Shankar Wider Listening Details

Question 1

Shunya by Indian Ocean – Structure

Answer 1

‘Alap’-like section played by sax. Bass entry gives a pulse mirroring the ‘Jor’ section

Question 2

Within You Without You – Structure

Answer 2

Starts with slow sitar melody with a sense of free time (Alap)

Question 3

Within You Without You – Sonority / Instrumentation

Answer 3

Features tambura drone، sitar، dilruba (bowed sitar) strict tabla rhythm and sustained strings

Question 4

Within You Without You – Tonality

Answer 4

Written in a modal scale (Mixolydian)

Question 5

Within You Without You – Texture

Answer 5

Uses a tambura drone with free vocals over a strict tabla rhythm

Question 6

Within You Without You – TMR

Answer 6

Features tabla rhythms though less complex interaction than Shankar

Question 7

Across the Universe – Sonority / Instrumentation

Answer 7

Western harmony/structure combined with Indian instruments (tambura sitar) and strings collaboration with Ravi Shankar

Question 8

Norwegian Wood – Melody

Answer 8

Features ornate sitar part

Question 9

Rag Desh by Anoushka Shankar – Structure

Answer 9

Traditional North Indian classical style – Alap followed by dominant tabla section no fusion

Question 10

Magnetic by Tabla Beat Science – Structure

Answer 10

Build-up in texture instead of verse-chorus form

Question 11

Magnetic by Tabla Beat Science – Sonority / Instrumentation

Answer 11

Fusion with electronic tabla and synth bass

Question 12

Magnetic by Tabla Beat Science – Melody

Answer 12

Use of microtonal slides (meend)

Question 13

Don’t Know Why by Norah Jones – Structure

Answer 13

Verse–chorus–bridge form similar to “Easy”

Question 14

Don’t Know Why by Norah Jones – Melody

Answer 14

Jazz-influenced lyric-driven with gentle bends like Norah’s phrasing in “Easy”

Question 15

Don’t Know Why by Norah Jones – Harmony

Answer 15

Rich jazz-colour chords (7ths 9ths) under floating vocal line like “Easy”

Question 16

Don’t Know Why by Norah Jones – TMR

Answer 16

Steady 4/4 swing at relaxed tempo like “Easy”

Question 17

Come Away With Me by Norah Jones – Sonority / Instrumentation

Answer 17

Piano upright bass and sparse percussion support a warm vocal line

Question 18

Together by Singh and Kumar – Sonority / Instrumentation

Answer 18

Homophonic pop string accompaniment under sitar and tabla includes manjira

Question 19

Together by Singh and Kumar – Texture

Answer 19

Homophonic chordal pop string accompaniment under sitar and tabla

Question 20

Together by Singh and Kumar – Melody

Answer 20

Conjunct sitar melody with ornamentation (meends mordents oscillations)

Question 21

Together by Singh and Kumar – Harmony

Answer 21

Slow harmonic rhythm highlights sitar solo

Question 22

Traveller by Talvin Singh – Sonority / Instrumentation

Answer 22

Combines tabla and Indian instruments with synths and strings like BUW

Question 23

Nadia by Nitin Sawhney – Tonality

Answer 23

Blends Indian modes with Western harmony uses D minor loop and modal melody layering like “Burn”

Question 24

Nadia by Nitin Sawhney – Harmony

Answer 24

Static harmony with Indian modal melodies like Shankar’s “Burn”

Question 25

Tides by Nitin Sawhney – Tonality

Answer 25

Modal tonality with underlying drone allowing melodic freedom like Shankar

Question 26

Voiles by Debussy – Tonality

Answer 26

Whole-tone/modal ambiguity creates drifting tonality like “Easy”

Question 27

Joy by Shakti – Harmony

Answer 27

Indian melodic ideas fused with Western jazz harmonies including extended and altered chords

Question 28

Meetings Along the Edge – TMR

Answer 28

Explores complex tala cycles with syncopation and cross-rhythms like “Burn”

Question 29

Symphony by Ravi Shankar – Harmony

Answer 29

Frequent chromatic inflections reflecting unconventional Western harmonic use