South and Central Asia NAMASTE!

Many genres of music that originate from South and Central Asia are ancient and intricate, with roots in concepts of melody and rhythm that are instinctively different from those used in the West.

In South Asian classical music melodies build from note to note based not upon fixed scales but on the way different notes relate to one another and the mood those relationships create. Rhythmic compositions don’t move linearly, beat to beat, measure to measure, marching from start to finish as they generally do in the West, but in ever-revolving cycles. To appreciate South and Central Asian music–and, by extension, to open the real possibility of engaging with the traditional underpinnings of South and Central Asian cultures–many Westerners may find the need to disable assumptions, push aside preconceptions and step out of the comfort zone. What could be more fun than that?

In claswe take a trip around South and Central Asia that begins in India and proceeds counterclockwise around the region, going as far north as Tuva and as far east as Western China before ending in “blessed” Bhutan.