Episode Transcript
[00:00:09] Speaker A: Hi, guys. Once again, welcome to the Rajkau podcast. And this week I've got a very, very special guest. I'm really, really excited about this one because I like to broaden my horizons. As you all know, I'm from the Bengal industry, but today we've got someone who's associated probably with Bangla, but in some way, in some way or another. But he's far, far, far bigger than reaches of. If I mention some of the artists he's worked with, you'll be gobsmacked. So, Del, mister Tabla Jedi, how would you like to say that? How would you like yourself addressed?
[00:00:43] Speaker B: Oh, well, call me Dal. Dal tabla Jedi is my, it's like my social media kind of platform.
[00:00:52] Speaker A: Are you a Star wars fan?
[00:00:54] Speaker B: I am. Yes, I am. I am a Star wars fan. Yeah, we're going to talk about, yeah.
[00:00:59] Speaker A: We'Re going to talk about Star wars later as well, right?
[00:01:01] Speaker B: Okay, cool.
[00:01:02] Speaker A: In the podcast because I love Star wars.
[00:01:03] Speaker B: Well, I used to love Star wars.
[00:01:04] Speaker A: But it's, it's really taking a direction which I'm like, ah, it's so, yeah.
[00:01:09] Speaker B: Yeah, no, I'm more kind of the, the earlier, earlier versions of it.
[00:01:15] Speaker A: I don't mind some of them, sorry, this is going off in Star Wars Tangent already. I don't mind some of the cartoons, but like, you know, some of them like bad batch and, and you know, the Clone wars and stuff. I love all that.
[00:01:27] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:01:27] Speaker A: The films and the new series. I've just lost, lost interest anyway.
[00:01:32] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, I hear you.
[00:01:33] Speaker A: Yeah. Anyway, over to yourself. So tell me a bit about your background and where you're from.
[00:01:41] Speaker B: I'm from, I'm from Leeds originally. I live in Birmingham now, but Birmingham's my home from home. So I've been in Birmingham for, for about 25 years now.
But my background is, my background is actually in indian classical music and that's where I started my practice. So you were saying earlier about mastering and art. For me it's more kind of just being a good learner and a good student. So that's what I've tried to kind of, uh, project my working. Um, and like you said as well, I've been really fortunate to work with, um, uh, some, some well known musicians and singers, songwriters, you know, um, a way, kind of a real paradox to my indian classical music background, um, and my learning in that, uh, in, in that genre. But yeah, it's been, it's been a, you know, I've got my fingers in lots of pies. You know, I do you know, as musicians, I think we have to be multidimensional. So that's what I'm doing at the moment. I'm just juggling, you know, and surviving by the grace and love from people, really, you know? So, yeah, but I don't complain about it. I love what I do, you know, I feel that it's a blessing to be able to do something that gives you and others, you know, a lot of joy. So I wouldn't change it for the world, you know, I'm really, really, really. I feel really humbled by the position I'm in, to be quite honest.
[00:03:16] Speaker A: That's fantastic. So where about Leeds were you from originally?
[00:03:22] Speaker B: So I grew up in an area where my grandparents were in Chapel town. So my learning started in Leeds at the local gurdwara, the local Sikh temple. And I think for many, many youngsters like me at that time, and even today, you know, I was in Coventry yesterday during the class, and I was really, really encouraged to see the youngsters that are learning classical music, you know, tabla, harmonium, even the stringed instruments now. And it's in a healthy place. And so, you know, that's where I started learning a long time ago. And my grandfather used to.
He used to play the harmonium and he used to sing. His name was Sardar Bhutta Singh Ratan, and he was basically the driving force behind me going to learn at the temple. And then that's where my journey started. But then you're very young. I was only four or five years old, so it was just something I do. I'd go to class Tuesday, Thursday, I'd play on a Saturday and Sunday. So I had a real regular routine.
[00:04:29] Speaker A: Amazing.
[00:04:30] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, you know, I did that for many, many years. So until I was in my late teens, and then I went to the Leeds College of Music, and I studied there. I studied indian classical music. I worked on composition work, working in ensembles, you know, kind of cross genre work.
Also a little bit of, you know, collaborative, really. So, anyway, I was there for a couple of years, and then I moved to Birmingham. And when I came to Birmingham, just before I came to Birmingham, I met my teacher, my guru, my guruji. His name is Shiri Sukwinda Singh Pinkiji, and he's known worldwide. And I was really fortunate to become a student. So, you know, and I'm still his student. I was with him a couple of weeks, a couple of weeks ago, and, you know, still learning, you know, the journey continues for me.
[00:05:29] Speaker A: So was your grandfather doing a kirtan was he?
[00:05:35] Speaker B: He would. Yeah, he would. He would. He played the harmonium, like, fluently. You know, he was. Because, I mean, at that time, you know, there were. My grandfather was, before he came to Leeds, arrived in Leeds. He was in East Africa, he was in Tanzania, and he worked for the british rail in Dar Eslaamdev. So he was a really kind of well mannered, well dressed, you know, God fearing man, very polite, very kind, you know, and a very humble man. And he.
He loved to play the harmonium and sing, sing the hymns, sing Gurbani sangeet. And he wanted to learn indian classical music. But because he had a very big family and in those times, you know, music wasn't taken on as, you know, it was just something you did as a hobby.
He continued it alongside his work in the railway with British Rail, and then he continued it when he arrived in the UK, when he worked as an electrician at the local hospital in Leeds. So, you know, he would do. He would be doing. He would support the jete or the Jenny that would come from outside and sit with them and company them on the harmonium and then take me to class, you know, he was just. He'd do a twelve hour shift and do that for me. So, you know, huge, huge sacrifice. I'm so grateful to him, you know, God rest his soul. He's, um. He was a really a very. He just wanted me to learn it, you know. And I think it was something that he never got the opportunity to do, and he just. He pushed me in it, you know, and I was really fortunate. So, yeah, I'd love to, you know, it was a really a proud moment for him when I would accompany him and give him sangat on the tabla, when he would sing at the temple. It was a really beautiful moment for him, for me and for my family as well. You know, it's a real blessing, to be honest.
[00:07:33] Speaker A: Absolutely. I just want to get a grasp of your. Just get an insight into your home life. So did you ever practice with your granddad at home? Was it. Was that a common thing or.
[00:07:43] Speaker B: I lived with my grandfather.
I mean, my grandfather practically brought me up, you know, I was treated like a prince by them, you know, my grandparents and with love. We used to call him Papaji as well. And, you know, he had a beautiful voice. I've got recordings of his. He sang on all India radio, you know, East Africa radio, BBC radio leads, you know, he's been in documentaries. You know, all he did was devote his life to his family and to save out that's all he did, you know, so I can't be more prouder to be a grandson of such a beautiful human being, to be honest. And so, yeah, he brought me up and I lived with him, and we would practice and he would say, you know, you know, child, let's sit down. And our rag, keraya keri talia, what rag is this? What tal is it?
