Chandra & David Courtney - Page 2

Robert Goldman - Bansuri Flute Player

Elements of rag (raag, raga) and tal(tala, taal) are its base. Applied to Folk Rock and progressive jazz.

The wind in the trees, the sound of the sea, the summer's heat, the darkness of evening, the joy of the morning. Music is in all of these things.

Robert Goldman has been studying the flute for the past 15 years. His experience ranges from solo Jazz work, classical chamber music, and folk rock projects. Already conversant with western classical and jazz flute, he became fascinated with traditional music of India in 1993 after listening to recordings of the late Pt. Pannalal Ghosh. His first teacher of Indian Classical Music was Chandrakantha Courtney, a well known Vocalist in Houston. Later he studied Bansuri from Radha Prasad, who now lives in California. Mr. Goldman has given numerous Indian Music performances including solo and accompanying work. He also continues to enjoy western music. He is featured on the CD "The Realm of Raga Rock". He teaches both western flute (Boehm System) and Indian (Bansuri) flute.

Couple gives lessons in classical Indian music

Chandrakantha Courtney accompanies herself on a harmonium as she teaches a singing class. Called Chandra, she and her husband, David Courtney, come to Victoria on Sundays to teach the classical music of northern India. The couple teach regularly as well as perform.

The shoes' owners are all inside, barefoot, sitting cross-legged, and learning Indian classical music from David Courtney and his wife, Chandrakantha Courtney. David plays tabla, the drums that accompany, and Chandra, as she is called to save a couple of syllables, teaches singing in the classical style of North India. David grew up in Houston. He said, "I became interested in Indian music in high school. At that time you could hear Indian influence in popular culture. We lived by Rice, and I had a lot of Indian friends. Because of the ways schools are in India, they weren't much older than I was. I had a radio program of Indian music on KPFT, the Pacifica station. "I went to A&M, studying bioengineering, then I realized that I really wanted to study Indian music. A&M is not known for their program in Indian music, so at the very beginning of '74 I went to California to Ali Akbar College of Music. I studied there under Zakir Hussain. I studied pakhawaj. That's a very ancient, barrel-shaped drum," he said. Then he went to the wellspring of it all, to study in Hyderabad. "You learn music there by an apprentice system. I apprenticed myself to Shaik Dawood Khan. I was under him solidly for four years and a half and returned to India to study with him until his death in the early '90s." Under Khan, David studied tabla, a set of drums very prominent in the classical music of North India. By this time, he was a grown man. "After a while, my friends started saying, 'We'll have to find you a nice Indian girl.' It got to be less and less a joke," he said. The friends had a girl in mind, one who had been singing since childhood and had toured internationally to Africa and Asia with a classical singing group. "They took me to visit her house, but it was like just dropping in, just a visit," David said. Chandra said, "They brought him to see me. They didn't tell us what it was about ... just a visit. They finally told my parents." Her parents were resistant at first, but were convinced by the testament of his friends, who told them, "He's a good boy." Chandra said, "I didn't find out until after the cards were printed." No matter the cultural strangeness of an arranged marriage for an American man, something was right about the match. They are still married after 27 years and have two children, a son, Shamsundar, 20, and a daughter, Veena, 19. They came to the U.S. in 1980. Music is still the great bond. Chandra said, "It all comes from the music - we talk in music, we fight in music." And they live from music, giving lessons and performing. They teach a lot around Houston. They just got back from Europe and teach a session in Midland each summer for the Indians there. Chandra said they live simply but have all they need in the world. David learned to speak, read, and write Hindi and to speak Urdu during his residence in India. On this Sunday that they have come to teach in Victoria, he is wearing a yellow shirt, square tail out, and black slacks. A lot about him - the clothes, the way he parts his hair, the mustache he cultivates - had a touch of India in it, despite the fact that he is fair and a head taller than most Indian men. Chandra is dressed traditionally. Everyone goes shoeless in the house. The house belongs to Namrita and Dr. Dakshesh-Kumar Parikh. Namrita is very pretty, dressed western in loose workout clothes. She said some of the little ones had had a sleepover and talked or giggled their voices into hoarseness. She is a student of Chandra and said, "Once you learn the classical, you can get into anything." Her friend Anjana Vasavada says, "The husband is teaching the instrument while the wife teaches the vocal. My son is studying tabla while I study voice." It's not a male-female drum-vocal split. Pradip Parekh is a man, and he studies with Chandra, but as it happens, the two tabla students are both boys, Shaleen Vasavada and Sahil Parikh. The tabla drums are tunable, and before lessons begin, David tunes them, tapping on the head and then making adjustments with a small, solid-metal hammer that looks a little like a geologist's hammer. Tuning is done by moving pegs set under the thongs on the side of the drum. The pegs are an inch or two long and as thick as a broomstick. The thongs are made of thick, strong water buffalo hide, while the head of the drum is thin goatskin. Moving the pegs affects the tension on the drumhead. A ring of skin sandwiches the drumhead, leaving a spot in the center. Davis said that the sandwich suppresses some of the higher vibrations on the edge of the drum, contributing to the tone of the drum, more bell-like that of Western drums. The larger drum is called bayan, he said. It is made of brass and is played by the left hand. The smaller drum is dayan. Played with the right hand, it is made of wood, most often rosewood but sometimes beech or other woods. Left-handed tabla players reverse the drums. The drums rest in cushioned baskets. Lessons start, with Chandra playing a harmonium, a hand-pumped keyboard instrument the size of a medium suitcase that she brought with her, unfolded, and used for accompaniment to her singing instruction. The tabla players tap along with the singing while David watches them, slapping his thigh on the counts. Occasionally, he pops his fingers out like a cartoon magician casting a spell when he wants a particular emphasis on a stroke. After a bit, David and the boys go into another room to work on tabla while the singers sing. Shaleen and Sahil are both 13-year-old students at Our Lady of Victory School. Sahil said, "I've been doing this for three or four years. We just started with David and Courtney. I like music - I play piano and I play regular drums. My little sister is going to teach me to play guitar later. Shaleen said, "We've played here and in Houston, too. We had a show for two or three hundred people. Two years ago, I played for my classroom, They liked it a lot." Dr. Parikh, wearing scrubs, has slipped in and is watching the boys work with David. He approves of the music lessons and feels that it is the sort of thing that should be learned outside school hours. Davis repeats syllables that he says are mnemonics to guide the boys through the new material they are working on. "Ti Ra Ke Ta Ta Ka." The students can tap out the notes from those syllables. They use fingertips, fingers, palms, even seen to bend notes sometimes. Asked to write them out for a note taker, David writes them in Hindi, then grins and makes a transliteration to English. He said that there is certain form to a classical Indian composition, that it starts out in a certain way and a theme will be followed, but that there is a lot of freedom to improvise on the theme like in jazz. Also, instruments will take turns elaborating the theme, handing it back and forth, also like jazz. There is some musical fusion going on currently and the Courtneys also perform with Vani, a raga-rock fusion band.

