Raga hackathon NYC

In a previous post, we had written about the need for short lessons on ragas. There was one super-simple lesson about raga Maru Bihag, which explained what to look for in a performance of that raga. There was so much positive feedback about this concept, that we would like to make a library of short lessons for many commonly performed ragas and talas in the Hindustani classical style.

What’s a hackathon?

It is a word from the IT/software world. It is an informal event in which people with complementary skill sets come together to intensively collaborate on a project, and create rapid prototypes for novel systems and apps.

Hackathons are a lot of fun, and great community builders.

What’s this hackathon for?

Raga hackathon is not for writing code or apps. It is all about music. Through this hackathon, we would like to create a collection of short raga and tala lessons. In this process, we will form a community of those who love this music, and want to altruistically make an effort to help many others enjoy raga concerts more.

When and where

Raga hackathon NYC will be held in 352, Park Avenue South, 11th floor, New York City, on July 17th, 2016, 9am-5pm. Wifi Internet, food and beverages will be provided. You can make your own recordings during the hackathon. Bring your own laptops. You may also bring musical instruments and recording gear if needed.

Teams

Teams should be 2–3 people in size. We are looking for 5–10 teams.

1. At least one team member must have formally learnt and mastered the raga or tala you want to teach. This person should consider themselves to be good enough to introduce or teach the raga to someone else.
2. At least one team member should be conversant with making videos using programs such as Microsoft movie maker, Apple iMovie, etc.

Register here for the hackathon.

Your Hackathon Project

Your project must satisfy the below conditions

1. The outcome should be a short video, no longer than 10 minutes.
2. It should be about a specific raga or tala. It should not be a general comment about classical music.
3. Teaching should be the primary purpose of the lesson. Simple lessons for novice listeners are as welcome as fully technical descriptions of the chosen raga’s musical grammar.

You may record your lesson, by singing or playing your instrument during the hackthon. You also may stitch it together by picking clips off the internet, or any other creative method.

There are no restrictions on what type of a lesson you want to create. For example,

1. You may create a collection of clips of popular songs or bandishes based on a certain raga, explaining where and how the raga’s characteristics shine bright in them.
2. You may give an idea of what the raga’s prominent patterns should sound like to novice listeners.
3. You may want to create an expert’s lesson for an educated listener — giving a thorough in-depth explanation of an uncommon raga that you understand so well and love.
4. So many people would benefit from a lesson on talas, and the creative embellishments that tabla players spontaneously mix into the rhythm during concerts. If you are a tabla player, you may consider making a lesson on how to appreciate a beautifully played and highly decorated theka at fast or slow speeds.

Do your homework!

Even though you will make only a 10-minute lesson, you probably need several days of homework on the musical material that you would put together in the video in the hackathon session.

What will happen to these lessons?

Your output from the Raga hackathon will make a library on youTube, with copyright/credits assigned to you. It will be publicized and made available through the concert concierge app.

Be creative. Make a lesson that was really fun to make, and share with hundreds of listeners who will find it useful and beautiful to listen to over the years.

Contact

Mangesh Kasbekar (mmk_cc@yahoo.com)