And he would be excited that I was on that path. And, you know, in my house, you asked me what was my environment like. My environment was two things. Either there would be Gurbani Sangeet on so Geertan ya, the scriptures that I read, or there would be the golden era of Bollywood cinema, those songs. So I've got a lot of. I've got a lot of records, you know, from that era. You know, my father was really into the indian films and into the industry, really loved it. And so I grew up around that, you know, we never really. I never really grew up around, you know, Bhangra or folk music, to be very honest with you. Or there would be indian classical music. So my ears, what I grew up around was mainly around those sounds, you know, and then very later on in my life, especially when I came to Birmingham, that's when I really heard this.
[00:09:49] Speaker A: Is the home of Punkada. Birmingham was.
[00:09:51] Speaker B: Well, that's when I really felt it, you know. And, you know, what was brilliant and what's been brilliant is I've got such good friends in that industry as well, even though we don't work together. But I have the utmost respect for the work and how they've established Bangalore to be a mainstream genre in british music now. So, I mean, just last week we had Dilgit Desange here in Birmingham.
[00:10:18] Speaker A: Absolutely.
[00:10:19] Speaker B: And I teach in schools. I teach in primary, secondary schools. And I think it's really uplifting for our south asian kids to feel proud. You know why? Because when I'm in schools, I always found that the white kids were really proud that they're learning to play the cello or the baritone or the saxophone or flute. When our kids were asked, they would never, ever put their hands up. They were. They were. They actually felt embarrassed or felt shy or just didn't want anybody to know that, you know, I go to the temple, I go and learn the double r or the harmonium or I sing there or, you know, anything like that. It just wasn't on their radar. So now I feel when, you know, I mean, for me, indian classical music's never been out of fashion, but things come in and out of fashion you know, and it's just been constant. So I love sharing that kind of journey of mine and learning about how the youth, because it keeps me connected to what's happening in popular culture today, you know, even though I am a musician who doesn't work in that field, I just listen and I'll keep my ears and eyes open all the time.
[00:11:23] Speaker A: So you're a polite mannered guy from Leeds. You came to Birmingham with the riff raff. Yeah.
[00:11:29] Speaker B: Not just reggae music.
[00:11:32] Speaker A: I love reggae music.
[00:11:33] Speaker B: Yeah. I mean, I've been lucky to work with, you know, members of steel pulse, you know, musical youth. Dennis Seaton's a good friend of mine, you know, we work together. We've done some school educational projects as well, you know. So Birmingham's really rich, Raj, you know, for me, I come from the north, I come from Leeds and I listen to a lot of northern bands. You know, I was lucky to work with a lot of northern musicians who are well known, you know, like Ian Brown or Richard Ashcroft. You know, they were big, you know, well known singers, songwriters and.
But, you know, I found that as a real crossover of meeting of minds, really. So I think that's what's kept my work kind of really fresh, because I always like to delve into different things, man.
I don't like to be boxed as a double up there. Or he just plays indian classical music, or he just plays this. I work with a band called Bollywood Strings. We play all of the. I've just come back from Italy. We're doing destination weddings and it's a quartet. It's like Bridget meets Bollywood. It's that kind of thing. But, you know, it works. You know, it works for the clientele, it works for the audiences. You know, they want that now. Whereas there was that era where live Bhagarabans would be invited to come and, you know, do a full band now.
Now we have the DJ, you know, you know, charging an arm and a leg for them to come and play, you know. Anyway, so times have changed now. I think you've got to evolve with that.
[00:13:05] Speaker A: Yeah.
What I find fascinating about yourself, Dal, straight away, you've just passingly said all these names like Richard Ashcroft. That's a massive, massive, like for someone like me. And probably a lot of the audience here, for you to work with big artists like that.
[00:13:22] Speaker B: For me, too. For me, too, bro.
[00:13:26] Speaker A: You've said it passingly. And the other guy who said stuff like this was DJ Swami, you know, Diamond Dougal.
[00:13:35] Speaker B: I do, yes.
[00:13:35] Speaker A: Yeah. He's worked some of the biggest artists in the world.
[00:13:38] Speaker B: And I know he says it like.
[00:13:41] Speaker A: Oh, yeah, I've worked with him. Yeah, play guitar, went tour with him.
[00:13:44] Speaker B: Yeah, well, I'm working. I'm working with Simon Dougal on the project. Oh, yeah, yeah. On partition of the heart. And Simon Dougal was kind of instrumental behind Shania Twain's album, you know, exactly. So, you know, and they've done some big work. There's a lot of work with launching Apache Indians albums and so, you know, very, very kind of experienced, you know, musicians and producers, you know, and. But you're. But you're right, Raj, because I had that same. Because, you know, I'm fans of these musicians. Like, for example, learning from.
Yeah, I mean, you know, learning from my Guruji. You know, I was his fan before I became a student. I'm still his biggest fan. I still tell them I still. I'm still your biggest fan. But even with bands like Ian Brown, you know, I'm being friendly with Ian and having a friendship and a love and a bond. I never, ever take for granted that who he is, you know, he was start of a movement in Manchester of the bands that came afterwards like Oasis, you know, then you go on tour with Noel Gallagher. You know, I'd be lucky to be able to go on tour with him. I worked on two albums of Paul Wellers, you know, and these are really well known names in the british music industry, so they're kind of Lucia's of that. Of that industry. So it was a real shock for me as well because I was stepping into a world that was so much bigger than mine, you know, and I was just learner. I was. I was youngest, probably the youngest lad in the band, but they were so good to me, you know, they were really, really. And I think they were good to me because they knew how much I loved my. My double up, my instrument. I loved what I did, you know, and I was really, really glad to be able to do something with. Because I didn't want to do anything else, you know, I didn't want to. I didn't want to. I've tried jobs and I couldn't hold anything down, you know, I just wanted to do what I wanted to do, and that was it, you know, so it just happened. So I just went and I made connections, you know, a band would see me play somewhere or I'd support one of my friends, Aziz Ibrahim. He's one of the best guitarists in the country, you know. You know, he's one of the first asian musicians to play in, you know, these big bands. He opened a lot of doors for me. So I've worked with pro rock bands which have huge followings. You never ever hear about them on radio. A band like Marillion, you know, they've been massive. They're all, you know, they're worldwide. And when. I've never heard of them, you know, before I went on tour with them, obviously, with Richard Ashcroft. You've heard of their music. You know Ian Brown, you know Paul Weller. I've been a huge fan of Paul Weller's. And you know the story I can tell you. Right, right. When, when I did a recording with Paul Weller, you know, when he asked me how much I, you know, what was my fee, you know, I couldn't tell him. I couldn't tell him a say, a figure. I just said to him, I said, look, I owe you. I'm playing on your album. You know, that's a huge privilege for me. And anyway, so I would consider them as being not just people I work with, but as good friends as well in. Of the industry. In the industry.
[00:16:49] Speaker A: That's, that's absolutely amazing. It's just. I still can't believe you're just saying passively like, oh, yeah, work with this and this and that. But to me, so I'm like gobsmack, to be fair.
[00:16:59] Speaker B: Yeah, I was very, very lucky.
