Sugato's performance

This Sunday our music cultures of the world class were given the opportunity to see Sugato Nag, an Indian sitar player, both in lecture and in concert.

Sugato’s demonstration was almost as if we were students in a sitar playing class. He led us along a lecture on how playing the sitar works and other various details about sitar playing culture. He showed us the tuning of the sitar and how to play the chords. We learned that the chords were actually from Germany, a top-notch brand to produce the best possible quality sound. He told us sitar playing on requires one tonic unlike Western instruments and music. Also, how you only end on this one type of note or else it will sound wrong to the ears of sitar players and Indians. These teachings were were accessible in some ways and difficult in others. He used a lot of musical terms that I think the musicians among my fellow classmates got, but I, myself, have no background in instruments and fell into some confusion. For example, when he said, “Everyone knows that” for something I thought, “Well, no, not me.” However, what I liked the best were the bits about Indian culture and history. It was interesting to me how he said there are different sitar songs to play at night and at day, at twilight, at summer, at fall, at winter, at spring, etc. There is something very mythological and religious about that so it grabbed my attention more than actually learning how the instrument worked.

I noticed Sugato tried to communicate the teachings of the sitar through visual aspects. He would tell us something then demonstrate each time. I think he also connecting ways of the sitar to Western instruments as to help the audience understand through using concepts they are familiar with.

For the lecture, most of the audience was huddled are close on the floor in front of Sugato. For the concert, we were seated like a typical small concert. Sugato remarked that it was not the traditional way of enjoying a sitar concert, but rather the lecture version was how it is traditionally done. I suppose that means sitar playing and listening is personal and meant to connect from players to audience.

As for the pieces, they all had the constant droning on Sugato’s iPod to start of with. With this basic drone came the music of the sitar and tablas. The sitar and tablas acted as partners, one feeding of the other and vice versa. I believe Sugato explained that there are twelve beats. I don’t remember which piece it was, but my favorite was when Sugato and the tablas player picked up the speed of playing greatly. It was frantic, frequent, and exciting.

I did not pay attention to the other audience members much, though I saw some shaking their heads to the music or smiling as if they enjoyed themselves and/or were impressed. I think others looked less into it. The reactions of the audience were a mesh of difference attitudes, which is to be expected. I don’t know if everyone “got it”, but I assume everyone who came at least respected the talent of the players regardless if they got it or did not like the music style in particular.