To learn more about Indian music and about the Courtneys, click on their Web site, https://www.chandrakantha.com/ There are links there to sites that explain more about the different types of Indian music, instruments, history, and much more.

Originally posted by: charades

Fantastic Qwest Da... 👏 👏 👏 .
I will also post articles...once u r done

VJ , ji thanks for taking time to visit the thread. she is also very good too. I was listing to one of there fusion right now.

Vocal Raga from South India

Following the 1998 summer music camp in Midland, Texas, T. A. Reddy (TAR) conducted this interview with David R. Courtney (DRC) who was on his way to vacationing in Red River, New Mexico, with his family. This was the first vacation David has taken in the past 15 years!

TAR: David what attracted you to Indian music during the 60s?

DRC: Well, it was about 1968 that I first started to become aware of Indian music. It was during the latter half of that decade that there was a growing interest of Indian culture. The "Nehru Jacket" was in vogue. George Harrison of the Beatles began to learn sitar. In general the young people of the West were now aware that India existed as something other than a subject in their geography class. Although I don't think that I ever really became caught up in the fad mentality, I did become aware that there was something interesting there.

It was about 1970 that things started to really develop. During this period I started to develop a circle of Indian friends. They all went to Rice University and I was in High school. Although most of these guys were graduate students, there wasn't that much difference in our ages; the educational system in the US and India are quite different. They began to look upon me as a younger brother. It was during this period that I began to deepen my understanding of Indian music.

One person in particular had an influence on me. His name was Jayant Kirtane. The zeitgeist of the 1960s was characterized by the rejection of materialism, suspicion of the status quo, and a basic attitude of rebelliousness. Jayant was an absolute embodiment of these qualities and I was able to relate to all of these characteristics. One of his qualities that affected me deeply was his passion for North Indian classical music.

Jayant had an enormous collection of recordings. I must have listened to every one. Since he had studied music as a child, he used to sit me down and tell me all about the rags, the tals, the musical forms, etc. I would have to say that it was during this time that my training was really beginning, although it was totally theoretical.

During this period there was a radio program of Indian classical music; it was called "Evening Rags" and it was aired on KPFT. Jayant was the presenter. I used to accompany him to the station every week. Later I took over the show and I was the host for several months. This gave me an excuse to expand my own collection of recordings.

It was about 1971 that I met another person who had a profound influence on my early life. His name was K. S. Kalsi. He also had a tremendous love for Indian music and he knew how to play a number of instruments. It was from him that I first started to pick up practical training.

TAR: How did you choose Indian percussion music?

DRC: I have to say that it was just luck. During the period that I was developing my passion for Indian music, I would have played anything that I could get. Unfortunately this was the period that India was in the grip of a highly centralized economy. Nothing could be imported or exported without going through a terrible amount of paperwork. Consequently, almost nothing Indian could be purchased in American stores except tons of brassware. Somehow or other I was able to get hold of a pair of tabla. And that was how it started. If I had gotten hold of a sitar during this period things might have turned out differently.

