Debashish Bhattacharya lap guitar workshop video

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 27 Apr 2021 10:12 am

This is an amazing privilege and a generous upload. We get to sit in one a seminar with the probably greatest technician on the instrument alive today. You get real insight into how he achieved this level of technique and expression. He also shares wisdom that resonates far beyond music alone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNofE_MygyM

Nic Neufeld · Post by **Nic Neufeld** » 27 Apr 2021 11:48 am

The subtitles over his tuning up made me chuckle a bit, kind of overawed with very typical tuning practices of ICM. Reminds me of a great story about Pandit Ravi Shankar at the 1971 Concert for Bangladesh. Apparently he and (I assume) Alla Rakha were tuning up before the performance and the Western audience broke into a wave of admiring applause. He quipped "If you enjoyed the tuning up that much, I hope you enjoy the music even more...".

His discussion of his practice regimen makes me a bit sad as it reminds me of how I got a bit disenchanted with serious sitar study; I could never devote enough time to study "properly". It's such a demanding music...these people devote their very lives to it. Not that I was trying to compete with professional musicians, but it is not an instrument or musical genre for casual study.

I was actually playing raag Yaman on my tricone yesterday for a bit, and the haunting resonance of the resonator...man, a tricone veena with chikari strings and sympathetic taraf would be really cool!

I would almost slightly disagree with your comment on "greatest on the instrument today" just because I've seen Vishwa Mohan Bhatt do some amazing things (live many years ago at KU in Kansas) and I consider them similar in their mastery, but technically the Mohan Veena and the chaturangui (sic?) are different instruments so you could definitely say he is the greatest on that instrument (he invented it!).

Not helping me quash my desire for one of these instruments!

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 27 Apr 2021 1:02 pm

Greatest was a poor choice of words. There are all kinds of techniques and both Debashish and Bhatt are master technicians in their genre but that doesn't mean someone like Doug Jernigan isn't also a master technician on his instrument.

Tom Keller · Post by **Tom Keller** » 27 Apr 2021 4:54 pm

I was privileged a few years ago to see Dabbish Batacharia in concert. He has incredible technical abilities. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gMa1k1q9HY

Dan Koncelik · Post by **Dan Koncelik** » 28 Apr 2021 7:05 am

Great post!

An enlightening (literally) workshop! If nothing else, it gives some great ideas for practice, maybe without dangling off a crowded fast-moving train with poles whizzing past your head:

1. Scales against drones in different numerical groupings; treating rhythm in a similar way we westerners treat melody (mixing up intervals to create interest).

2. Open strings using the same 'rhythm scale' approach with each finger, including the thumb. Just trying this i noticed a weakness in and a reluctance to use my middle finger (insert joke here

3. Remembering to breathe...

Bob Blair · Post by **Bob Blair** » 28 Apr 2021 10:41 am

I was thrilled when Debashish posted this video! The Acoustic Music Shop in Edmonton graciously made their premises available to us. We had an amazing evening and a wonderful small group of attendees.

Michael Diabo · Post by **Michael Diabo** » 29 Apr 2021 7:29 am

This is so great. I did have the opportunity to have a short lesson with him a while back. I have to slow down this Youtube video to 50% to catch most of what he is doing. Lol.

Mike

Mike Babyak · Post by **Mike Babyak** » 5 Jul 2021 11:02 am

Andy Volk wrote:Greatest was a poor choice of words. There are all kinds of techniques and both Debashish and Bhatt are master technicians in their genre but that doesn't mean someone like Doug Jernigan isn't also a master technician on his instrument.

Disclaimer: I study w Debashish. As always, YMMV, but I don't know of anybody out there in the genre with his chops. His "diri" (sort analog to fast flatpicking) for example, is in a class of its own. Craziest part is that he does it alternating thumb and index finger!

He's actually been doing masterclasses on facebook these past few weeks. $40 for 2 and half hours. Well worth checking out.