Hindustani and Western Music is More Alike Than you Think

DO RE MI FA SO LA TI- The most famous musical alphabet of Western Classical Music. 7 unique, simple notes that span across countless centuries and tell the story of musical evolution throughout ageless generations. For those who keep musicals and classics in their hearts, or have simply allowed their ears to indulge in the cornerstone musical pieces of pop culture, the Do Re Mi sequence has been spotlighted in golden classics from Julie Andrews’ Sound of Music Soundtrack to the Jackson 5’s ABC. Now travel all the way to the other side of the world, to a land of unique cultural vibrance and musical traditions, and sit in on a private singing lesson of a young protégé living with his mentor as a dedicated disciple of Hindustani Classical training (this is also known as a Guru-Shishya relationship). As in the early oral traditions of Hinduism, the Guru (spiritual teacher of music) takes on the responsibilities of his Shishya (disciple) and the progress of his musical growth and training by keeping the student in his home and privately training him in singing Hindustani music. Vocal Training is regarded as sacred and spiritual when practiced in its most traditional, orthodox methods. The mantra of Hindustani vocal training is comprised of numerous ragas, equivalent to the concept of scales. The notes of these ragas are spelled out as SA RE GA MA PA DA NI, the foundation of Hindustani Classical singing lessons.

IN C MAJOR:

DO=C=SA

RE=D=RE

MI=E=GA

FA=F=MA

SO=G=PA

   LA=A=DA

TI=B=NI

DO=C=SA

Now, if anyone has taken private singing lessons in Western Classical Music, learning the Do Re Mi vocal exercises are the foundational practices for any singer, no matter what their skill sets are. Do Re Mi comprises of a full, 8 note scale. The base scale usually starts off in the C major scale, and can eventually shift in key signature when testing the waters during a singing lesson, depending on the vocal range of the individual. The  bridge that connects Western Classical Music and Hindustani Classical Music in their roots alone are that the base Western Scale and the Hindustani Raga note sequences are ONE AND THE SAME. When learning Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do in C major, you are also learning the main raga of the Hindustani Classical sequence Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Dha Ni Sa. Of course, there are hundreds more ragas that are far more complex, mastered through extensive training, but the Scales of Western Classical Music and Hindustani Classical Ragas, though flow in separately, follow similar courses and eventually travel into the same language of music. Music is very much like an ocean- it is  gargantuan in size and depth on its own, but its origin was formed through many channels from the earth and will forever connect to many parts of the world.

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