Sadhna

Sadhna.

The word sadhna comes from the word sadhya, which means to achieve; or to aim or focus.  Any intense practice that is done with 100% focus is called sadhna.

Sadhna is a long path.  To do sadhna requires great patience.  Sadhna can be done of any subject, be it music, yoga, archery or any other practical art.   The goal of sadhna is to become one with the subject; to reach a point where there is no distinction between the subject and the practitioner.  For this, you have to focus all your energy on the subject that is to be mastered or achieved.

To become one with the subject, one must go to the beej or seed of the subject, from where it emerges.  The beej of the subject is the purest state of the subject, it’s root.  For example, in music, the root of any instrument is pure sound or in the language of Vedanta - Aum.  From there, everything that is music emerges.  This beej of music – pure sound, like the beej of any other subject can be called by many names – Truth, Ultimate Reality, Existence, etc.  Thus, if one goes to the root of a subject through sadhna, one experiences ultimate knowledge or Truth.  So we can also say that the highest goal of sadhna is to experience Truth.  The subject is the medium and gaining mastery over it a practical outcome.  The sadhna or intense practice of a subject takes the sadhak or practitioner from the material level to higher spiritual levels, where he can ultimately go to the subject’s root and experience Truth.

Truth is not something that can be taught.  It is something that is be experienced or self-realized.  Unfortunately, in today’s society, the education practice is such that we are given ready-made information that we are to accept rather than discovering them through our own understanding.  It is a system that creates more believers than seekers.

Truth needs no belief, Truth is being.  It is eternal – shashwata.  Even if Truth itself comes to you and tells you to believe, you must not believe.  Because that belief will make that Truth a lie.  Truth itself is not a lie, but your belief of it without experience is wrong.  Truth never creates beliefs.  Truth is Truth.  When you have any experience, your belief turns into knowledge and that is Truth.

What are the obstacles that come in the way of experiencing Truth?
The biggest obstacle is your mind.  Everything – your beliefs, ideas, concepts, thoughts and information are all the clouds that cover the Truth from you.  Until you disconnect from these things, you cannot experience Truth, it can only be experienced in a mindless condition.  It is through sadhna that one can reach a mindless condition.

As mentioned before, one can do sadhna of many different topics.  But the ultimate goal is one and the same: the experience of Truth, which occurs in a mindless condition.  The three most direct paths to reach a mindless condition: yoga, music and tantra.  It is important to understand that there is not one single path or sadhna that everyone can do.  Each person is unique and so their path is unique, but there are similar experiences that sadhaks share as they move towards a common goal.

The world needs two things

The world needs two things: true music and correct knowledge.

All Music

All music lies in the space between two beats.

Understanding the Universe

To understand the universe, you can study the shastras or you can understand taal.

To be a Master of Indian Music

Over the course of 30 years of teaching tabla and over 40 years of being in this field , I have witnessed first hand the changes that have occurred in the industry; changes in the caliber and quality of its musicians, changes in its audiences and more.

I am amazed at how many students I get who want be masters of tabla. The desire is commendable, but the effort that is made to achieve this aim does not reflect this goal. The world has changed. There was a time not long ago, when students of music would practice 7, 8, 10 hours a day. Besides practice, they did nothing. There were no weekends, no days off. It was single-pointed focus to become a master. There were no birthday parties and movies, no social commitments. For a period of time, they left behind the world in order to achieve greatness.  And once that level is attained, a beautiful world opens up that cannot be described in words.

Today, I believe that there great distractions and more ways that a person can have their attention diverted, but human capacity of focus and determination still exist. And without fully utilizing them, greatness cannot be attained. I am not speaking of greatness in terms of becoming a star, being a star and having true mastery are two different things and don’t necessarily go hand in hand. To be a master requires the same qualities it did centuries ago, decades ago and a few years ago: focus, devotion and ability to leave everything.   While the world may change, these qualities don’t change over time.

Here is a wonderful poem by Brahmanand that summarizes what a classical musician must do if they truly want to realize God through their music. Note that this can be applied to any field or work, if one desires to reach that level of mastery in it. This poem has been sung beautifully by Bhimsenji, who is a great model of a true sadhak.