[00:17:02] Speaker A: But you know what's like sort of. I know artists are doing it now. They're making collabs. But people like yourself need to be highlighted, Daryl, because you've been doing this probably, as you said, 25 years.
And we, as british, British, Asians, we need to actually, we've done this. I was speaking to Omar the other day. She's, she's, she's worked with some of, you know, Mangal Singh's daughter.
[00:17:25] Speaker B: Yes, yes.
[00:17:26] Speaker A: She's worked with some of the biggest hip hop artists.
[00:17:29] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:17:29] Speaker A: And no one knows about it. Yeah, yeah, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's not right. Yeah, we should, we should push ourselves, especially people like yourself. So I'm so glad that you're here to. Talking to me, telling me about your experiences, telling me. Yeah, because it's.
[00:17:44] Speaker B: I mean, it's not been all rosy though, Roger, you know, I mean, the thing is with people, look, I mean, you know, I'm not a frontman, even though I do sing a little bit or I might play other instruments and percussion instruments, you know, as a double our player, I was more kind of an accompanist, you know, in my line of work, but, you know, doing it, you know, when you hit, you know, when you have. When you don't get the call, when you don't get people calling you, that's when you really. When you realize your worth, you know, when Covid happened, you know, a lot of musicians like myself, you know, left the profession, you know, because they couldn't sustain their lives, you know, in music. So it's a very, very difficult kind of business to be in, you know, because. But for me, what I find in this business for me is that I. If you're going into it for the fame, then don't go. Don't do it because you're going to be really disappointed. The traffic is horrendous. There's a lot going on. But if you want to do it so you're unique and you've got something good that you want to share and you believe in that, then I would 100% say, give it a shot.
And that's what sometimes I felt like, man, it's really difficult.
You have real highs and lows. But I focus now more on the highs because I just want to. Just want to focus on getting more.
What's the word? Is getting my playing out to as many people as I can in whichever avenue, you know. So talking to you, you know, for people that don't know my work, like you said about Ahmed's work, I mean, there's lots of musicians are phenomenal players, you know, they don't get the exposure, you know? And I'm sorry, you know, I don't think streaming works for ground route bands. You know, it doesn't make them any money, to be quite honest.
[00:19:33] Speaker A: Hi, guys. This is Raj Kul. Thanks so much for listening to the podcast. If you want to support the rest of my music, if you could go and check me out on Spotify on Apple Music and add my songs to your playlists if you like them. Thank you.
[00:20:03] Speaker B: So, you know, I've had a look at this, and being in the business, I just think, you know, you've got to be really multi. You've got to be like water. You've got. You've got to take shape in anything that you're put into. And I think that's. That's a sign of true musicianship. So, like, if I'm. If I'm working on so many different projects, every day is different for me, you know, and the places I go to, and I. And I feel that is. I'm very privileged to be able to do that. So I get to share, you know, my work and learn from youngsters and youth at schools, at the conservatoire, at secondary schools, you know, about what are their thoughts about the music industry? You know, when you ask everybody who listens to music for free, everybody's hand goes up.
[00:20:49] Speaker A: Exactly.
[00:20:50] Speaker B: So how are bands supposed to make money? You know, how a band is supposed to sustain their living? So that's a story that, you know, I do look into, and I think because I've been through that experience, you know, I do like to touch on it because it's not spoken about a lot either. No.
[00:21:04] Speaker A: I think these days, like, what I'm finding as a musician, you have to be a content creator as well in this day and age, otherwise. Yeah, so me and Ruby. But you've talked to Ruby, my wife, we've actually so much different types of content, and she's handling a lot of it, even, like, gimmicky stuff. You have to do. You have to do content, content creation.
[00:21:25] Speaker B: I think just social media. I think you're right, Raj. I think social media is a full time job now. You know, it takes up a lot of time, a lot of energy, and you always don't get the bounce back you're hoping for. So, you know, you're kind of putting it out into the stratosphere, but you don't, you're just hopeful. Then you kind of like, you know, bothering and fingers crossed. But, you know, I think, I think this is the, this is the thing. Social media is a tool, you know, to do it, like how we connected, and it's, it's a really powerful tool, a really useful tool.
And, and I think, I think, you know, a lot of people kind of criticize it, you know, and you can quite easily do that. But I think if you're a musician and you're a self sustaining musician, so you don't have management, you don't have, you know, you know what I mean? And, you know, what else are you going to do? You're going to, you're going to create content. You're going to then put it out and be hopeful somebody sees it, you know? So, I mean, a lot of the top players and musicians and big names now, that's how they were discovered.
[00:22:30] Speaker A: Exactly. Yeah.
[00:22:31] Speaker B: You know, I mean. Yeah.
[00:22:32] Speaker A: Yeah. So, okay, let's get back into the technical side. I don't want to keep you too long, otherwise I can talk for hours, probably like yourself.
[00:22:40] Speaker B: Me too.
[00:22:41] Speaker A: For 3 hours. Yeah, I won't keep you that long. So, um, in terms of etabla, I want to go back into the technical side. So when you were four, what. What were you taught at that, at that moment, if you can remember?
[00:22:53] Speaker B: I can remember. Um, and that's another thing, that music really enhances your memory. Remember things. I mean, you might forget what you had for Ruthie yesterday or. But you'll remember. You'll remember a composition or a Tehran or a dukra or a composition. So, you know, my first teacher at the temple, Gynigurbakshinji, you know, who is still based in Leeds, you know, he said to me, classical music make. I don't know what that is. Then he taught me. He taught me themedal, the 16 beat cycle. But he didn't show me how to play it. He showed me how to speak it first, you know, and he kept the tal for it. And I was just watching him, and he's just going.
[00:23:48] Speaker A: To.
[00:23:50] Speaker B: And I'm looking at him going, what is he doing with his hands? You know, what these waves and his paps and all these. These pointers.
Later on, I learned, you know, what that whole system, how sophisticated our system is, you know, but they were. The first things was to. First of all is trying to speak the pattern.
[00:24:11] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:24:11] Speaker B: And Geniji's emphasis was very much on that. Then he started teaching me small Deha's talking to me about, this compass is going to live from here. And then we were playing and accompanying him. And the more we did that, the more comfortable and confident we got with the instrument. But at that time, we weren't really delving seriously into indian classical music, you know, we were just skimming the surface with that. And later on, when I met my guruji, Shri Sakwinder Singh ji, that's when it went to another level completely. Because if people, people who know players or musicians will know of him, you know, and he's one of the very few Punjabi Sikh musicians to have accompanied and played with people like Pundit Ravi Shankarji, all the top players, all the kind of top classical musicians, you know?
So, yeah, so when I. When I. When I came under his tutelage, that's when it really pushed onto another level, you know, and he was really empty. He would emphasize to keep the time, keep the tao beat, the compositions. He would never let me write things down, hardly. There was never a time, you know, can you imagine writing a long composition? You know, you'll be there till next year, you know? You know, how do I finish this off? So our music, even though it's notational, it's more orally spoken and shared yes, yes.
