Understanding Hindustani

For my commentary on Hindustani classical music, I chose an instructional video. I suspect that this performance might contain many of the core elements of this music culture. It even says 'Elements of Hindustani Classical Music' on the banner in the background.



The video begins in mid- performance. Playing together are a collection of chordophones, membranophones, and aerophones, as well as a lead male vocal. In constant drone is the combination of 'Tamburas', the large upright chordophones in the rear. The drums, called 'Tabla', are playing in a complex meter, and as the melody progresses, they also improvise in tandem with the vocal. The performance is quasipulstile, but there is a constant rhythm phrase that is repeated, which I suppose is called the 'Tala'.

The vocal melody seems to be highly improvised. The use of 'Ragas', or common modes, apparently define the leeway the soloist has in improvisation in this performance. The melody also uses embellishments and ornamentations such as melisma comparable to that of middle eastern musical tradition. Accompanying the vocal is the small aerophone that plays a similar melody with it's own embellishment in heterophonic fashion. The nature of the music culture seems to be one of soloist improvisation with complex guidelines in mode, tonal center, and rhythm, and I think this performance is evidence of that.