TAR: You have learnt several other disciplines of Indian classical music as well as Western music, and how did that help you with the tabla percussion?

DRC: The performance of tabla requires a tremendous degree of improvisation. When one is accompanying another instrument, there is never any way to tell exactly how things are going to go. I realized this very early and I made a special effort to learn as many instruments, as well as vocal as I could. Although I am not able to perform on these instruments and I certainly cannot sing, it has made me a more effective accompanist. Since I have an idea what is going on in the main artist's mind, it makes it easier to support the particular direction that the performance is going.

TAR: How do you see the future of tabla percussion in India and also in the USA?

DRC: This is a difficult question. Give me a minute while I check my crystal-ball. Let me see . . . I thought I had it here somewhere, oh well, I guess I will have to just wing it.

Anyway, I believe that the tabla is here to stay; however I do not know in what capacity. Presently it is marginalized within the musical environment of the West. That isn't at all bad, the bassoon is marginalized but there is certainly no danger of the bassoon disappearing. I certainly can imagine the tabla existing in its present form for many years to come.

The tabla's present situation isn't bad. It is a ubiquitous sample on keyboards and drum machines. There is also a healthy number of session drummers with a capacity to play some tabla. The large Indian population also means that there is going to be a permanent place for musicians who cater specifically to the "deshi" musical market. But if you ask me if there is going to be a larger penetration into the mainstream musical world, I have to say that I truly do not know. It is possible, but I would hate to hazard aguess.

TAR: What is your opinion regarding tabla in a non-classical role on the fusion music scene?

DRC: In general I am quite pleased. It is a sign that the instrument is not dead, but part of a living, evolving musical form. That is not to say that it is all good. This is a period of tremendous musical experimentation and not all experiments are successful. I have heard much that excites me and strikes me as brilliant. I have also heard some crap. But that is OK. It is only by such experiments that the tradition of tabla continues.

TAR: How did you and Chandra decide to travel to students and teach tabla and vocal, instead of establish a school in one place?

DRC: There are two reasons for this, one personal and one professional. A personal reason is that I love to travel. I enjoy seeing new things and meeting new people. Presently Chandra and myself travel about five months out of the year. The other reason for our traveling involves business. Let me explain.

The majority of people teaching Indian music in this country are amateurs. They have other professions which make it either unnecessary or difficult for them to travel. Music is our only source of income so we have to travel; here is the reason.

Any one place has only a small number of potential students. If we stay in one place we will only be able to teach effectively to students within a 10-20 mile radius. If you take such an area there is only going to be a finite number of people to deal with. In this finite number there is only going to be a small percentage of people who are potential students. If you take how much money that you have to earn to live a middle class existence, and divide it by the number of students you can expect to handle in a given area, then it requires us to charge an unreasonable amount of money in fees.

I do not want to have to charge a large amount for teaching. I remember what it was like to be young and interested in learning, but not have much money. Therefore I wish to charge as little as possible. I also know that there are a lot of people around the US who do not have access to a decent teacher.

Therefore by working nationally instead of locally we are able to benefit the number of people and still charge minimal fees. I think that you will agree that this makes sense, right?

TAR: What is your observation about the enthusiasm amongst students in the USA to learn tabla?

DRC: It is impossible to say. There are as many attitudes as there are people. We always get some kids who are only there because their parents make them. However we also get students with such a burning desire to learn that nothing will stop them. The majority of students are somewhere in between.

TAR: What are the differences in the tabla teaching methods between India and the USA?

DRC: Again it is hard to generalize. First we have to remember that both Indian and American societies are in tremendous flux.

It might be helpful to first paint a picture of the traditional Indian approach to education. Historically, tabla was taught by a system known as Guru-Shishya-Parampara. That is to say that there was an unbroken lineage that existed between a teacher and their disciple, who in turn became a teacher and had his disciple, etc., etc., etc. This was the traditional form of learning tabla for many centuries. It had its advantages and disadvantages. On the positive side it was a very intimate form of training. There was a lot of personal attention which promoted a high standard of musicianship.

Unfortunately it doesn't work today. It is not practical to ask a student to leave their home, family, or profession and to spend 10-20 years playing tabla all day long. If one demands this there will be no students. If there are no students then the entire art form will die within one generation. Of what use is tabla if it exists only in the history books. It is no surprise that musicians in India have changed their approach over the last hundred years in order to accommodate the modern world.

I think that the basic difference between India and the US may be seen in the different attitudes that the musicians have toward this process of accommodation.

Indian teachers have a tendency to deny that they are making accommodations. There is a general presumption that whatever is old is automatically best. Therefore the average music teacher will go through the motions of maintaining the tradition. Such things as guru-ganda ceremonies (the tying of the red thread around the wrist of the disciple to signify apprenticeship) and the constant dwelling upon concepts such as guru-bhai (brothers under the guru) and gharana (traditional schools or lineages of musicians) constantly reinforce the ties with the past.

