Relaxation Through Music-------This music evokes the Shanta Rasa- an aura of peace and tranquility, a state of being essential to meditation. 'Swara' means a musical note and 'Mandal' means a multitude or group. Each string is especially tuned to the proper shruti and is in perfect harmony. The main idea behind the playing of the Swaramandal is the way its delicate web of music producing strings are handled.
The Om Shanti Series was initiated by Ashwin Batish and his father Pandit Shiv Dayal Batish when approached by many people looking for pure tonal music to meditate, relax, or to do daily yoga practice to. The music is un-metered, very slow, fluid, and extremely relaxing. Each note of the raga (modal scale) is fine tuned to enhance its natural soothing qualities.
Two Tanpuras add soothing drone in the background.
About the Swarmandal (Indian Harp)----------The swarmandal has about 30 playing strings encompassing a four octave range. It has to be re-tuned every time a new raga is evoked. The tuning is modal and in just intonation (as opposed to the tempered intonation of Western instruments). Thus each note is in perfect harmony with the rest. Playing or listening to these notes will evoke within you a corresponding state of peace, tranquility and inner harmony.
While listening to the tape, take deep breaths and chant Om. You should feel your voice vibrating in your chest when you utter Om. This will have a very relaxing effect on your body and mind. Chanting Om in a slow deliberate manner will also help you inhale and exhale easily and evenly hence acting as a breathing exercise which in the long run will produce a marked improvement on your mental and physical well being.
Ashwin Batish is also an extraordinary sitarist and tabla player. He received training in the North Indian classical tradition from his father S.D. Batish and later created his own unique fusion of Indian classical sitar with pop, rock, jazz, calypso, funk... an example of a few hybrids he excells at. He is famous for such songs as the Bombay Boogie, Raga Rock, Raga Jazz, Casbah Shuffle and Sitar Mania.
Ashwin is also very well know for being an educator. His series of instructional videos for the sitar, tabla, dilruba, dholak, vichitra veena, harmonium that he has produced with his father Pandit Shiv Dayal Batish have become a very sought after commodity by the Indian music student. Ashwin often gives private and group Indian music lessons at his Santa Cruz, California USA facility and is often called upon by various music festivals and universities to perform his sitar and be a guest lecturer for weekend workshops and seminars on Indian music and ethnopop, raga rock sitar fusion.
Ashwin Batish's pioneering effort in worldbeat music called "Sitar Power" has earned him some critical reviews and great respect in the music community. The sitar is ageless in Ashwin's hands. It is souped up for amplification and effects! We hope you get to catch one of Ashwin's electric performances. His music is as dynamic as his stage presence.
Please visit our music institute's web site at batish for latest updates on our complete catalog and activity announcements.
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