Indian Music doesn't deliver

By: Sunil Noronha
Tuesday, April 25, 2006

There have been many attempts either intentionally or non intentionally match up traditional Indian Music with western music. Every musician is partially driven by appreciation from his audience, however artistic he might tend to get, and wouldn't like to have his audience reconsider his talent to give them the music they like to hear. Traditional Indian music is quite "unmodern" for the younger crowd. The general response from most youngsters to the age old music hat has been in movies is that its got to move with the times.

One change made to move with the times is "funkifying" it. The secret about rock music, which can be largely classified under international music, has been just getting loud. There are more subtle effects to making sound like rock music than just distortion and a lead solo. All the efforts of Indian music's artistes to funk it up and give it the magic international sound'n feel don't match up to the standard set my rock artistes of abroad.

There are only a few Indian mainstream bands which one can really say are rock bands. The fact of the matter is undeniably that Indian musical ethics don't allow it. You can't want to maintain that same affect that Indian music otherwise has while modernising it. You'd either take away its Indian feel or its western touch.

But its allright if people don't like it for what it is which'd make them want to modernize it. But then modernization is not the answer. Its allright if Indian music is invalid. If the Indian culture doesn't serve its purpose (if the music is a direct result of the Indian culture), then some that does should be found. The audience will go after what they like. If Indian music doesn't have what it takes it will surely become much less popular than western music-if it doesn't have what it takes. In the end how ever much "innovation" through fusing various forms of music, it will never satisfy the record labels, the audiences or the artiste himself. If Indian Music doesn't have what it takes, it will surely die out and if it dies out, then it just doesn't fit the bill.

Recent Stories
Mozart tops "chart"
Radio Mirchi expands arms