Don't get me wrong, I am not saying that this is bad, on the contrary it is good; however it tends to deny the changes which have been forced by modern life. For instance there is the system of certification. Throughout India music students go to the local colleges to be examined and awarded diplomas and certificates. It is also common for music teachers to take monthly fees while euphemistically referring to it as "guru-dakshana" (unsolicited gifts to the guru).

There is nothing wrong with making changes in the pedagogic process. Changes are a necessity given the way that Indian society has changed. But I see nothing wrong in acknowledging these changes.

In contrast to the Indian situation, the US is much more open to acknowledging change. (Unfortunately the US sometimes goes the opposite extreme by presuming that anything new is automatically good.) You will find that most teachers in the US tend to structure the pedagogy in a way which is very similar to the western musical training.

TAR. Can you paint a profile a typical and a desirable teacher of tabla in the USA?

DRC: I would hesitate to do so. What may be a good style of teaching for one student may turn out to be wrong for another. In general I would say that a good teacher is one who is able to take the good aspects of the traditional educational approach and work it into a process which is compatible with modern life in the US.

TAR: What are the desirable qualities in a tabla player?

DRC: There are several qualities. Let us presume that the basic training is there and that the basic musical senses (i.e., sense of rhythm, sense of pitch, etc.) are developed. From there I can say that I believe a good tabla player is one who sees the music in the same way as the person that he is accompanying. That is that he (or she) has to sense when to be aggressive and when to be supportive. The tabla player should also know how to make the tempo breath, that is to say how to contract and expand the beats in order to put the life into the music. Finally I think that one should be sensitive to the audience without pandering to the more basic tastes which may be present. In other words "Don't play to the peanut gallery!"

TAR: You have had a broad experience in the Biomedical engineering field and computer sciences and how do you relate that experience to tabla percussion?

DRC: I think that it has given me a more scientific approach to the field. I find that I can constantly invoke physics and psychoacoustics to explain certain things that are going on.

TAR: What are the current projects you are undertaking?

DRC: Presently I am involved in two CDs. One of which is traditional Indian music and the other is fusion. By the time that anyone reads this they will both be out because the release date is coming up in just a few weeks. I am also in the process of developing a video for home instruction of tabla. I also have the second volume of my series of books on tabla which I hope to have out in the next few months.

TAR: I understand that you are a great fan of Sci-Fi movies and have a total collection of Dr. Who TV series. How did you get hooked on this? Have you found any logical connection between tabla percussion and science fiction?

DRC: I don't think that there is any connection between my love of Dr. Who and tabla. It is just a hobby of mine. I originally got into Dr. Who because it was a way that I could connect with my young son. We both enjoyed it for totally different reasons. He was young and was enjoying it simply as Sci-Fi entertainment. I on the other hand was totally turned on by its camp quality. As the years progressed and my collection grew, it reached a point where I just couldn't go out and buy a new tape.

There were only two ways that I could get new tapes. One way was to go to Britain and buy tapes there, then go back to the US and convert it to NTSC (incidentally if you ever wondered what NTSC stands for it is an acronym for Never The Same Color). The other way to get Dr. Who tapes is through the underground. Most people do not know this but there is a vast international underground which deals in unreleased tapes, reconstructed stories, unsanctioned "fan-flicks", etc. This underground has things that even the BBC doesn't have. Now I collect Dr. Who in the same way that one may collect trading cards or butterflies. I enjoy it not because it is easy but because it is hard.

TAR: Do your son Shamsundar Dawood, or daughter Veena Krupa show any interest in the parents occupation?

DRC: Not really. They both learned tabla for a while and they were both doing quite well, but presently they do not have any interest in Indian Music.

Thank you David.

Interview with David Courtney (Revisited)

by T.A. Reddy, MD

T. A. Reddy conducted this interview with David Courtney following the annual summer camp in Midland, Texas (2003).

TAR: David it has been several years since I conducted my first interview with you. I am glad that I have this opportunity now to go to the second part of the interview. Before we immerse ourselves in the world of tabla, let me start by asking you about your new found hobby of target shooting.

DRC: - Well first of all, I don't think that I could call it so much of a "newfound" hobby as much as a "renewed" interest. As a child spending my summers at my great-great-aunts house in a little place called Altair, Texas. I spent quite a lot of time around the place dealing with firearms, horses and all the other stereotypical aspects of life in Texas. As I grew older and spent much more time in the city, it was not possible to maintain my interest in these subjects. However with the rise in popularity of indoor shooting ranges, it has become practical for me to renew my interests.

There is one other reason why I have renewed my interest in theses affairs. The recent rise in fascism in the United States has caused me to be greatly concerned. I have therefore embarked upon my own personal Bill of Rights project. This is part of this endeavor.

