Re-surfacing!

Well, after another period of silence ... here I am again. The last few weeks' have been quite hectic to say the least. Finally found a seperate home for 'MusicGear' ... same building first floor. Check it out if you haven't already. Long way to go ... but am happy that there's space to put up some instruments on display at last!
Also, made a visit to Mumbai in between ... got to meet up with some interesting folks ... Ehsaan, Loy, BruceLee Mani, Shivamani, Stephen Devassy ... not sure where I uploaded some pics ... guess it must be on Facebook ...
BTW: Am on the look out for someone who can work part-time, to help out at the music store and the school ... probably a 4pm to 8pm kind of slot. Aptitude for music, pleasant manners and ability to role up the sleeves and work are I hope, not too much to expect! Might have to do some local travel within Bangalore on occassion.

Interesting videos

One of the students shared this with me recently and I thought you might find it interesting. Especially, those that are practising chords. Following this approach could make your practise sessions more interesting :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3lmbc4sV0M&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOCLOIxBpk4&feature=related

Cheers, Ravi

RaGaJam - 11 April 2010

Time flies ... it's already been a couple of weeks and it's only now that I'm getting down to writing a few words about the get-together we had! Though we missed a few performances, we got to see close to 30! Thank God, we decided to switch the venue to the Elita Clubhouse as opposed to the terrace at RaGa.

For those who missed the event, here's what happened in a nutshell. We kicked off with an invocation by Spoorthi's students Veeraja, Raksha Ravi and Raksha Vijay. And then it was the turn of Smt Meena's Veena students, Shuba and Gayathri. The Veena by itself sounds great, but a little bit of chorus via the amps seemed to make the notes sound out of the world! Next time round, I'm looking forward to a combination of Veena, Keys, Guitars and Drums :)

Dishana kicked off the solo performances by the junior guitarists. Was great to see all these upcoming students playing their pieces for the first time in front of an audience of over 150. Was inspiring to see them come in one by one ... Shidharth, Praanjal, Ayaan ... and letting their little fingers do all the singing!

The keyboardists, not to be outdone, kicked off with a wonderful performance by little Nalina followed by Sneha, Aakanksha and Praachi. Archana and Kishan became the first ever wife-husband team to perform at RaGaJam with their keyboard-guitar combine!

A musical event without some percussion ? We had Nicky, a guest drummer who not only combined with her sister, Rhea and friend Prathiba on guitars, but also gave a thundering solo performance on her Yamaha kit. I'm sure this all-girl-band must have inspired many in the audience.

Signing off, I must say that this event would not have been possible without the support and passion of many friends and kin who rolled up their sleeves and helped with all the logisitics. Looking forward to the next one ...

PS: Still collating pictures from people who took them. Here's a bunch to which I will keep adding ... http://picasaweb.google.com/RaGaSoM/RaGaJam#. Hope to add some videos also ...

Next Music Meet on 11th April

After toying with some dates, finally have hit the nail on this one. I've already sent out an email to all with some details. Looking forward to some great participation. It's probably going to be a stress buster for some of you who would have just finished your exams! So let's give it all we have and make it even more lively than the last one.
Cheers,
Ravi

The next Music Meet

Appologies for the delay in getting this going ... really finding it a challenge to find a date that works ... looks like many of the folks who are keen on participating are busy with their exam preparations and so I'm thinking of finding a time slot say maybe in March. That would give time for teams to practice as well. All the very best to everyone who is preparing and remember - music is a good stress buster so you do have a good excuse to practise during your breaks! Better than TV, I guess :)
Meanwhile, do share your thoughts on naming these Music Meets ... we can't call them GuitarOtsavs anymore with other instruments and Bhavageethe students joining in!
Take care,
Ravi

Should I buy an acoustic or electric guitar ?

This is a question I keep getting asked by a number of first-time-buyers. Hence, I thought it would be a good idea to share my personal views on this and hope it helps others in taking a decision that suits them.
It's in the early stages that we're learning the very basics starting from holding a guitar to practising hour after hour to get our fingers trained. Just imagine if you're doing it on an electric. You not only need to plug it in into an amp but also have to contend with the noises produced by you touching other strings accidently. Not to mention the initial upfront investment you would need to make. Even if you do so, its' quite possible that in the best case scenario where you do become an awesome player (I believe in being optimistic!), you are more than likely to end up after a year or so, wanting to get a better guitar!
I could go on in this vein, but I hope you are by now getting the prespective I subscribe to. However, for the die hard sort of fan of electrics ... maybe you could consider an electric-acoustic solution. And who knows, even if you decide to invest in a true-blood electric guitar, you may end up keeping the acoustic one as well. End of the day, it's your call! Bottom line is to think of what is good for you rather than doing what a friend or neighbour did :) Most people like to listen to what you are playing rather than taking pictures of you posing with an expensive instrument!
Caution: This does not mean that you should buy the cheapest brand in town and end up with something that is difficult to play or maintain.
Cheers,
Ravi