It is the age of musical fusion, especially in India. There is a synchronised scale of notes that gel to near perfection, from various genres, forming another world within a world of music.
For this, two genres must come together to form a fusion between the old and the new, with the coming generation of fusion musicians going in for a strong foundation in classical before moving on to other forms.
Pianist Anil Srinivasan, who is well known for his fusion collaborations with singer Sikkil Gurucharan, explains why a strong base in classical music is necessary.
“There is no substitute for classical music, which explains why it has survived for 1,000 years. It’s like learning the alphabet — it’s the basic grammar and raw material for any form of music. Unless there is a foundation, how can anyone fuse music?” he explains.
Azeem Ahmed, who plays the sitar for fusion band Ozone, relates the trend to his musical background, which is predominantly Hindustani classical.
“Our family has had eight generations of classical musicians and I, too, have followed the trend. But my band, who are also all trained classical musicians, draw inspiration from classical music to bring together the best of both forms of music. But, to do that, we must be well-versed in at least one form and our Hindustani background helped us here. Besides, everyone, no matter what music they want to play, must know sa, re, ga, ma...,” he elaborates.
Points out singer Sukhwinder Singh, “Fusion means bringing two different schools of music together. And to do so, one needs to understand their roots properly. Today’s generation is very intelligent and focused. They know exactly what they want and research the subject before getting into it. Classical music, as a base, makes you a better musician and you understand your passion better too!”
How far does a foundation of classical music help in fusion?
“When you understand your own base well from classical music, then you will also understand its fine nuances. You will know where and how you can combine two different genres together without going besura or harsh,” comments Sukhwinder.
Playback singer Shibani Kashyap agrees that a grounding in classical goes a long way in improving fusion.
“Even people who want to take up lighter forms of music must have a sound grounding in classical. When this knowledge mixes with your natural musical instincts, the way you experiment with music will also change. I don’t think anyone without a classical background can fuse music well,” she says.
“By definition music is fusion,” laughs Anil, adding, “The violin comes from the west and we have fused it with Indian classical. That, too, is a form of fusion music. Fusion music is a form of expression. When you learn the basics, you learn to express!”