I would like to extend my thanks to you for helping me get back into it.

TAR: David, what would be a good age to start learning tabla and what would be considered too old to start learning?

DRC: - 6-8 years is a good age to start. I will try as young as 6, but I find the majority of children are simply too young; they simply do not have the fine motor skills. At 7 years, it is roughly 50-50, while at 8 I found that only about 25% of the students are too young. As far as an upper age, I really do not think that there is an age where one is too old to start.

TAR: Being a late starter myself, I am curious to see what your experience has been working with older students. Amongst older tabla students what physical problems have you noticed? What do you perceive to be the cause for these physical problems and do you have any remedial advise for the older beginner.

DRC: - I think the older student actually has some advantages, but a lot has to do with ones expectations. If you are 40 years old and you suddenly get the urge to quit your job and become one of the world's top ranking tabla players in the next year, it simply is not going to happen. However, if your desire is to just do some simple accompaniment for bhajans at the local mandir, an older student actually has an advantage.

The advantages that the older students have over the younger ones are in their mentality. Adults have the ability to take a task and sit with it for as many months or years that it takes to complete it. Children do not have this capacity. Adults can do the necessary practice by themselves without being coaxed, threatened, or having to be bribed with toys, children do not.

Admittedly there is a marked decrease in neural flexibility, but I think that this is more than compensated by the increased ability to focus and practice.

This is not to say that there are not some difficulties. The most common difficulty is sitting cross legged on the floor. However with a modest amount of practice anyone can do this with ease after a few months.

TAR: David, now I would like to go into the tabla instruction itself for clarification. I do not look at this as "dumbing down" but by judging the enquiries posted on the tabla site I felt there is a need.

I would like to start with the "Gharana" concept first - Can you please, (a) simplify the gharanas in a nutshell and (b) what is your feeling about the gharana based talim (education) in modern times. (c) what are the fundamental differences in the technique (d) and the utilization of different gharanas' technique in the art of playing.

DRC: - The gharanas were complex social structures that were common in the 19th and early 20th centuries that were roughly comparable to guilds. They had a number of components, some educational and some political.

However today, the gharana is largely just a token. If one attempts to strictly adhere to the style and technique of any particular gharana it is professionally "the kiss of death". No single gharana has sufficient tools to allow one to do everything that is expected of a tabla player in today's world.

When we talk of fundamental differences in techniques we find that in the old days there were very different approaches to technique. We can generally group them into two overall philosophies, the Delhi (dilli) approach and the Purbi approach. The Ajrada and Delhi gharanas tended toward the Delhi style, while Lucknow, Farukhabad, and Benares tended toward the Purbi style. The Punjab Gharana became a tabla gharana at a very late date. In the process it acquired both Purbi as well as Delhi characteristics.

Today the professional tabla players routinely mix the techniques. I feel that in the coming decades, we will see the technical differences disappear entirely.

TAR: Who is the creator of TiRaKiTa, is it Ustad Ahmad Jahan Tirakwa? How are the words played to get the crisp sound? How is this compound word used in playing?

DRC: - This is indeed a complex topic. To begin with Ahmad Jan Tirakwa did not invent the TiRaKiTa. It has been around for a very long time.

Now the use of TiRaKiTa (also known as TiRaKaTa or TeReKeTa) is varied. At one time I tried to count all of the versions I had seen and I stopped counting in the mid 20s. There are just too many.

I feel that it is necessary to know at least four or five styles or one will be at a technical disadvantage. There is no one TiRaKiTa that is universally applicable. Different versions have different advantage and disadvantages.

TAR: Please give some pointers as to the DhiRaDhiRa word also. Some would like to play the left hand Ga with the first DhiRa and also the second DhiRa. Do you have any feeling one way or the other?

DRC: - No, they are both valid approaches.

TAR: Can you say a few words about the use of right hand 5th and 4th fingers on the right drum while playing conjoint words such as GiDaNaGa.

DRC: - This is indeed a tough question. These are linked to concepts of alternate techniques and transitions. I am presently working on a new book / CD set in which I am devoting an entire chapter to this very issue. I am afraid I could not do justice to the issue in a few sentences so you must forgive me if I just say nothing here.

TAR: Can you please explain the utilization of Dynamics, Modulation and Ornamentation while playing tabla.

DRC: - Dynamics, modulation and ornamentation are three very important ways in which ones playing can be brought to life.

Dynamics is a topic that deals with how loud strokes are played. This is an artistic call so there is no one approach, however here are a few "rules of thumb".

The right hand in Tin and Dhin should be very soft, at times barely audible. If one plays this too loudly it brings out overtones that causes it to sound like Ta and Dha.

Na, Ta, and Dha should have a right hand which is fairly strong and loud.

Whenever the boll density increases (e.g., double time or quadruple time from TiRiKiTa, Dha- TiTaGiDaNa Ga, etc.) One should make an effort to play them loudly and forcefully while slow single times one should make an effort to pull back and resist the temptation to play these strokes too loudly.

