Re: Indian Classical Music Vs. Indian Folk Music

Date: 19 Mar 2003 14:48:19 GMT
Newsgroups: alt.music.world
Size: 1,459 bytes

> Regarding the traditional music of India, I understand
>that there are two
>main styles: classical and folk. What is/are the difference(s) between
>them?
Best way to answer this question is to ask a corresponding question:
"Regarding the traditional music of Europe, I understand that there
are two main styles: classical and folk. What is/are the differences
between them?"
You would probably regard such a question as unhelpful, since there
is such a great variety of European folk music, and such a great variety
of European classical music as well. What folk music is
meant -- which countries, traditions, ethnic groups, subcultures? What
classical music is meant?
The question about India is unhelpful in the same way.
A better way to ask would be:
How can I find out about the various kinds of folk music in India?
How can I find out about the various kinds of classical music in India?
Once you have done some listening, you'll be able to figure out
how to ask questions that give you more productive answers.
You could try doing a google search on terms like "Indian music"
and going through the results; you could get a map of India and
try combining the names of Indian states with words like "music"
or "song" and see what happens. Read some record reviews; there's
a good selection at rootsworld.com which deal with both Indian
classical and folk traditions (I've written some of them).
Best wishes,
Warren Senders