Via melody and tao. So melody and rhythm. That's right. Yeah, yeah, yeah. The. And that's what, you know. And also being the tablab player and a student of it, you know, when you're company, you get to learn about the other instruments you're working with, like sadar, santor, sarode, sarangi, you know, bansuri, you know, israj tau. All of these instruments, even other percussion instruments like the pukawads, the madang, the tola, the dhol. All of these instruments, man. So I think I thought to myself, I thought, you know, I just want to continue this learning of tabla and delving more and more into it. So I'm really into compositional work. You know, I love. I love reciting compositions and then I love, obviously, playing them. You know, I've shared. I've shared. I share as much as I can, you know, with students, but also, at the same time, try and learn as much as I can from Guruji as well, you know, whenever they bless me, their time.
[00:26:45] Speaker A: That's pretty amazing. I can relate with especially what you're telling about the tablo, because percussion has always been my weakness because I've never been a percussionist. So I've always.
Even the classical stuff I've studied and Allah and bandish, but I've always struggled with the progression side of it at the entire whatever. So recently I've been trying to emphasize that I've been practicing on my hands.
[00:27:14] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah.
[00:27:15] Speaker A: And Kan Lee, and that's what. So it's really that you're mentioning how you were taught.
[00:27:21] Speaker B: Yeah, they're the basis of it, Raj, actually, you know, and I mean, for example, it's such an amazing system. And I think no matter what instrument you play or even if you're a vocalist, dial is really important. You're going to need rhythm.
[00:27:37] Speaker A: Absolutely.
[00:27:39] Speaker B: And that's key. And there's a lot of exercises that I share with students that really tighten their time. Even if they're playing another instrument, it doesn't matter. So that's really important. And also our cycles in indian classical music and our tempos, they're much wider. So, you know, we have, you know, we have really five different layers tempos. You know, we have attiwalumbat, which is really slow. You're talking like 25 30 bpm. You know, then you've got valumbit, which is about 40, 45.
[00:28:09] Speaker A: Oh, you know, the three.
[00:28:11] Speaker B: Yeah. Then you've got madhya la, you know, then you've got. Then you have drut, then you have ati drut as well. So there's punched and banjo learning, you know, of this whole system.
[00:28:20] Speaker A: I didn't know the last two, you know, the other side I knew about and the middle one and the la. I can't remember the names now.
[00:28:27] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. So there's different layers, but there's not just layer, there's also chants that are in it. So, like, there is like, you know, Julia Hogia six, you know, Ardi Chandia, you know, they. And if you look at it, even a lot of people who. Who listen to Gurbani Singhi, a lot of our Gurbani is written in chants as well. It's all written in rag. Anyway. There are, you know, I think it's, you know, Ikati rag and 108 taals chants in the. In the. In the holy, holy, holy granth, you know, so it's surrounded by melody and thal, you know, so. But I think rhythm is really key man, for it, you know, and as. And I think drummers, they're probably the hardest working members in the band, you know, probably the. They don't get the acronym aid like the singer the front man gets or the guitarist might get, you know, in a band, but they're real pillars in a band, you know. Absolutely.
[00:29:25] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:29:26] Speaker B: And they keep. They keep the. I think if you've got a good drummer, you've got a great band, you know, I think that says reflects a lot. So for me, I just love the system of indian cascade and also collaborating with dance. So even cutak, you know, it's closely related to that. It's really taal based. So I really get off on that, man. I love it.
Yeah, there was. There was a.
[00:29:50] Speaker A: Like you mentioned Chand. I can't remember now. So I did this probably a year or two, maybe two, three years ago.
[00:30:04] Speaker B: Yeah. There's a Khand, Khand, Khand. There's a Kandjati Chand.
[00:30:08] Speaker A: So what you do with the chand, you. You play the beat as you. You doing with your hands, but then you have a sonicum to it, like a da with it. And then you mix it up and it gets really. It's really, really difficult.
[00:30:20] Speaker B: Yeah. I mean, look, I'll give you an example.
So if I'm playing. If I'm keeping tal in tintal, which is 4416 beat cyclia sola mantra d'italia. So if I start from the kali from Din. Din din 123-4678 910 11. 12, 13, 14, 15, 16. Da din din da din din dan. Now I'm gonna play in seven over four.
That's the movement to dark chandra bang for image composition. Yeah. So we'll go get like it.
Don't.
I'm speaking it.
Seven over four or chandani krupiya. And everything is repeated three times as well over the tao, you know, so they're your markers there, you know, ota fechi is gay, you know, that's what happens. And not dedicate kamia and not dedicate cheese. That's how delicate it is. Or inoufe. That's what you have to really, really, really put your practice into it. So I've practiced 3 hours, you know, my guruji would say to Miki, what did you practice in that 3 hours? Did you think about what you practiced? You know, I've been practicing 6 hours. Yeah. They called you. It doesn't. That's not. It's not the case. The case isn't that. The case is how do you practice? What's your method in your practice and what you're practicing? You know, and a lot of people, they don't even speak the compositions or speak the ball or the buddha, you know, which is a big, big part of our shastriya or our indian classical music, how that works. Get them moving.
I think that's a big part and a lovely, lovely part of our indian classical music, which doesn't exist in other forms.
[00:33:08] Speaker A: So when you play with other musicians and, and is it as this has any be. Has it ever been a incident where you've gone off doing your, your, your ball, the double, our ball and stuff? And they've seen that and have they questioned it? I mean, because.
[00:33:25] Speaker B: Oh, yeah.
[00:33:26] Speaker A: I'm just watching you and I think, wow, it's astonishing. So, like, yeah, yeah.
[00:33:31] Speaker B: I mean, you know, they're amazed by the actual lengths and the actual movements and the language of the instrument. You know, I think that's a, you know, because it's very poetic. It's very. It's like you're singing the composition.
[00:33:42] Speaker A: Yes, yes.
[00:33:43] Speaker B: That's one thing. The other thing is the actual spaces and the tempos and the cycles and the widths of the cycle. So if you notice, I was keeping the 16 bit cycle.
[00:33:53] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:33:53] Speaker B: But also speaking the composition, you know. Yes.
So, yeah, they're fascinated by it. You know, they love it. They asked me a lot of questions about it, but I think I, look, it's like this, you know, if you are, if you have studied indian classical music and you go to watch Ustad Zakir Hussain perform, you're gonna love it so much to somebody who hasn't studied it because they'll still think he's amazing, but you will see all the in betweens and the nuances.
[00:34:24] Speaker A: Intricacies.
[00:34:25] Speaker B: Yeah, the intricacies, because you. You've studied it or you're studying it, you know, or you listen to it.
[00:34:31] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:34:31] Speaker B: So that. Then that takes the listening level to another level as well. So, you know, does that make sense? So it's not like you're just from there. It's about, you know, and I think that's really, really key. I mean, I work with, you know, I do a lot of crossover work rides. You know, I've got, like, a kind of a beatboxing band, you know. Yeah. It's called Karma Boyden. We're releasing our music on the 18th and ep on the 18 October. It's been a long time coming, but I think we're, you know, we want to really. We want to get it out. Four brilliant tracks. So it's not like, you know, they're nothing to do with indian classical music. They're just four tunes, fresh tunes, original tracks that we've written.