These are of course just some general recommendations. One should always follow ones artistic sense.

Modulations are the way in which one bends the left hand. There is no specific recommendation that I can make except that the student should spend a lot of time on this topic.

The ornamentation is the "massala" that is thrown into ones performances, especially of the theka / prakar. Again this is an artistic call, one should feel what is appropriate and when something should be done. I am afraid that I have no specific recommendations.

TAR: David I hope I can ask this question in a way to express what I really want to ask. Can you explain the relation ship or sequence of the right hand fingers to that of the left hand fingers in order to keep the words flowing smoothly, effectively and producing a pleasing sound.

DRC: - No - It is just a matter of practice.

TAR: Thank you David. When your time permits, in the third part of the interview I would like to go in to the theoretical aspects of playing tabla. I hope it is not going to be an other five years!

DRC: - Thank you.

Interview with David Courtney - III

by T.A. Reddy, MD

T. A. Reddy conducted this interview with David Courtney in July 2003.

TAR: - David, now I would like to pick your brains about the theoretical aspects of learning and playing tabla. To start with, why is it that the tabla student's instruction always starts with tintal. I feel that for a beginner, memorizing the bols of dadra and learning to play the dadra tal would be easier than the 16 beat teen taal.

DRC: - It is a combination of musical and social factors.

Musically there is a symmetry in tintal which makes many things easier. dadra has a fair amount of symmetry, but not nearly the same amount.

However, there are also social reasons. Tintal has been played among classical musicians in India for centuries; it has a social connotation of class. dadra on the other hand, has a social connotation which is linked to the semiclassical traditions, especially of the tawaif (a system similar to the Japanees Geisha). For many years, many artistic elements of the tawaif have been suppressed. There has been a concious or unconcious attempt to distance themselves from this system. It is for this same reason that forms such as Amad are generally not taught in ones formal training.

It has only been in my lifetime that the image of the tabla player has shaken the stigma of the tawaif.

TAR: - How did the need for so many different tals emerged?

DRC: - These things are in constant flux. New tals are formed, old ones disappear, tals merge and also differentiate. When one talks of their being many tals, it is like saying that there are so many words. A quick glance at any dictionary shows that most of these words are archaic and have fallen out of fashion. In the same manner, if you look at all of the tals in the appendix of "Fundamentals of Tabla", you will find that most of them are no longer in use.

TAR: - We have symmetric tals, asymmetric tals, and also asymmetric plus or minus a half beat taals. How are these plus or minus half beat tals utilized and what is the advantage?

DRC: - We must remember that there is not a consensus concerning the existence of tals with fractional matras. Many musicians are of the opinion that a 5 1/2 is actually just an 11 matra tal, or that an 8 1/2 matra tal is actually a 17 matra tal. With this caveat in mind, let me just say that they are generally used as a novelty, sometimes for tabla solos and sometimes for vocal, or instrumental purposes.

TAR: - What is the literal meaning of the following terms and where and how are they used? I apologize for so much in one question but if possible, please describe each one in few sentences in a simple way! Mohra, Mukhada, Tukada, Gat, Laggi, Paran, Tihai, Chkradaar, Rela, Qaida, Palta, Peshkaar.

DRC: - No problem:

Mohra is basically synonymous to a Tukada. Sometimes the bols are slightly different.

Mukhada is a small flourish culminating on sam.

Tukada is again nearly synonymous with mohara.

Gat is a term that is hotly debated. Every tabla player will tell you for sure that they know what gat is, but when they get down to the definitions, they may vary widely. I do not wish to get involved in these often acrimonious debates, so let me just say that they are a class of fixed composition within the purbi (i.e., Farukhabad, Benares, Lucknow) traditions.

Laggi is a light, fast paced improvisation in lighter forms such as kaherava or dadra.

Paran is a fixed composition very similar to mohara, but based upon heavy pakhawaj bols.

Tihai is a phrase repeated three times that usually, but not always, ends on the sam.

Chakradaar may come in several forms, but in it simplest, it is a tihai in which each individual phrases itself contains a tihai.

Rela is a very fast exposition of bols that may be played at extremely high speeds.

Qaida (kaida) literally means "a system of rules". As such, it is a system of rules by which one may generate a very formal theme-and-variation.

Palta is a variation within a kaida.

Peshkar is a type of theme-and-variation that is used to introduce tabla solos. It flows in a manner that is quite different from the kaida

TAR: - Now David, I have another loaded question which addresses every student's nightmare - accompaniment. I understand this to be essentially a matter of practice and depends on the ability of the player. For a novice, what are the fundamentals of accompanying a singer or another instrumentalist.

DRC: - I would say that there are several things:

First, one must be very familiar with the theka. If you have to think about it, you will probably not give an interesting performance. It should be totally automatic. Furthermore, the prakars (variations) should also be automatic.

