Share and Learn

=)

Gurmat Sangeet - it is the  singing the hyms of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib and other sikh scriptures as per the order of the Guru.

Before a shabad ( hym) starts its title states the raag and we ought to sing that hym only in that raag. Though today there are very few who follow this tradition and sing their own tunes, often popular movie tunes. There are 60 raags in the guru granth sahib ji. 31 main and 30 mixed raags. Raags like Sri, Malhaar, Kalyaan, Basant are taken from Indian Classical Music. In addition, there are number of raags that have been created by guru sahibs themselves. examples of this are Majh, Asa, Gond Jaijaiwanti and many other mixed raags likeAsa Aasawari etc. Jaijaiwanti is now often sung in the indian classical setting as well.

The style of singing varies from Dhrupad and Khyal which are very classical in nature and require intensive training to the simpler folk styles of singing known as Ghoriya ( sung at the time of weddings) , Alhaniya ( sung at times of death)etc..there are also 22 ballads in the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji and all of them have to be sung in a particular tune or “dhun - nee”. In addition, there are some shabads to be sung according to carnatic style and they are indicated as DHAKNI…unfortunately a lot of this style of singing is now lost cause over the past 80 yrs or so kirtaneeas began to sing wht they wanted rather than singing what the guru wanted them to. This happened around the time when the Harmonium was introduced into the Sikh Music circles.

The main difference between Indian Classical Music and Gurmat Sangeet is that Indian Classical Music is centered on the singer and his/her ability thus you will hear a lot of Alaaps and Taans ( vocal acrobatics) while Gurmat Sangeet is centered on the  Shabad ( hym) and any alaaps and taans that are there are few in number and are added just to lay stress on certian words of the hym or to beautify the composition.

Moving on to instruments…In order to suit the style of singing some instruments were used that were already there while others were created. The Rabab was already there. The Saranda was invented by the 5th Guru sahib and the Taus by either 6th or 10th Guru sahib…we are unsure about who invented the instrument. The sarangi was already there and was apparently brought in to sing the ballads mentioned in the Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji. However, according to some scholars the sarangi is not allowed inside the inner santium of the harimander sahib as it has the ability to over power the singer. The Jori, sikh style pakawaj was also invented during these times.  Finally about 250 to 300 yrs ago the dilruba was invented.

Today, thanks to organizations like Raj Academy and individuals all over the world the instruments of the guru’s are being strung once again and the raags of the guru are being sung once again!

For audio lectures go to the raj academy site and listen to the lectures..there are 4 lectures if i am not wrong. In addition, there are numerous articles talking in depth about the various aspects of Gurmat Sangeet. Finally, you can go to my blog www.singhangad.wordpress.com on the left hand you will find some more articles on gurmat sangeet as well as links to some recordings.

Hope this helps!

Angad Singh

Instruments: Tabla, 1 swarmandal, 2 rababs and 1 esraj

Wishing everyone and their loved ones a wonderful year ahead…

I’d like to leave you with a quote:

“Pray as if everything depended upon God and work as if everything depended upon man.” -Francis Cardinal Spellman US cardinal 1946 (1889 - 1967

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa  Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh!

Angad

I love the way Ustad ji plays..he is totally enjoying himself

, originally uploaded by Angad Singh.

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh!

I received a lots of messages congratulating me on the Parkash utsav of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. Why congraturlate me? And what about the other Gurpurab today.

Guru Tegh Bhadur Sahib ji gave up his head on this day - why dont we congratulate each other about that. The only time in history has this happened. Guru Sahib gave up his life so that others can practice their religion.

According to some sources on this date Guru Gobind Singh ji was appointed Guru on this very day. How come there is no mention of that?

Anyway I leave you with an excerpt from an email I received by Inderpreet Veerji.

On the topic of Guru Nanak’s birth anniversary I thought I would share with you the words of a great scholar, commentator, philosopher, poet, administrator (he was the first jathedar of the Akal Takhat) and, in general, thought leader of the Sikhs. This is what Bhai Gurdas ji wrote about the coming of Guru Nanak many many years ago.

Imagine, if you will, walking in an area where one cannot see anything because of mist, dust, and darkness. Then suddenly the mist and dust clears and resplendent light shines bright. Imagine, if you will, a dark night with only the occasional twinkle of stars in the sky that may seem beautiful but really don’t give aid to the direction of our walking path. Then suddenly the sun rises, the skies are bright and the sparkling stars are over taken by the bright shining light of the sun - now one can see where they are walking. Imagine, if you will, a jungle with quiet and calm deer munching along in the brushes and grass and suddenly the sovereign lion comes out of the trees and roars loudly communicating its presence. The deer scatter away in fear as the king of the jungle has come to establish its empire. That was the feeling when Guru Nanak came to this earth. Wherever the great Baba went, there was established a place of learning. All the hearts he touched became active with remembrance of the Divine and all the homes he visited became active with societal and community service. The pursuit of Truth became the passion for everyone and this revolution hit everywhere. Such was the coming of Guru Nanak, the First Prophet of the Sikh Nation…

In this var Bhai Gurdas ji has established the uniqueness and the strength of the first Master of our Nation. The coming of Guru Nanak is best celebrated by understanding our place in world society. By understanding our scripture, practicing our way of life and living - not resting - on the laurels of our history.

