Recordings are available in your account for 30 days from purchase date (or 30 days from class date if you attended live).
A new weekly scales class at The Exhale! Join Saskia Rao-de Haas every Sunday. All instruments welcome!
Rasa in Indian arts means the essence of an artwork or performance the audience and performer conjunct together. It is at the heart of experiencing arts in Indian culture. How can we experience a Rasa in practicing a scale? And involve ourselves completely in the process mindfully? These classes will expand your understanding of scales, modes and how to practice them engaged with your mind, body and emotion.
Most of us grow up knowing 3 scales: Major, harmonic minor and melodic minor. Later we are introduced to some extras, but there would not be more than 6 scales that we practise regularly.
However, what if there were almost infinitely more possibilities open to all musicians to create scales and modes? That is when we enter the territory of Raga; an Indian melodic mode with its infinite possibilities to create and improvise. Knowledge of the parent scales of Ragas make the practice of scales so much more interesting while strengthening your focus and concentration in your practice.
World renowned creator of the Indian cello, Saskia Rao de Haas, will teach this one of a kind, regular workshop focussing on a different scale each week. Apart from a master performer of Indian music, she has composed music for ballet, cross-cultural ensembles and is the co-founder of the Shubhendra and Saskia Rao foundation providing music education to over 30.000 children in India.
Sunday 21st February:
The first scale we will work on, is Bhairav. Each Raga is defined not just by the notes, but by many other musical and aesthetic characteristics. Bhairav is the awe inspiring form of the Hindu God Shiva in deep meditation. Raga Bhairav inspires grandeur, peace and devotion and is practised early morning. It is considered auspicious to start training in Indian music with this raga.
We will get to know the notes of the raga and different ways of practising the notes that lead to a new approach to scale practice and its relation to improvisation. Patterns that arise from this practice will involve not only technique, but your mental presence and awareness in equal measure.
This workshop is open to all instrumentalists.