One should also have a visceral understanding of the music. Indian music, although highly improvised, flows in a surprisingly predictable fashion.

It is also very helpful to have a rapport with the vocalist / instrumentalist.

It is extremely helpful to know the piece that is being performed.

TAR: - How does the tabla player pick up the singer's tal right in the beginning? What are the things to look for?

DRC: - Again, it always helps to have a rapport with the singer. Other than that, it is just practice and experience.

TAR: - How does the tabla player join the singer on the sam, how the ornamentation is done and how to finish with the tihai etc.,

DRC: - Again it is rapport, training, practice, and experience.

TAR: - What is the function of Kaida.

DRC: - Kaida has several functions, Kaida is one of the main components of the tabla solo. Kaidas are also a disciplined approach in learning. Finally, the kaida acts as a arsenal in which one may delve to find bits and pieces that one can use in accompaniment.

TAR: - When I observe the tabla maestros accompanying a singer or an other instrumentalist, I cannot make out the tal they are playing. Why is it? It appears to me that they rarely play a straight theka, and the rhythm does not sound cyclical but cadential type. Can you please clear my mind on this issue.

DRC: - Your observations about the theka are correct. I think it is safe to say that one never plays the straight theka, one always ornaments it. Unfortunately I cannot tell you how to do it. Again it is all a question of practice and experience.

TAR: - David this is the last part of the interviews for the time being. I sincerely thank you for your time and patience in doing this interview with me.

DRC: - No problem.

The American tabla man

September 27, 2005

When David Courtney, at that time a middle-class Texan in his early 20s, expressed an interest in pursuing Indian classical music, his parents were surprised but not averse.

"There is so much flexibility in American culture, and my parents knew no degree would be a constant. They were not concerned about what would happen five or 10 years down the road… it was my interest that meant the most."

David's interest in India, and in Indian cultural music, was fanned by the growing late 1960s and early 1970s influence that Pandit Ravi Shankar and India, in general, managed to beget in the US.

"Growing up, my family was a musical one, though nobody else is a professional. We were always encouraged to try our hand at music; be it instruments or singing. Also, I had many Indian friends, mostly graduate students from Rice University in Houston (Texas).

"Hanging out with them interested me in India. I loved listening to my friends' collections of Indian classical music. At the time I was just in high school. I even worked as a host for a radio program on classical Indian music when I was a high school senior. I learnt my initial lessons in Indian music from amateurs. My first real teacher was Ustad Zakir Hussain."

In 1973, David enrolled at the Ali Akbar College of Music in San Rafael, California, and began learning the tabla and pakhawaj (vocal music) under Zakir Hussain.

Three years later, he decided it was time to follow his passion to its roots. David was 22 and eager to experience India first-hand.

"At that age, you think that whatever is going on with you is what happens to everybody. The 1960s and early 1970s were a crazy time anyway. Reflecting back, it does seem unusual," he smiles.

David met with two big hurdles initially.

He spent almost his entire first year in India being sick. Also, he felt handicapped by the language barrier.

"I was in Hyderabad the whole time. I made trips to different places off and on. V Seetha Devi of the well-known Vinjamuri sisters (two famous Indian folk singers of the 1960s) was my primary contact there; her sister Anasuya Devi's daughter Rathna is a well-known dance teacher here in Houston and was responsible for putting me in touch with her famous mother and aunt.

"The minute I landed in India, I went straight from the airport to AIR (All India Radio) station in Hyderabad to start my new life. I basically just put myself in the hands of the Vinjamuri sisters. They got me connected with my teacher in India -- and then my wife".

David's wife Chandrakantha is from Machallipatinam in Andhra Pradesh.

The story of David's life gets even more amazing when he says, "It was an arranged marriage."

Chandra chuckles at memories of the first day she met David.

"My family and David had a mutual friend; a music director with AIR in Hyderabad who had adopted David as her son and had started looking for an Indian bride for him," she recalls.

"I happened to be performing on radio and Doordarshan (the Indian government television channel) and she thought I was a good match for her handsome adopted son. It was so easy for me to believe that he was their son, considering his knowledge and absorption of India, the language, the music and our culture."

When David met Chandra, a Hindustani vocalist, for the first time that day, he officially asked her parents for her hand. She, meanwhile, had no idea he had come with a proposal. He tried to impress Chandra's family by playing the tabla; and it worked. "For us it was -- oh wow, a white guy playing the tabla so well!" says Chandra laughing.

Her father was impressed with David's wish to marry a girl who sang Hindustani music.

Some years after their wedding, David and Chandra moved back to the US to spread their knowledge, talent and passion for Indian music and culture. They started living on David's parents' property in midtown Houston.

Apart from teaching music, while David proceeded to obtain a PhD -- the topic of his thesis was Computers and Indian Music -- in 1990 and gave several performances including some where he accompanied Pandit Jasraj and Ashish Khan among others. Chandra found her niche as a north-Indian classical singer in the US.