I work with Bollywood strings, you know, so I play a lot of. A lot of weddings, corporate events, you know, with a quartet, the string quartet and all of those string players. They all studied at the conservatoire where I teach, you know, so that's a great thing. I've been super busy, you know, I've done about. I think I must have played out 30, 40 weddings this year, you know. Really?
[00:35:39] Speaker A: Wow.
[00:35:39] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I've been that busy with Bollywood strings. I mean, people can check it out online. It's. You know, it's basically, like I said, you know, a string quartet which play all the classic Bollywood tracks, and I played the rhythm side to it. So, you know, something that I set up with a friend of mine, you know, Emily, who studied at the conservatoire. So Julian Weber. Julian Lloyd Weber was the main guy there.
[00:36:06] Speaker A: Really?
[00:36:06] Speaker B: Wow. And he introduced me to her. He said, look, there's a girl here who's doing a final year project, you know, and a proper white, middle class girl who wanted to do a Bollywood strings concert, you know, and I did the rhythm side to it. And then she just. After that, after she graduated, she goes, well, I want to do it as a business. And I think, you know, she's been. She's been super busy. You know, she's done really, really well.
And, you know, so I do a bit of that. I work with my friend Aziz Ibrahim. I've got my own tabla Jedi group. My band, you know, I teach, I go to the conservatoire, I go. I go various places, you know. I'm working on a project called Partition of the Heart, which is happening at the Mac in Birmingham, which is talking about partition in 1947.
[00:36:54] Speaker A: Wow.
[00:36:55] Speaker B: Working on it with Simon Dougal and so, yeah, I'm just. I've had a really, really so far, touchwood, you know, all blessings. I've had a good, busy year, you know, and, yeah, long may continue, I'm hoping. Fingers crossed.
[00:37:11] Speaker A: That's absolutely amazing.
Early on, you mentioning seeing.
[00:37:19] Speaker B: Us, say.
[00:37:21] Speaker A: Yeah, sorry, I just had a brain.
Bit of brain fog then. So, yeah, I. I went seen with Hans Raj hunts when he came down. This is about probably 20 years ago now, right?
[00:37:33] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah.
[00:37:33] Speaker A: They came and formed town hall.
[00:37:35] Speaker B: Oh, right, yeah. I mean, I wasn't there for that one, but I was so fortunate to, sir, to played with Hans Raji at the town hall for the 550th. I think it was in the town hall where my guruji were there. So I spent a couple of days with days with them. And he was such a beautiful, beautiful man, you know, and he would say, you know, and kush to be a beautiful singer, beautiful human being, you know. So, again, so there are very few punjabi artists who have real appreciation for not just punjabi music, but sufi music for indian classical music, for Drupal Damar, for kayal singing, for ghazal, for, you know, kawali, you know, all of these different dramas.
Do you understand? So, Raj, now, when I listen, if you listen to, you know, some of the great singers, I mean, if you listen to earlier recordings of Surinder Kaur Prakash Koji or you listen to the earlier recordings of Mahindra Kapoor or Mohammed Rafiji Muhammad Rafi Punjabi Punjabi de Ghani Gulamali Khan Sab de Punjabi, the albums, you know, Nasru Fatelli Khan Sabdi Punjabi, the albums or Garni Adevich, there was just something really. You couldn't replicate those songs today.
[00:39:02] Speaker A: No, no, no.
[00:39:03] Speaker B: There's a real authenticity in theirs, you know, and just like indian cinema, when you would go, you know, and listen to a great soundtrack, you know, a Ysharaj film or whatever, anyway, you know, you would, you would see, you would see the real quality of music. And that's why those songs and today are still going, still stand strong. They still stand, you know, and it's just, you know, even with the Beatles tunes, you know, even Oasis, they're coming back together now. You know, their album 2025 years ago, still, people are still listening to that music.
[00:39:39] Speaker A: Phenomenal yeah.
[00:39:40] Speaker B: You know what I mean? So, yeah, it's just, I think there's very few, but hunt strategy is definitely one of them, you know, who's really kind of done that, bridged that. And I love what as well of some of the new gen are doing. I don't. I'm not really, you know, I don't listen to Bhangara often, you know, if I come across it. But obviously with the social media impact with what's happening with Diljit Dasanj and, you know, I mean, he's not just a great singer, you know, he's also a brilliant songwriter and a great actor, you know, so, you know, these guys, you know, they're kind of like people come from theaters, you know, real struggle from struggles, you know, then, and work on this.
Yeah. So, you know, I think, yeah, it's brilliant. And just to have also that crossover with Mister Ed Sheeran, you know, what does that say? I mean, you know, you've got one of the biggest names and even he knows, I mean, India is probably the second largest streaming nation on the planet after the USA, and it'll probably take over the USA. So, you know, that's a big market, you know, in India and China and that end. So I think Ed Sheeran's doing a great job on that front as well.
[00:40:56] Speaker A: Absolutely, yeah. And I think with India, it's quite. You can have a niche and it'll blow up.
[00:41:02] Speaker B: Oh, yeah.
[00:41:03] Speaker A: There's a rock scene there. There's a hip hop scene there. There's a jazz scene there. There's a blue.
[00:41:11] Speaker B: That's crazy, man. You know, like, it's such a big place. And the market, like you said, so big. India and Pakistan as well. I've taught both of the countries, you know, and they've just been real. There's a real youth movement happening there. And you're right, there's space and room for anybody and everybody to do what they want to do.
[00:41:30] Speaker A: There's even a heavy metal scene there.
[00:41:34] Speaker B: Yeah. There's a band called Bloody Wood.
[00:41:35] Speaker A: I was going to just mention them.
[00:41:39] Speaker B: They just performed at download festival last year. I think they're quite a band, man. They're like.
[00:41:47] Speaker A: They're pretty cool, aren't they?
[00:41:48] Speaker B: Slipknots. They're like this he slip knots, man.
[00:41:51] Speaker A: Have you ever listened to the lyrics and stuff?
[00:41:53] Speaker B: I have heard their music. I have heard their music, yeah, I have.
I think. I think it's powerful, man. You know, if you're into that heavy metal stuff, then that's your band. Definitely.
[00:42:03] Speaker A: I'm not into metal, but I really appreciate what they're doing.
[00:42:07] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah.
[00:42:08] Speaker A: They've taken the genre somewhere else where it's never been sort of thing.
[00:42:12] Speaker B: Yeah. Well, Raj, I could tell you, right. You know, they can take a very, very western genre and own it, you know, and that's what, you know, even without instruments in the violin, he goes, you know, there was a great, great south indian violinist. His name was El Subramanianji, and he didn't play just one neck violin, you know, he put two necks on it, you know. So that's what our people would do, you know, they're real innovators. You know, they would take it to the next level, you know? And I think it's amazing for people to see because we don't get to see that now, you know? So when I talk to people about, you know, instruments, even in schools, you know, they don't see them, so it's good to expose them to it, you know, and I'm hoping that that's kind of work that you will do. You're exposing them to that, you know, through your podcast and all of that. So I think that's healthy, man. You know, and when I look online and because I follow indian classical musicians, I can see a lot of it happening, you know, and it's really grown, you know, not just the industry has grown, you know, I know Sukshindra Shindaji very well. You know, he's a musician. Yeah. He's a brilliant, brilliant guy, brilliant musician. He's a student of Ajit Singh Mutashiji.