Jo bhaje hari so sada
Wohi param pad payega
Chhod duniya ke majhe sub
Bhaith kar ekant mein
Dhyandhar guru ke charanaka
To prabhu mil jayega

Literal translation:

The one who remembers/praises God always
Will attain the Ultimate goal
Leave the pleasures of the world
Sit alone (in meditation)
Meditate upon the feet of your guru
And you will realize God

The actual meaning of the poem is:

The one who always and fully engages in ones work (this can be any work)
Attains the highest aim
Leave behind worldly pleasures
Sits alone with full concentration
Aspire to follow the path your guru(‘s feet) have walked (upon)
And you will realize God

Important Things Consider when Purchasing Tabla

For any artist, the quality of instrument is very important. There are many factors to consider when purchasing a tabla. It is only in recent times that the wide majority purchase ready-made tablas, previously, each piece was bought individually to create a pair of tabla.

Here are some things to consider to keep in mind when purchasing tabla:

1) Wood
Good tablas are made from sheesham or biya wood. Sheesam is black in colour. A sheesham shell will have a solid bottom. Biya, on the other hand, is yellowish is colour and is softer than sheesham. When looking at shell, it important to make sure that the shell does not have any fractures in the body and that the top of the shell is even. A good shell will have been seasoned for 3 years (or 3 monsoons) before it is used.

2) Vadhar
The thickness of the vadhar is important to consider. Thin vadhars are more susceptible to breaking, which very thick vadhars are difficult to stretch when tuning. I remember when I used to buy vadhar and soak them in butter (makhan) before using them to make a pair of tabla. This was a common practice to make the vadhar smooth and more easy to stretch. These vadhars never dried out or snapped.

3) Gata
The thickness and length of the gata are two important factors. The thickness of the gata affects how much the pudi is stretched when moving the gata. If they are too thin then the pudi will not be stretched enough, if it too thick then it is difficult to increase the number of vadhars on the gata and when the vadhars are increased, the pudi can become overstretched. Generally, gatas should be 1 – 1.25 inches in diameter. If the gatas are too long then gatas will not stay in line when tuning making it difficult to get that precision in tuning.

4) Ghajara
The ghajara on a new pair of tabla should even all around and in the middle. No house should be higher or lower than another. If any house is higher or lower, then that house is more likely to become imbalanced in tone.

5) Kinar
The width of the kinar determines the amount of resonance that one gets. A wide kinar makes for a less resonant sound (which is sometimes required), but in general, a very wide kinar is not recommended. If the kinar is too thin, then the kinar bols can become metallic in sound as the application of ta ends up more on the on top edge of the shell.

6) Shahi
The shahi gives weight to the pudi. A good shahi will have concentric circles and no loose “beads” or danna. When playing a tete on the shahi, it should result in a very crisp sound. A good shahi gives the best tirakita and tete.

7) Pudi Size
The pitch of the tabla changes with the size of the pudi. For beginners, a 5.5″ diameter is recommended.

7) Bayan
Bayan are generally made from German silver, copper or brass in original color or coated in chrome. I personally, I like brass bayans are they have a deep and round tone. There are two styles of bayans – tall or with a stomach. Those with a stomach have a bit more bass than the tall ones. Bayans come in three sizes – S, M, L. For a beginner, medium size is recommended. Bayans can comes with vadhars or strings. Those with the vadhar keep their stretch for longer, but they are susceptible to weather effects, while stringed bayans are not. Punjab, Delhi, Ajrada, Farukkhabad use bayans with vadhar, Benaras uses bayans with strings.

8) Tone
Tone is the most important factor to consider when purchasing tabla. All the above are factors that influence the tone of a tabla. The tabla tone should be round, have good resonance and be balanced. The bayan tone should be round and not have too much or too little bass.

Its a lot to consider, but a good instrument can greatly improve one’s practice, so take the time and spend the money to buy a good quality tabla. Happy tabla shopping

Candlelight Practice (Jyoti riyaaz)

In olden times, many ustads and pandits used to practice by candlelight.

Two major concepts should be kept in mind when practicing in candelight:

1) you must play one composition until the candle burns out
2) you must stare into the flame jyoti while practicing

Practice should not be done in a very fast speed.  It is better to take a taal versus a particular composition (ie. teentaal or jhaptaal theka versus a kayda).

It is also very important to have the taanpura drone and perfectly tuned tabla during a candelight practice.

Fire has four basic elements: heat, sound, light and darkness.  This is why fire is worshiped in traditions around the world.

