Seeking Inspiration by Looking at Other Disciplines: A Guru's Lesson

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Damian Odess-Gillett
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Joined: January 29th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Hadley, MA

Seeking Inspiration by Looking at Other Disciplines: A Guru's Lesson

Postby Damian Odess-Gillett » December 30th, 2011, 8:01 am

This caught my eye, and, as I pondered it, Roberto Giobbi's exhortation toward a multi-disciplinarian approach to art came to mind.

So, in the spirit of the new year, some food for thought:

From one of musician Ravi Shankar's students on turning 40.

"My own guru; a few of the ragas that he taught me when I was in my 20s, he said 'Practice this; practice it very well - but don't perform it 'til you're 40. I didn't understand. And so I practiced it (and of course for me what he said was, you know, the ultimate, so I never performed it).

But now that I've touched 40, now I know why he said it. Because the same ragas that I've practiced for 15, 20 years has a different outlook that I pour into it because of my experience with life. That's what we bring into the music. And it makes so much sense.

That's why in North Indian music we never have child prodigies, 6, 7, no... it's an experience of life that you throw into your music."

- Shubhendra Rao

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