Raag Nand - Raw Explorations from my Riyaz Room

Why do musicians practice every day? What drives us to return to the music room, tune the tanpura, and spend time with our instrument? Do we practice to improve, to prove our worth to contemporaries and mentors? Or do we practice because it makes us feel something? With every passing breath, we realize that the point of music is to feel—to FEEL a spectrum of abstract emotions. Emotions that cannot be verbalized in concrete form but can only be experienced and shared with those willing to listen. But do we truly listen? Do we hear the soundscape created by the tanpura? Do we really listen to the voice of our instrument? Or are we too distracted by the endless stream of thoughts in our minds? Perhaps the purpose of music is to find a state of absolute attention. Instead of being caught in a cycle of conflict and competition to be the best, can we shift our focus to truly feeling and understanding what the Raag is trying to express? This is what draws me back to my Riyaz Room… Here’s an excerpt from a recent session with Raag Nand.