everywhere.......yet Indian music (not necessarily bollywood) has still retained a semblance of poetry and depth in expressions.
American lyrics ("shake your booty/ I wanna F*** you ???") are just sad. Even the worst B grade Indian film songs are often an ode to love (not lust), beauty (- of eyes etc ) and deep emotions !
The poster that talks about exploring divinity is right. Music is seen as something that has the power to put you in a transcedental state and is an integral part of faith for that reason.
1. It allows for creativity & flexibility instead of rigidity of written western music.
It encourages mastery over music whereas w c m encourages ability to adhere strictly to the written score.
2. Concept of ragas with assigned notes for ascending and descending scales (aaroh/avaroh) creates a permutation that creates infinite possibilities. It is thus, more scientific and structured while still allowing the freedom of creativity so important in music.
3. Ragas are assigned time of day, moods, locales, settings. These have a unique rendition effect.
Some baroque music can be tranquil.
4. Gradation of scale, notes, tones etc is scientific in both types of music, but more sophisticated in Indian style.
5.Beats - (tala) plays an integral role in music. In western, it is like a forced merger.
There are many differences that are very technical in nature. My western music teacher often comments on how Indian music spans all scales (low- Kharj to highest), is set in various speeds (vilamb to drut) and is beautifully set in minors. Most western music is set primarily in majors thereby restricting it. It takes a connoisseur of music to understand the subtleties.
An Indian classical singer can sing ANY type of music - western classical included. The same can not be said for a person trained in western form of music.
Although lyrics are becoming more and more mundane and pedestrian day by day everywhere.......yet Indian music (not necessarily bollywood) has still retained a semblance of poetry and depth in expressions.
American lyrics ("shake your booty/ I wanna F*** you ???") are just sad. Even the worst B grade Indian film songs are often an ode to love (not lust), beauty (- of eyes etc ) and deep emotions !
The poster that talks about exploring divinity is right. Music is seen as something that has the power to put you in a transcedental state and is an integral part of faith for that reason.
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