Congratulations on the celebrations of the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak - the First Prophet of the Sikhs.

Var 1, Pauri 27 - Varan Bhai Gurdas

Carhdi Kala

P.S. - Translation based on “Varan Bhai Gurdas - Text Transliteration and Translation - Dr. Jodh Singh”

Before I end this post I leave you with a shabad - Bin Tail Deeva Kyo Jale - sung by Dr Gurnam Singh ji.

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh

Angad Singh

Attempting Happy Birthday to you

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Fateh!

Each time I listen to this recording my hair stand. In particular I am drawn to the prolonged manglacharan - A man of the stature of Bhai Avtar Singh ji..invoking blessings from the almighty… asking him to keep him stead fast..dolan tey rakho prabhu..

I shall say no more…click here to download …this is a recording from the world religions conference held at Barcelona in 2004.

Have a great week ahead.Waheguru ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh

Angad

Ps - if you listen carefully you will notice there are 2 joris playing. Both Bhai Swaran Singh ji and Bhai Baldeep Singh ji are accompanying Bhai Avtar Singh ji and Bhai Kultar Singh ji.

… play the dilruba/taus/esraj/tarshenai.

… do kirtan on tanti saaz

…do  kirtan in raags

…understand and appreciate Indian ClassicalMusic

BUT …have not been able to do it for various reasons….we present to you  a solution…Harsangeet.com

At Harsangeet.com you will have the opportunity to learn the various aspects of kirtan and indian classical music.

We believe learning is a life long process thus we do not have fixed course with a time limit.  You will have the choice to chose between the most basic bowing techniques to advanced  puratan reets (partal, dhrupad etc). The content will be uploaded regularly and you chose what you want to learn depending on your ability.

In addition, we have a facility for the students to upload their videos at a secure site so that you can get feedback on your playing technique. In addition, arrangements can be made for one on one time with the teacher.

Having told you about Harsangeet and what we are offering I would like to share with you about Maiya Singh ji, the main teacher at Harsangeet.com. He has studied under the likes of Pt. Rajan and Sajjan Mishra (vocal) , Pt. Siyaram Tivari(dhrupad) and Baljeet Singh ( tarshenai/dilruba). Maiya Singh ji has devoted is life to kirtan and music. Manav Singh has been learning from him for over three years now and you can check out his videos on - www.singhmusic.blogspot.com

Go pick up yr saaz bring out your tablas and tune your tanpuras its time to have some fun!

This is the tune or bandish i learnt for the shabad Gur Mere Sang Sada Hai Naaley

DSC00334, originally uploaded by gobind khalsa.

I’ve uploaded this video of myself playing raag yaman in roopak taal. Sorry about the video quality I used my mobile phone and this recording was done at night hence the darkness.

I am playing my esraj that was made by Manoj Kumar Sardar, the sound has not be altered in any way. The phone mic does not do completed justice to sound of the saaz.

Guru Rakaha

Angad

Sunset in singapore, originally uploaded by Angad Singh.

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh!

I was going through the kirtan that I have and I chanced upon this shabad Ramiya Hon Barik Tera.

For almost two hours now I ve been playing it over and over again. The innocence in the voice of the Sonia Kaur who is singing appeals to me.

Please click here to download the shabad.

Rab Rakaha

Angad

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh!

After my last post, I decided I had enough of trying to make adjustments in my saaz cause nothing seemed to be reducing the rattling sound from the top of the instrument. This rattling sound was so annoying, I could hardly concentrate and do reaaz properly.

I decided it was time to buy a new saaz. The question was from where? I did not know any one who could help me get one from gurdial singh, nor could I wait indefinitely. The other choice was Raj Musicals. I had a word with Manav Singh ji, my friend from Bangkok. He told me  that if you want a top notch saaz from Raj you should go through some famous people. If an average person wants a saaz he will quickly make one for you and in the process over look some details. These minor defects can be fixed but only by an expert. And  you dont have a teacher near you, it can be a serious headache.

That did not make things any better for me. It was then I came across Manoj Kumar Sardar and Brothers who are based in Calcutta. They are supposedly the best makers of esraj and tarsheanis.

