Lecture-Demo: Percussive Instruments of India

Indian classical music is famous (or infamous!) for its complicated rhythmic structures. While Western music is largely in 4/4 time, with an occasional foray into 3/4, Indian classical music journeys into 7, 9, 19- even fractions like 5-1/2!  The more you understand about these rhythms, called taal and laya, the more Indian classical music will blow your mind. 

Vinod Ventakaraman (aka Guru VR), esteemed mridangam player and our Artistic Director, will present a lecture-demo (called a Baitak) to educate us on the rhythms and tempos, as well as the wide array of percussive instruments providing the heartbeat of Indian classical music. This baitak will feature performances from Guru VR and young local artists Amit Kavthekar (Tabla), Shubha Chandramouli (Mridangam), Ray Belli (Konnakol), Snigda Prakash (Hindustani vocals), Roshan Mandayam (Violin), and Rohit Sivaram (Guitar), plenty of performances, and stories from Guru VR's association with Ravi Shankar, Zakir Hussain, and the Grateful Dead's Mickey Hart. 

The event will run…