Staring into the fire is called tratak. When playing a theka and doing this, after some time (after weeks in fact), one feels that the taal and the flame elements begin to merge and drive one into unknown areas.  Its a kind of experience that cannot be described in words.

Sometimes one feels that the sound of the theka disappears and reappears.  Sometimes one feels that the flame appears and disappears.  Sometimes one feels that both disappears and reappears.  That is the time when you meet total emptiness – the gap where all secrets reside.

I strongly recommend that anyone who has the mood to go for any experience of music, but do this practice.   You will not be disappointed.

Confidence Issues with Tabla Players

The biggest challenge of a Guru is the boost the confidence of a student.  In June 2007, my senior student Nishant was facing a confidence problem.  Whenever I asked him to play for me, he always had some excuse not to play.  I knew that his playing level was very good, but that he faced periodical confidence problem, which generally comes in every artist’s life. 

One or two good programs can solve this problem without any discussion or medication.   I had announced a solo program of my senior American disciple Loren Oppenheimer, during his upcoming trip to India.  When I had made that announcement, I had already decided that Nishant would also play a tabla solo that day, but planned on making it a surprise for the audience and artist. 

The program was at 7pm, at 2pm, Nishant was at my home and I told me that he took would be playing in the evening.  This gave him less than 2 hours to prepare as they generally do not practice three hours before a program.   Nishant looked at me with an apprehensive look on his face, “No, no Guruji, let it be just Loren’s solo tonight.”

But it was already decided.  Nishant went home and mentally began to prepare for the evening.  It was very short notice, which meant that he would not prepare new material, but would have to present what he already had ready. 

Everything went as per my calculation.  That evening, Nishant played nearly an hour tabla solo.  It was one of the best solos to date.  And his confidence issue was also solved without his direct knowledge.  Some videos of this solo can be found here. 

Sometimes, all a student needs to do is sit in front of an audience with that mood, and they will realize what their playing level is and what they are able to do. 

Below is one of the clips from his solo, the rest can be found on youtube

Some thoughts on Kayda and Paltas

Whenever my mind is free, I think primarily about two things: experiences with my gurus and experiences with my students.  The truth is what I learned from my gurus was half-learning.  I fully learnt their teachings when I, in turn, taught them to my students.  A beginner kayda like Dha TeTe, Dha TeTe, I might have taught more than a thousand times.  This means I have learned Dha TeTe more than a thousand times.  It is only through teaching the kayda that I have truly digested the kayda.  The more I taught the kayda, the more familiar I became with and attached to the composition.  It has gone so deep in my soul that whenever I teach it, it comes with in a new form (paltas or design).   Every composition has its own mood, identity.  To maintain the basics elements of the composition and create paltas of the composition is the greatest fun.

Let me talk for Dha TeTe today.

Dha TeTe Dha TeTe Dha Dha TeTe DhaGe Tina Kina/
Ta TeTe Ta TeTe Dha Dha TeTe DhaGe Dhina Gena

This composition is one of the famous compositions of Delhi Gharana.  This composition has existed for over 200 years in the field of music.  In Hindustani classical vocal, we have raagas.  We divide raagas in three main scales: odav-jati, raagas with five notes; shadav-jati, raagas with six notes; sampurna-jati, raagas with all seven notes.   In tabla compositions, they have maintained this concept.  We, too, have compositions of five notes, six notes and seven notes.   Dha TeTe is a composition of five notes – Dha, TeTe, DhaGe, Tina, Kina.  These are the five major notes of this composition.

As I mentioned, this is a composition of Delhi Gharana.  The use of only the first two fingers is permitted.  Almost all the compositions of Delhi Gharana are played solely with the first two fingers.  That is why Delhi Gharana is also known as Do Ungaliyo Ka Baaz, the Gharana of Two Fingers.  The most important thing in a kayda is its paltas or variations.  Without disturbing the main composition’s form, with the small changes, we create paltas.

There is an interesting combination between technique and creativity.  You can make hundreds of paltas of each kayda, but in performance, generally we play 7 to 15 paltas of each composition (according to time limit and nature of performance).  The challenge is that every palta must have its own identity and we don’t have create paltas that seem repetitive or very similar to others.  With this challenge in mind, one has to take of balancing the bayan and dayan, the rules of the gharana and aesthetic values.  From creation of paltas, we can assess the understanding and strength of the performer.