Chandra's activities are not limited to traditional Indian music. She is also the female vocalist with the band Vani, which specialises in a genre of fusion called Raga Rock (ragarock.com) a kind of spiritual fusion. Their most recent project is called The Realm of Raga Rock (which has been translated on Vani's site and is titled Raag Rock ki Riyasat) and they have released an album of the same name.

The band performs all over the world and includes several talented fusion musicians. David is not just accomplished in the tabla, but also plays the dhol and pakhawaj and has a remarkable passion for teaching music. Both are on the board of directors for the Texas Institute for Indian Studies in Houston.

The Courtneys are usually on the road five months in the year teaching Indian classical music, performing and writing books or releasing CDs of information about Indian music and musical instruments. Their goal is to spread their professional knowledge as far and wide in the US as possible.

They work as a team. Their current project is a book-CD set about the tabla, as a sequel to a similar effort they released earlier about the sitar. They, in tandem with 15 others, co-host a weekday radio programme on KMPT Houston called Music Beyond Borders.

The couple has two children; a daughter Venu Krupa and a son Shamsundar Dawood.

"My son's name is in honor of my ustad (guru) in Hyderabad," says David, who studied under tabla maestro the late Ustad Shaik Dawood Khan of Hyderabad. "My kids are currently off to school (university) and we're all in Houston preparing to send them on their new journey," David concludes, while reminiscing of the much more adventurous one he undertook to India almost 30 years ago -- a journey that was to change his life forever.

Photographs: Courtesy David Courtney

David Courtney's

Guru Ustad Zakir Hussain

Zakir Hussain is today appreciated both in the field of percussion and in the music world at large as an international phenomenon. A classical tabla virtuoso of the highest order, his consistently brilliant and exciting performances have not only established him as a national treasure in his own country, India, but gained him worldwide fame. The favorite accompanist for many of India's greatest classical musicians and dancers, from Ali Akbar Khan and Ravi Shankar to Birju Maharaj and Shivkumar Sharma, he has not let his genius rest there. His playing is marked by uncanny intuition and masterful improvisational dexterity, founded in formidable knowledge and study.

Zakir Hussain & The Rhythm Experience

Widely considered a chief architect of the contemporary world music movement, Zakir's contribution to world music has been unique, with many historic collaborations including Shakti, which he founded with John McLaughlin and L. Shankar, the Diga Rhythm Band, Making Music, Planet Drum with Mickey Hart, and recordings and performances with artists as diverse as George Harrison, Joe Henderson, Van Morrison, Jack Bruce, Tito Puente, Pharoah Sanders, Billy Cobham, the Hong Kong Symphony and the New Orleans Symphony.

thanx qwest for another wondeful round of topic.let me nw add somethng too.

Dr. David Courtney, PhD (MAY 30, 2003)
David Courtney was born and raised in Houston, but spent a number of years away pursuing his studies in Indian music. He has studied pakhawaj under Ustad Zakir Husain and tabla under Ustad Shaik Dawood Khan David has a number of books and CDs on Indian music.

In 1978 he married Chandrakantha Courtney, a Hindustani vocalist. Together they travel, perform, and teach. He and his wife have 2 children: Shamsundar,18, is entering college this Fall and Veena, 16, a student at the HSPVA. Aside from his musical activities, David Courtney is on the steering committee of the Houston Coalition for Justice Not War and is very active in a wide range of progressive political activities.

FUNDAMENTALS OF TABLA

ISBN - 9-9624447-8-6

You have purchased your tabla and you have a teacher. You have been studying for a bit and you are completely confused. What you learn doesn't seem to have anything to do with what you hear on the recordings. Furthermore you have talked to other students from other teachers and they are using different bols and different fingerings. It seems that the further you go the more confused you get.

Does this sound familiar?. Don't blame your teacher, it probably isn't his fault. He is just following a tradition of teaching which is centuries old. Don't blame yourself, there is probably nothing wrong with you.

You need to buy this book to put things in perspective. It will give you a good overview of the various techniques used by different gharanas. It will also give you a vast amount of material which will put you ahead in the game.

This is the third edition of "Fundamentals of Tabla" (293 pages). It is the first volume of a series of books on tabla. (The second of this series is entitled "Advanced Theory of Tabla".) It is priced at $34.95. Here are the contents:

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ADVANCED THEORY OF TABLA

"Advanced Theory of Tabla" is the sequel to "Fundamentals of Tabla". Where "Fundamentals of Tabla" concentrated on technique, "Advanced Theory of Tabla" deals with the various aspects of acoustics, compositional, and rhythmic theory, etc. It is priced at $35.95. It is 234 pages in length. (isbn 0-9634447-9-4) Here are the contents:

ELEMENTARY NORTH INDIAN VOCAL

This is the fifth edition of "Elementary North Indian Vocal" (174 pages). This is the textbook for our vocal classes but it is useful for any lover of Indian music. It is priced at $34.95. Here are the contents: