Practicing

"Zia Mohiuddin Dagar is one of my most favorite musicians of all time. Here then is a excerpt from an interview with his son unto whom the torch has been passed. It discusses the approach that his father took in teaching him to play the Veena. I think it is of extreme value to all up and coming musicians."

Q:
So tell us about your grooming into a fine Rudra-veena artiste. The training must have been grueling and exhausting.

A:
There was no such thing. On the contrary, it was so simple. In fact, I don't even remember how I learnt it. There was no strict training adopted. There are moments when a student's mind opens out to new ideas and his mind is very receptive to things. So that's when the guru introduces him to new Rags and aspects of music. They don't teach everyday, day in and day out. When the student is receptive and very alert, that's when Ustad decides to teach and that's how they impart slowly over a long period of time and give you the knowledge. Sometimes you understand it better when someone else is being taught. So basically, the method of teaching is totally in Guru-shishya parampara. The student sits and listens to the Ustad teaching the other students the same thing again and again. But this listening helps in making you sure of what you have learnt. And there is no such pressure of realising it there and then. Once we've understood it we are left to ourselves. The day we realise it thoroughly we'll do it properly. So that day could take 20 days or a span of 20 years to arrive but that's not the important thing. The important thing is that you've understood it now, and will adhere to it, and the way you'll perceive it and produce it. Its a long method of learning but at the same time an easy method without tensions and pressures on you at anytime. There is no time limit. No exams or test involved. Its a slow process of flavouring and slowly tasting everything.

Q:
Was your father strict with you as a guru?

A:
No, not at all. My father never insisted that I must practice for hours and do this and that. You see, every teacher has a different way of teaching. My father was very casual in the way he taught. But he was a very good teacher and so he would know when the student is most attentive and that now is the time that he can grasp something. So he would then just explain this and that. He would show us a Rag and how it is sung or played. Then ask us to sing it and then let us go. If we forgot it, then he'd show it again. He was extremely patient with all his students. It is very important to be patient in this art. One of his senior disciples had learnt and practised only Rag Yaman for eight years. We were always told, that you have to learn about 3 percent, you have to practice about 40 percent of the entire thing and you have to think about 500 percent or more, it is then that your music progresses. If you learn everything in one go, then it becomes a burden on your head. And he said, if you've learnt your basics very well and do them for a very long time, then over a period of time, as you progress, a path forms and from that path you find other smaller paths to other Rags, and you find your own way of understanding those other Rags within the framework.

"When I read this answer it made me think how true it is that when one practices too much there comes a fluidity in the fingers that surpasses the level of expression. One can always hear this in guitarists these days. They can play many notes or they can play many riffs but it is not at all pleasing to the ears of good taste. Also it sounds so un-original. A true musician is one who has the courage to venture into his own hidden depths and search his own soul for the music that is unique to him/her. Such a musician comes from a place of contemplation and not just parrot fashion practicing. 'It's a slow process of flavouring and slowly tasting everything'. This is the answer right here and a clue as to how to make beautiful music. It's what I sometimes call 'brewing' or 'stewing'. As some of you might know I am a pretty good cook. But the one dish I love the most to cook is Curry. The thing I learnt about cooking curry is that it takes a long time to get all the spices to combine with the food. Even after it has stewed for a while on a medium low heat - even then one should leave it to stand over night and then serve it up the next day. Only then does everything hold together in one unity of flavor. This is the same with a band. Sometimes a band can practice all their songs for days on end, but it is only after touring that there comes a real and true tightness. I remember once Keith Richards wanted to go straight into the studio after a long tour because he felt that the band was 'well oiled'. I guess the point of this whole discussion is that there is more to mastering an instrument than just practicing. Steve Via one day in master class asked the students to play 'the sound of the taste of an apple!'. This might sound completely ridiculous (and I think he should practice more what he preaches) but it is a way to combine practice with expression. When the expression of the soul is being fulfilled then the body gains a new energy and practice flows between the hours even when you are not touching your instrument. Thus when you see Hendrix playing you see a man who is bringing his whole being into the music and there is no seperation but a unified expression of brilliance. On this discussion I would recommend also that you read a little book by Rilke called - Letters to a young poet. Then go rock out!"