IMG-2011-02-03 A&E josh feinberg
Josh Feinberg will perform during Sounds of India at ArtSpace Friday at 8 p.m.
Indian music is just so different from Western music, it is not something you can hum along to, according to sitarist, Josh Feinberg.
"Western music is very song-based and even symphonies - you have a theme, you develop it and often there is something you can hum. But in Indian music it's hard to hum along with anything. Not the least of which because it's improvised, at least it should be, I think. So even if somebody has a recording of me playing a particular raga, if I go to play it tomorrow they are not going to necessarily be able to sing along because I am doing it different."
Feingberg said in that way Indian music is like jazz because you can hum along with the melody of the tune. There's a fixed composition to the raga and then the musician can ornament it and make variations, he added.
"The nuts and bolts of why I love Indian music is because I felt restrained by the rigidity of classical music," said Feinberg. "Classical music in the west is all about interpretation and jazz is all about what notes to play rather than how to play them. I was kind of frustrated with the free form, undisciplined nature in jazz, so Indian music is a great marriage of the two as it's improvised classical music."
The music of Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and Pandit Nikhil Banerjee made such a strong impression on Feinberg while he was studying Hindustani music that he would often practice for 10 or 12 hours at a time.
In 2005, Feinberg began training with Maestro Ali Akbar Khan at the Ali Akbar College of Music in San Rafael, California, and also received training and guidance from Khan's senior disciples during his 2006/'07 Fulbright scholarship in Kolkata, India. Feinberg continues to train with Ali Akbar Khan's sons Maestro Aashish Khan, and Sri Alam Khan as well as Sri Anindya Banerjee.
Feinberg is studying for his masters in fine arts at Goddard College in Plainfield, Vermont,through a program designed for professional artists who don't have to take time off their careers to go back to school. Once he has finished his degree, Feinberg hopes to teach music at the college level.
To progress in playing the sitar requires a lot of dedication as the music is hard to learn. Studying Hindustani music is a life-long process, and you basically study with people until there's nobody left for you to study with, Feinberg added.
"Personally, the only thing I think a teacher can do is guide you and give you material," said Feinberg. "In Indian music it's all oral tradition. So, in the beginning there are certain tips and basics you can learn, but I 'm really a proponent of the philosophy that you can only learn things, you can't teach things. So I really think it's up to the student to put the time in and practice and figure it out."
Feinberg will be hosting a workshop at the Conservatory of Music Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m. during which he says he "won't be teaching anything. I really like the concert/workshop format. It gives people the ability to appreciate the concert in a different way. You can appreciate the music for what it is."
Feinberg along with Ravi Albright will perform during the Taste of India - a Fusion of Food and Music Saturday at the Civic Centre. Feinberg will also be playing during the Sounds of India concert Friday night at 8 at ArtSpace.
Tickets for the Sounds of India at ArtSpace are available at Books & Company for $20. The Taste of India event which takes place at the Civic Centre is sold out, and tickets for the workshop at the Conservatory of Music are $10 each. There is no charge for conservatory students and parents.