You know, he learned tabla as well for many years. Yeah. Appreciative of, you know, they go to indian classical concerts, you know. You know, and that's what I would say to youngsters who are in the bhangra industry or even in indian classical music, go and see another genre, another band, do what they do. You'll get to learn. Don't just think, oh, I'm gonna just go and see that one thing.
[00:43:54] Speaker A: Hi, guys. This is Raj Kul. Thanks so much for listening to the podcast. If you want to support the rest of my music, if you could go and check me out on Spotify on Apple Music and add my songs to your playlist if you like them. Thank you.
Exactly. I think what happens sometimes, especially amongst the Bongra crowd scene, is that we become very.
What's the word I'm looking for? Narrow minded sometimes.
[00:44:38] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah.
[00:44:39] Speaker A: So basically, if it's not folk. Yeah, a certain type of folk, you know, like Khalid Manaji was one of the greatest singers of Punjab, but kind of genre, they didn't want to know. But actually, punjabi music is so varied that, yeah, there's so many avenues to it.
[00:44:58] Speaker B: I mean, you're right, Raj, because, you know, punjabi music comes from one thing and that is the lyric. Yes, the lyric. So when you lose writers, when you lose great writers or you're not using those great writers, those great gubbies that wrote those great songs, you know, and then you had the great voice of Gurdas, Manji or Sukshinder Shindaji, you know, as you said. Yes. Rajeet Pindra Kiaji. Yeah, great, great Jinni singers, Sadi, Punjabdo, Balvinder, Safriji. Great voice, you know, even shin, you know, another great vocal, you know, in our, in our punjabi music industry, you know, producers like b two, you know, b two as well. Really? Well, you know, all these people who are in the industry for many years, they will tell you that it comes down to the song, it comes down to that lyric. And I think that's key in punjabi music, you know, and there's not many people who use great songs. Everything's auto tuned now, you know, what's going on. And I just think to myself, you know, you think the public are stupid. You think people, listeners are stupid in what you're doing. But will, now they're following you, you know, they have that as well. But, you know, I'm not saying I like it. I don't like it. What I'm saying is that, you know, our punjabi music, the real essence in it is the lyric is the, is then the melody and I think, and then the music on top of that, you know, so there's all these layers. And I think that lacks a little bit sometimes, you know, when I'm listening to it.
For me, Bhangra music and Punjabi music is not chakalo. Chakalo, exactly. Oh, rakulo. You know, because there's ghazals.
[00:46:44] Speaker A: The ghazals galis. You know, there's a look at Muhammad refugee. He sang some of the best punjabi songs ever.
[00:46:52] Speaker B: Of course. Yeah, yeah.
[00:46:54] Speaker A: This is so varied. Yeah.
[00:46:57] Speaker B: And the other thing as well is Raja also, you know, the, the indian film industry really neglected punjabi film industry for years.
[00:47:05] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:47:05] Speaker B: You know, this is a fact because he always thought, you know, well, let's have a Punjabi in it. Let him be a truck driver. Let him drive it on GT roll.
You know, all these gala stereotypes. Stereotypes would happen and, you know, and that wasn't really. And that took somebody, you know, and you know, like, let's say for Dajit Assange to change that image, you know, who can actually do an arty film or a dark movie or a film of that stature, you know, that will sell and we'll have a big following of. So I think the perception had to change and it has. Now, I don't watch punjabi films. I hardly watch any new indian films. I watch more of the series that are happening and it's all intertwined now. It's all characters. The lead character could be a sardar, you know, played by Saif Ali Khan, you know?
[00:47:59] Speaker A: Exactly. Yeah.
[00:48:00] Speaker B: Does that make sense? So I think it's brilliant. Really fantastic. Now that we've all kind of, you know, come to this place where, you know, anybody can do a role rather than just being stereotyped in one particular way. It's the same.
[00:48:14] Speaker A: Same with music as well, isn't it? Like anyone can do anything now. It's like, I know artists which are non Punjabi, but there's gotta be music.
[00:48:23] Speaker B: You're right, Raj. It happens in indian classical music as well. You know, it's very much like not very many. You'll hear kiss so and so sing. Or ko is performing at, you know.
You know, you know, at the Sankat Mochan festival or, you know, Sapta festival. It's very close. Sometimes in those environments as well, you know, very difficult to get into them.
And so it happens in music a lot as well. I agree. You're right.
[00:48:55] Speaker A: Yep. So I won't keep you long now. We almost kept you an hour, by the way.
[00:49:00] Speaker B: Cool. No worries, man.
[00:49:02] Speaker A: It's flowing past. So what about your routine? Because you mentioned deliberate practice. And I'm one for this massively because before, when I was younger, I should practice a kaliare house. That's it. But yeah, as I've grown older, I think. No, I. I need to emphasize on what I'm practicing, as you said, not just. Not just do a scale.
[00:49:26] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:49:26] Speaker A: That's the same government. That's it, actually. What am I doing? Is it where my weaknesses? What's. So I want to emphasize more on. On that side, just. Just to finish off on.
[00:49:35] Speaker B: Sure, sure. That's a really good question, actually, Raj, because I said earlier, practice is not the amount of time you spend on it. Practice is a method. Right. And for me, and we call it Riyaz, you know, in our terms.
But Riyaz basically is, what are you hearing?
Because there's a saying in classical music, they say if you're a good listener, you're a great learner. Okay.
That's the first thing. Who are you listening to?
What kind of music do you listen to? The other thing is when you're practicing, it doesn't matter. Say you could spend half an hour practicing. So you could be doing your ankar, your tams. Or it could be a churkitan, it could be a sargam, it could be arrow, avro, ascending, descending. It could be scale kind of changes, could be key changes. All of those things that happen.
I mean, first of all, what I would say is that if you're a vocalist, right. Try not to sing with an instrument. Try and sing to something like a drone, which is the tanpura.
[00:50:51] Speaker A: That's what I do.
[00:50:52] Speaker B: Okay, so there you go then.
[00:50:54] Speaker A: Yeah.
Allow me to sing with the harmonium.
[00:50:57] Speaker B: There you go then. So, you know, I mean, because you are then hearing. If your note fluctuates.
[00:51:04] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:51:05] Speaker B: Okay. So when you're the harmonial cover, that will kind of, you know, it will just. It will fog it a bit. Right. So, you know, and even though I'm not saying don't sing with the harmonial. I'm saying talking about practice. So when you do your riyaz. So if Guruji share a pattern with me and they say to me, okay, this is your pattern, this is your tukra, you know, then they taught me it. I've learned it, right? But what did I do? Do I just sit on it? No, that's not it. I make another 2345. From that, I multiply it. So Riaz is a gross process where you're not just practicing ostinato, the pattern constantly. Okay? Riyaz is also your creative process as well. Where you will learn and see different combinations in your alankar, in your sargam. Okay?