I took the chance and I called them up. Spoke to Mr. Manoj Kumar himself, he was very warm and spent time explaining to me the different varities of instruments they have ( in terms of kind of wood and price). On his recommendation I ordered a one piece tun wood esraj with wooden pegs for my main strings.

A month later when I received the instrument, it is just out of the world! The workman ship is just amazing! You can check out the pictures of the instrument here, here and here. I shall upload a sound sample one of these days!

Manav and I did a short practice over skype and he was totally bought over by the sound of he instrument. He has written an entry about it. Click here to read.

Now some of you may think Esraj is not our saaz in terms of Sikh Tradition, I agree it is not. Ideally I too wanted a dilruba. However, the lack of good quality dilrubas made me explore the option of the esraj. The main thing for me is the sound, the esraj sounds almost alike if not better. So till I can find a good dilruba or taus, I will stick to this saaz!

Finally to all of us out there who don’t have teachers near by, Harsangeet.com is going to launch soon. We are in the process of getting the content ready.( Do not sign up yet we are still under construction.)

You can call 91-33-2237 5835 and ask for Mr Manoj Kumar and do remember to tell him Angad from Singapore has recommended him. So as to ensure a good deal!

Thats all from me in Singapore

Guru Ang Sang Hove

Angad

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji ki Fateh!

Over the past few months I have received emails asking me for details on dilrubas. I myself have also been looking and asking loads of people on what makes a good dilruba.

In this post I attempt the following questions.

· How much should a dilruba cost?

· What to look out for when buying a dilruba?

· Who makes the best dilrubas?

· The role of Strings?

In the past few years there has been a sudden demand for dilrubas. Thus a number of music stores now manufacture and sell this beautiful instrument. A simple google search of the word “dilruba” will give you an idea about the popularity of the saaz.

How much should a dilruba cost?

Price, I believe is one of the factors responsible for the popularity of the dilruba. It is important to note that price is not directly proportional to the quality of the instrument. Most dilruba’s are sold in the range of Rs 7,000 to Rs 9,000 for the basic models. A hard fiber glass case costs around Rs 2,000 while a cloth one costs about Rs 300. This makes the dilruba one of the cheapest stringed instrument of the Sikhs. Make sure you ask for extra string . Min one roll each for main strings and I roll for the tarab strings. Also ensure they give you rosin and a bow.

What to look out for when buying a dilruba?

Due to an increasing demand, a lot of manufactures are now making dilrubas. Like most Indian instruments every manufacturer makes the dilruba according to their own styles. As a result we have dilrubas in various sizes and shapes (sound box). This is not much of a problem. The main problem here is the quality workman ship. Many instruments are sold without paying attention to the final details. At this point we must keep in mind that these instruments are extremely sensitive thus attention to detail is essential in the making of a dilruba.One of the most important part of the dilruba is its main bridge. The quality of the sound depends a lot of the bride (there are other factors like shape of sound box and strings too). In most cases the bridges are not carefully made or placed. I have experienced this 1^st hand. David Courtney has done a write up on bridges and bridge modifications. Click here to read it.

Next we talk about the sound box. The sound box should have some depth and should not be too narrow. Unfortunately I can’t provide you with measurements at this time. The stem or the fingerboard must also be proportional to the size of the sound box.

A broad deep sound box will give the instrument a richer tone and there will be greater resonance. A flatter and narrower sound box will give the instrument a sharp sound. The two dilrubas in the pictures are a good example of what I am trying to say.

Who makes the best dilrubas?

Moving on to makers. This question is a very complicated one and there is no 1 answer to this. There are two major players in the market. One being Gurdial Singh based in Jhallander and the other being Raj musicals in Delhi. The other makers are Manoj Kumar, Bina Musicals, Delhi Music, Bharat Music, Nagi etc.

Gurdial Singh

Apparently amongst the finest sounding saaz are made by them. Unfortunately, unless you know them in person or have some contacts do not expect to get a beauty. If you get one consider your lucky! Also you need to know what you want and don’t want in your saaz if you are buying from them. In addition it is recommend you collect the saaz in person, or have a knowledgeable person do it for you. They are notorious for selling you what they want to rather than what you want. Apart quality, they have very little value for time. If they say 3 weeks there is no guarantee they will deliver in 3 weeks. They make take a month may be more. This to most of us is really important cause we don’t live in or near Jhallander.

Raj Musicals

Most commonly used dilrubas are made by Raj. They generally deliver in time. However, in the bargain, they compromise on the finer details of the saaz. Thus   you may get a saaz that may have a small deffect in it, the bridge may be little faulty or the strings may not be the correct ones etc.

Manoj Kumar ( just added)

Over the past few weeks I have received emails asking me about the Manoj Kumar dilrubas.  I have spoken to a friend who has played the instrument and the feed back I received was that he would rather play a manoj kumar dilruba than a raj dilruba. The sound is more sarangi like.

