Rhythms of change
ANJANA RAJAN
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Continuing the series on accompanists, here is Praveen Sethi, who plays a host of percussion instruments.
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Call him on his mobile phone and hear him reciting tabla bols with rapid fire effect. In the world of personalised ring tones and caller tunes, why should classical musicians hang behind? No prizes for guessing what kind of musician Praveen Sethi is.
"I started to learn the tabla from my father, Shri Ved Sethi, a music composer well versed in rhythm, dance and music. Later I trained under Ustad Mubarak Khan. I would accompany my father to recordings. By the time I was 15 or so, I began performing," says Praveen, endearingly known to his friends as Golu. "I play the dholak and the pakhawaj also, and just about any percussion instrument."
Praveen entered the stage in the mid-1980s, when Punjabi albums and music for dance ballets dominated the recording market. "I learnt to play the harmonium too, from my father. Then I learnt the pakhawaj."
Praveen, who has done rhythm arrangements for the music of a number of Gujarati films as well as albums, took in his stride the advent of the electronic era. The rhythm machine and other computerised music aids now form part of his kitty too. "I was always attracted to learning new things."
Less work now
But life is different in the computer age. "It used to be that if there were 30 days in a month, we would be busy 60 days. Morning and evening, there was plenty of work. Now comparatively, there is less work."
The availability of CDs and loops makes it easier for producers to get by without hiring live musicians, notes Praveen, yet life is full of trends that come and go. These days, for example, incorporating Arabian rhythms is a trend. "And I'm sure the trend of acoustic instruments will return," he feels.
Praveen's experimentation does not stop with his unique caller tune. He has played with the jazz band Orange Street as also with Shubha Mudgal's group. He has accompanied the versatile singer in stage shows too. Praveen has performed alongside Punjabi singer Jassi and is a regular accompanist of Zila Khan, with whom embarks this week on a concert tour to Gulmarg, in Kashmir. Through it all, Praveen declares his favourite percussion instrument remains the pakhawaj.
"I learnt it for myself and I play it for myself. Money is not a consideration when I get a chance to play the pakhawaj. It is the instrument of the celestials. It connects you straight to the Supreme."
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