And you can work those formats. So don't always just think what my teacher's given me in bedbas. That's all I should do. My guruji never ever taught me like that. My guruji would say, do this and see what you can do with it. That's a different approach. You know, do it. So I think that's really been key for me, you know, and keeping things fresh. If I said to you, well, I learned this composition 25 years ago, or you told me I learned this bandish or this rag in this dal dalbir dal. And I learned it 25 years ago. But that's all he done for that 25 years. There's not been any tabili in it. No progression in it. Then, you know, for me, the progression is once you know what that rag is, if any of its rag yemen or rag shinny or rag malcons or whichever rag or whichever tal it is. What have you done with it? That's my kind of real push on, students.
You've got this amazing super brain.
It's got great database. Music can help you connect that stuff and you can make so much out of that. And that's what I do. So if I learn the composition, I'll then try and see what else can I make out of that. Let me see other combinations. Let me see if I can start that Dukkhra from the second beat. The third one, the fifth. You know, why not? It doesn't always have to start on the first one. So that's what I think it should be. Shouldn't be that this is now set in stone. Indian classical music could open up or our music can really open up into different territories.
[00:53:46] Speaker A: Mandy, that's. It's very interesting because like, I've had a number of teachers, right? And.
[00:53:51] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:53:52] Speaker A: And it's very, very interesting what you're saying there because my first teachers, they just gave me a book, follow this strictest that.
[00:54:00] Speaker B: Yeah, was it.
[00:54:01] Speaker A: There was no what he was. It's only my last teacher who I'm with now.
[00:54:04] Speaker B: Yeah, he.
[00:54:05] Speaker A: He said exactly the same as you. Yeah, but Roger, gotta use your own creativity. You can't just do this, express yourself. And a lot of the time I'm a punjabi singer. So my, my previous teachers, God bless them, I'm not. Not knocking them as they were great. They taught me a lot. Like I lay harmonium off my previous teacher. But what it was, they, they would tell me, say, oh, you know, calm your voice down. Calm your voice down.
[00:54:31] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:54:32] Speaker A: My natural voice, they try to put. Make me put a voice on which was fitting into their genre of music.
[00:54:38] Speaker B: Yes, yes, I hear what you're saying.
[00:54:40] Speaker A: Do you understand? But you just said it.
[00:54:43] Speaker B: You just said it's not your natural voice. So when your teacher makes you sing naturally and that creative process as well, Raj, will happen, the more you. So that base is really important. The foundation is important. You know, that, you know what your sa is or you can, you know, you can match the note, you know, whichever one. But it's not just that then you're right. You know, when a lot of. I mean, I've been very fortunate and like, you are as well, that, you know, to have a very good teacher, a great guru or Ustad or a mentor is really key, man, you know, because that is the inspiration, you know, that is really where you're getting your source from. And I think there'll be many times where you'll feel like, you know, but that, because it's not. It's not an easy relationship to manage, you know, it's not like you're at university for four years and you're not going to see the tutor again, you know, it's not like that, you know, it's a very prolonged relationship, lifelong thing, isn't it? It's a lifelong process, you know. And my Guruji would always say, you know, wherever you can go and learn, learn. There's no, there's no shortages, you know, some teachers might say, no, no, you only learn here. Don't go over there. You know. They've never, ever thought of it, of their teaching and learning like that. They just say, go and learn. Go and find out about it.
You know what I mean? That kind of. I love that about him. You know, he's.
[00:56:14] Speaker A: He sounds really lovely. He sounds lovely.
[00:56:17] Speaker B: My Guruji is one of the greatest teachers on the planet, and for me, the greatest teacher. A real inspiration for me, you know. And people who know my guru ji will definitely agree to it. He's, his sense of humorous. He's a practitioner. He's very witty and, you know, he's a powerhouse. He's a lion, you know, amongst men. He's an amazing, amazing musician, you know, worldwide, you know, probably one of the highest viewed tabla players in the world as well, you know. So I'm really lucky, you know, when you have that. And I think, first of all, find a good teacher, you know? And I would also say as well that, you know, enjoy your learning, you know, enjoy it. If once you stop enjoying it, then there's no nothing in it. You're not going to get anything out of it.
[00:57:07] Speaker A: I mean, what I found is some, that's another part of learning is the enjoyment part, because I've actually, who were very strict, what you doing this and that, you get it wrong and you, I felt scared to actually do anything, then I was like, am I going to get it wrong? I'm going to get told, yeah, yeah. And it knocks your confidence.
[00:57:27] Speaker B: Oh, yes, yes, it can look, you know, it can be a very intimidating. You know, I've been in certain scenarios with musicians who know their thing. You know, they know what you're speaking, keeping the dial. They'll tell you you're in or out. Yeah, I know that, but I think music is about uplift, isn't it, Raj? You know, you want to be around positivity. Music's a beautiful thing, you know, it helps people's mental health, you know, it's good for your mental well being. So I'm not for that to have, you know, that negativity in mind, you know. Yeah. Not to have that. And I think, you know, the quicker you squash that, the better it is for you to progress in what you want to leave.
[00:58:06] Speaker A: I've had to leave those teachers eventually. Like, yeah, interestingly, I'm learning piano at the moment and my piano teacher moment, she's, she actually teaches kids, so she's only got two adult students, one's myself and one's another lady.
[00:58:18] Speaker B: Right.
[00:58:18] Speaker A: She's the best teacher I've probably ever had. Ever had. Had the reason why she teaches me like I'm a five year old.
[00:58:26] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah.
[00:58:28] Speaker A: Hey, sweetie, you can view it as patronizing, but it's not. It's actually endearing. And I've learned more from her. I've only been learning for a month or two. Then I ever, like, my progress had been so fast because the way she's.
Again, it's a lot.
[00:58:48] Speaker B: It's that relationship as well, isn't it? It's that relationship, you know, and what level that relationship happens at. So once you found that, you know, that middle ground, then you're just like super glue, then nothing can stop you. I think that's key. I think it's key to having a good teacher, somebody you're comfortable with. You know, I've been teaching for 25 years, you know, in the music service.
I teach in mainstream schools. You know, we've got double our classes happening at the CBSO for the first time in its history of 130 years. Never has ARR being in the CB's. So a classic city of Birmingham symphony orchestra. So, you know, I've been working 20 odd years, man, to get all this stuff in there and I'm super proud that we can do that now. Now we need the students now we need people to be able to come out there and go, actually, yeah, I can go work with an orchestra as well. I can be a part of an ensemble. I can be in a band as well. You know, I don't have to be like, oh, I've got to find somebody. I can go and be a part of a group because there is a great thing that comes from that. There's a great camaraderie, you know, when you're in a, you know, when you're in a band. I love being in bands because I just, I have a best time when I'm on tour, you know, best time, you know, just have a great amount of laugh, get to see. That's another thing as well about being a musician. As you'll know, Raj, is you get to meet some amazing people and you also get to travel around the world. You know, there's nothing more beautiful than that. So I just think that keep it positive and keep it really, there's always going to be knockbacks.
