Zakir
So it's been a couple of weeks, and I'm beat! This is much tougher than I thought it would be. So much practice. Really draining both physically and emotionally... On the one hand my ego is reeling from getting my butt kicked by 14 year olds in class; on the other hand (no pun intended) my skills and strength are improving dramatically.
I'm learning at the Alla Rakha Institute of Music in Mumbai. Alla Rakha is the father of Zakir Hussain (the resident tabla god of the universe), the first tabla player to make a name for himself in the West touring with Ravi Shankar in the 60s, and is the guruji of my guruji. There are a few main lineages of tabla playing, each one differing from the others in technique and compositions. I grew up learning in the Punjab gharana (or school). When I received the scholarship to come to India to study, my guruji suggested I attend his teacher's school. That way I could maintain the lineage of Punjab style tabla playing. So here I am. Following my teachers wishes. Alla Rakha unfortunately passed on a few years ago, and the reins of the institute have been left to his amazingly talented family -- Zakir, Taufiq, and Fazal. As these guys are too famous (and too busy!) to teach everyday, Rakesh Kumar, another disciple of Abbaji (as Alla Rakha is respectfully called), takes the daily classes.
Every night at about 5:30pm Indian time (read 6:30pm) begins a 4 hour long musical extravaganza: ridiculously good tabla playing, ridiculously hard drills that we have to do for ridiculously long periods of time, and ridiculously funny jokes courtesy of our ridiculous instructor. He is a total character. A documentary waiting to happen. At times he's a demon, running around the room and slapping the backs (and I don't mean patting, I mean slapping - like hard!) of people who aren't keeping up; at times he's a joker making fun of the way we recite the patterns; and at times he's a hopeless romantic, breaking out into old ghazals so we can practice the art of accompanying. Sometimes I hate him, most of the time I love him.
Tomorrow, Zakir will be in class as well. And we have to perform for him. Great!
I better get some sleep.
t
I'm learning at the Alla Rakha Institute of Music in Mumbai. Alla Rakha is the father of Zakir Hussain (the resident tabla god of the universe), the first tabla player to make a name for himself in the West touring with Ravi Shankar in the 60s, and is the guruji of my guruji. There are a few main lineages of tabla playing, each one differing from the others in technique and compositions. I grew up learning in the Punjab gharana (or school). When I received the scholarship to come to India to study, my guruji suggested I attend his teacher's school. That way I could maintain the lineage of Punjab style tabla playing. So here I am. Following my teachers wishes. Alla Rakha unfortunately passed on a few years ago, and the reins of the institute have been left to his amazingly talented family -- Zakir, Taufiq, and Fazal. As these guys are too famous (and too busy!) to teach everyday, Rakesh Kumar, another disciple of Abbaji (as Alla Rakha is respectfully called), takes the daily classes.
Every night at about 5:30pm Indian time (read 6:30pm) begins a 4 hour long musical extravaganza: ridiculously good tabla playing, ridiculously hard drills that we have to do for ridiculously long periods of time, and ridiculously funny jokes courtesy of our ridiculous instructor. He is a total character. A documentary waiting to happen. At times he's a demon, running around the room and slapping the backs (and I don't mean patting, I mean slapping - like hard!) of people who aren't keeping up; at times he's a joker making fun of the way we recite the patterns; and at times he's a hopeless romantic, breaking out into old ghazals so we can practice the art of accompanying. Sometimes I hate him, most of the time I love him.
Tomorrow, Zakir will be in class as well. And we have to perform for him. Great!
I better get some sleep.
t
1 Comments:
your position and situation is worthy of envy, tarun. to be pushed to your limits by someone you trust at a time when you are so intensely motivated is a blessing unlike any other. AND the bonus of ego-shatterring!enjoy and be thankful...as i'm sure that you are.
we can't wait to taste the fruits of your labour...hee hee.
muneerabesendingyoulove.
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