Why You Need to Learn From a Teacher
SO, let's get this straight. Indian Classical Music is not similar to learning any other thing.
How to hold, how to blow, how to play the first notes.
- Can I not just learn that from YouTube?
Yes, you can definitely learn that from a video. The only problem is... Which video? How do you know that the person on YouTube can actually play? People can say anything and with enough confidence it sounds like the truth. YouTube is a jungle, anyone can upload a video on any subject. Claiming to be an expert. YouTube is also a gold mine when it comes to knowledge, you can find almost everything. The only difficulty when being a beginner is to differentiate the good from the bad.
It is very easy to acquire a new habit, but very difficult to unlearn it.
Therefore, be cautious. Or learn directly from a reputed teacher and spare yourself the risk.
When it comes to ragas,
it's a different story. You can't learn that from videos or written in PDFs and notes.
- Why not?
There are many reasons, let me go through them one by one.
1. It is an oral tradition,
so the writing is really just a very basic guide. Just the notes, but not HOW to play them. Imagine a basic map, without details, compared to standing somewhere on that map and being surrounded by the nature and life. Western music, on the other hand, has a very complex way of writing music. Because the composers needed a way to show exactly how they wanted the music to be played by the musicians. Even without their presence.
2. It is simply too subtle.
The shrutis (microtones) are particular and need to be felt. Heard. Your ears are not just developed for it yet. You need to trust someone else's ears for a minute. That's what a good teacher will tell you. "The Ga is too low, the Ni is too high" etc. Sooner or later you'll start hearing it yourself, and even more important, feeling it. Feeling also when it's not in tune, a bad feeling. It's equally important.
3. You think you're playing the same, but you're not.
Let me explain...
I've taught many students from all over the world and one thing that is very important in the process of learning is the instant feedback of whatever you play. Let's say I play a phrase that I want you to copy. You play it and if it was a video you would just move on to the next. But actually you weren't really playing the same, you just thought you did. When you are learning with me we will make sure that the nuance of the phrase is understood. And trust me, seemingly tiny details make a world of difference. That's where the music is. Maybe you played the same notes, but did you really play The Same?
That's the role of a teacher.
4. Since Indian Classical Music is based on improvisation,
there's many ways to express a raga. Different angles and perspectives. There's also levels to it. You don't start with phrases and details that doesn't make sense for your level. Only the teacher can know that - what is best for you at this certain moment. A video will not know that. A video will just provide whatever the video provides, no matter your level or understanding. It completely misses the process. Your process.
When giving class, I never have anything preplanned, because, just like the music, we flow with whatever is best for you here and now. We will never run out of stuff to do anyway. Since we have infinite stuff to do, we will do what is appropriate for you. What do you need to get better? To deepen your understanding. To be able to express yourself more. That's our goal.