That's life. But you've got to be resilient as well and know that there might be a reason for that, that these things happen and you approach it another way. You can go in many different ways. So many different. When you talk about punjabi music, punjabi music's really wide.
[01:00:39] Speaker A: Exactly.
[01:00:39] Speaker B: When you think about it, you know, in Pakistan, they'll have their own punjabi forms of music, you know, in Sindh they'll have their own. In Hamachal Pardis they'll have their own, you know, Haryana they'll have their own. So, you know, there's such a big place. Punjab is where punjabi music originates from, you know, and then Punjab gharana as well, in indian classical music, you know, it's the oldest grana in indian classical music in tabla, you know, so it's very rich, you know, and we could talk for hours about it, you know, and talk and go into real depths about musicians and artists that your fan, you're a fan of or you listen to, you know.
Yeah, it's just, it's just a. When every time I'm talking about music, I've always got so much to say. I just think I'm gonna have to.
[01:01:26] Speaker A: It comes across, I'm gonna have to.
[01:01:29] Speaker B: Write it all down in a book or a podcast. Like one of those audio books.
[01:01:34] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. So we're gonna finish off, bro.
My question to any, any guest who comes on here, what advice would you give? Because the whole thing of the podcast is in the pursuit of musical excellence. So what advice would you give to me, to the audience, to listeners, how to pursue musical excellence? That's the question. You've already mentioned a lot of it, to be fair.
[01:02:03] Speaker B: Well, first of all, first of all, Rajdeh, I would say parents have a big thing to play a role in this as well because, you know, supportive parents, you know, who bring their children to, or students or kids to music classes. I've seen this, you know, there's a big sacrifice from parents. I would encourage parents to encourage their kids to learn music, because music's not just a hobby. Music is a very, very dignified profession. Right. That's, firstly, I would say that the other advice, I would say is don't just learn an instrument and not get credited for it, get accreditation for it. Go and find out about courses. Go and learn about, you know, music technology, right? Go and, go and go and go and enroll and find out about these courses that are available, you know.
So I would suggest that to go into these places and spaces. Thirdly, I also would say that whatever you do, do with your heart.
It's not an easy journey. Always.
There's going to be some in the music business is a very difficult business to earn a living from, and fortunately, I can do that.
There's not. Nothing's for certain. Do you know what I'm trying to say? Everything is in the unknown. So, you know, I would be. I would just say. I would just say, you know, be a learner if you want to. If you want to really delve into and find that musical excellence, right. You know, forget the mastery, you know, just become a great learner, be the best learner you can be and keep learning, you know, wherever you go, soak it up like a sponge. Go and do that and then apply it, you know, if you want to, then use it in your own way, by all means, do that. That's what my advice would be, you know, and love what you do. You know, it's. It's a great, it's a great privilege and honor to be able to do what we do. So, you know, don't take it as, like, just a little thing on the side, you know, really grasp it and go for it. And now, now I would say, you know, the young youth, they're savvy, you know, they know what's happening around them. They're much more clued up, so. And I think they're more compassionate as well. You know, when we were growing up and getting, you know, knock knockbacks from, you know, for whatever reason, but, yeah, so that would be my advice. That's 100%.
[01:04:31] Speaker A: Yeah.
[01:04:32] Speaker B: No matter what instrument, doesn't matter. Doesn't matter. Don't just do, you know, because I want you to play indian classical music. Yeah, whatever instrument you want to play, you know, do that, you know, give it, give it your. And give it time. Be patient, you know, don't think, oh, I haven't learned it. I'm bored of it now, or, you know, give it time. You have to establish that relationship with a good teacher. It takes time.
[01:04:55] Speaker A: Absolutely.
[01:04:56] Speaker B: I've been with my teacher for 32 years, you know, that's a long, long journey, you know, that I've been with him and he's been with me. So, you know, when you want, when you fulfill those long journeys and with bands as well, look at the big bands of. Look at bands like U two, the Rolling Stones, Oasis, you know, together after 20 years. Do you know what I mean? So there's a real, real relationship that you've got to build as well and be proud of it. Speak about it in your music school as well. Go to the music teacher. Go and tell her or him. I played the tabla, I played the harmonium, I sing. I want to do something here. Can you help me, you know, be vocal about it? Don't just sit on your ass and think somebody's going to come and help you get off it and go there and go and find out what you can, what's available to you, you know, I'm doing double our classes on a Saturday morning. They're free classes, Raj. You don't even need an instrument.
Yeah, you get me. Just turn up. Just, just turn up if you want to do it. Don't have any excuses. Oh, no, no. Saddam hul dada, Daekwondo Jamdaya, you know? You know what I mean?
Then they're complaining about it as well, you know? Oh, you know, you know, that's what's going to happen. So, you know, be. Just give, give, you know, support your, support them. Support these places. You know, they need you. So come out and support it.
[01:06:20] Speaker A: Absolutely. So then we come to the end of the podcast. I do want to say something about you.
Just from meeting, you can tell what a great teacher you are because I've learned so much. Just.
[01:06:32] Speaker B: Oh, bless you.
[01:06:33] Speaker A: From you.
[01:06:33] Speaker B: Thank you.
[01:06:34] Speaker A: Honestly, you can come across, your passion comes across your. Your, uh, your enthusiasm comes across about music. You can tell. And, um, uh, thank you. As you said, you've got a great teacher, and, uh, and someone else is going to be honored to have you as a great teacher because, uh, I can see that already.
[01:06:51] Speaker B: Thank you. Thank you so much. Also. Right. Thanks for having me. I really enjoyed chatting to you.
[01:06:56] Speaker A: Yeah, it's been a pleasure. Do you want to give, do you want to give the audience your socials and where they can find you?
[01:07:01] Speaker B: Yeah, I'm on Instagram. I'm on X on Twitter as tabla Jedi. So that's. Tabla Jedi is basically a movement of double up players. So my students, my friends, anybody's associated with it, and that's where you can find me. Instagram is probably the more popular one. I'm not too active on Facebook, but Instagram definitely can reach me on that or on Twitter.
My ep's releasing all the dates are on the on the 18 October which is called Light with my band karma. Boy that's coming out. I'm excited about that. That will be available on all media platforms, music platforms. I'm doing a show in Birmingham if anybody's around the midlands called partition of the harp that's on the 30th and 31st. I think the 30th is sold out. 31st Thursday 730 31 October so I'll be there.
Yeah, come and say hello. So yeah, thanks for having me. Real, real pleasure. Thank you.
[01:08:04] Speaker A: Absolutely amazing. So guys, that was Dell aka double our Jedi.
He's got to be smile on his face for those that are listening. So once again, if you could make sure you give him a follow and leave a review for the podcast and just leave any comments on the post or if you see it. So once again, thank you so much for listening. So I'm going to stop and just have a little chat with Dell. God bless.