The workmanship, I can assure you is awsome. My esraj was made by them. They take a whole month to make the saaz, but what they make is extra ordinary.

One thing to note is that Manoj Kumar dilruba’s come with 6 main strings not 4 like dilrubas frm raj or gurdial singh..if you want only 4 please let him know when you place the order.

Finally the moment of truth… which one is the best? I really don’t know. You have to evaluate your self and make the decision.

Other brands

I don’t know enough to talk about them.

My dilruba is made by Nagi. Now heavily modified. It sounds alright…I am still working on getting it to sound mellow lets see what happens. I would not recommend this saaz unless you want to experiment with string and bridges etc ( read: ready to spend lots and lots of time…).

You might wonder why did I buy it?

I needed an instrument at that time and this one was available in Singapore so I did not have to pay for shipping (almost as much as the instrument itself !). Most importantly I did not know any of the above things.

Role of Strings

Strings play a key role in the sound quality of the dilruba. At this point I must mention. If you have just gotten your saaz please don’t change your strings just as yet. The wood needs time to get resonant. With time and regular reaaz your saaz should sound better.

Only when you have decent control over your bowing and you can play some basic compositions. You will be in a position to judge the quality of the sound. So till then unless you snap a string please don’t change them.

David Courtney has written a detail page on strings and tuning as well. Click here to read it.

Wow! I guess that was the longest post in a long time. I hope this post helps you identify a good dilruba and improve the sound quality of your dilruba.

Ps. If you have more infomation about Dilruba in terms of structure please let me know.

Happy Practicing..

Guru Ang Sang!

Angad

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh!

Guru Arjan sahib saheedi was the very first saheedi in sikh history. After him, numerous including the Guru sahibs who followed gave up their lives but not their faith.

Guru Arjan Sahib has contributed to the development of Sikhism in numerous ways. Hecompleted the building of the Harimander Sahib, The Adi Granth and contributed the most number or shabads and saloks in the Guru Granth Sahib, the most famous being Sukhmani Sahib.

To Read on about Guru Arjan Sahib ji life please click here

Gur Arjan Vitoh Kurbani

At the 17th minute in this recording the legendary Bhai Dharam Singh Zakhmi ji explains what shaeed means. No offense to anyone but not every Sikh who dies can be called a shaeed. He goes on to talk about Guru sahib’s life and how he was educated who was instrumental in his upbringing etc..i leave it for you to listen to it yourself for the details.

 Some other compositions of Guru Arjan Sahib

Gun Naad Dhun Anhad Bhed

this composition is a purataan reet said to have been sung in guru sahibs durbar, this composition is sung in the dhrupad ang in chaartal of 12 beats

Mohan Neend Na Aveh Haveh

Again a puratan reet..this is a partal sung in raag bilaval. Guru Ram Das ji and Guru Arjan Sahib ji were 2 guru sahibs who gave us partaals.

With this I would like to end this post

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh!

Angad Singh

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh!

Early last week I received an email from a friend. His father who was in the mid 70’s passed away. Later in the week the funeral was held.

My friends and I went down for the funeral. This was the first time I had seen a funeral in Singapore. There were certain things about this funeral that particularly struck me. I shall explain how the entire process takes place and then focus on the parts that struck me.

When I reached the crematorium, the body lay in rest. We payed our respects and sat down, some of us were standing at the back as the hall was small. Salok M9 was being played. After this Aardas was done and body was moved to the furnace. We went to what is called the viewing gallery. The body was then placed on an automated trolley and it moved towards the furnace. The distance that the body covered was about 15 meters. This was the part that really struck me.

He left everyone behind and moved on..taking absolutely nothing with him. The family members just stood behind a glass wall and watched the body move and disappear in the furnace.

We do read and understand that we come alone we’ll go alone etc. In India, the only other place where I have been to a funeral you place the body on the funeral pyre and then light it. In this case it was very different, thus it really shook me up as I actually saw him leave everyone and everything behind and go all by himself.

After this we came back we recited Sohila Sahib and did Aardas. The next this I noticed was that most of the people at the funeral were people with white hair, I wonder what must be going through their minds at this point of time. Not along ago some one told me - going to a funeral is basically checking out the path that we are soon going to be walking on!

After Aardas we came back to the Gurudawara Sahib where the Alhaniya were recited. In the Alhaniya guru sahib basically tells us. Don’t cry over the person who has passed way, its of no use, let us sing the praises of the lord whose house we all have to go to someday.

I wanted to take a picture of the body in the casket moving on but my praji told me not to.

I Just wanted to share this experience with the rest of you..that all of us WILL walk alone.. so all you liverpool supporters…hahaha!!

Guru Ang Sang!

Angad Singh