When a Indian classical musician performs, he/she may be playing to a plan but as the performance is in progress, the musician may introduce changes in the recital depending on his/her training, temperament, creativity and also, the audience reaction or mood.
There are no notations that a musician reads or follows unlike western music recitals where the musician follows a given music score. In India, notations are oral in origin and are played from memory.
For the first time in the history of Indian classical music (Hindustani), a research project is underway which will transcript Indian music. Called AUTRIM ? Automated Transcription System for Indian Music ? it is an innovative technological tool, which like a microscope, views and analyses music and is also a powerful tool for documentation and pedagogy.
Dr Suvarnalata Rao, Programming Head, Indian Music and Research Scientist, National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA), Mumbai is carrying out the research. She explains, ?The auditory perception of sound combined with a simultaneous image of melodic images can be far more effective because the graphic transcription can help to ?see? notes in motion.? It reveals what we do not ?hear? and what we take for granted while listening to music. Adds Rao, ?Various subtle aspects such as intonation, melodic and rhythmic features, textual elements, etc can be reliably studied with the help of AUTRIM.?
Dr Rao, a science graduate who later went on to pursue a PhD in music is also a sitar player. She says in her interaction with students and professionals of music abroad, she found a high degree of curiousity and also, understanding of Indian music. ?But they could not enhance their understanding of the music without notations to help them.?
The project, initiated by the NCPA in collaboration with the University of Amsterdam, aims to develop an educational aid that can reinforce oral instructions. It was very difficult to get financial backing for the project, says Dr Rao. ?We had to convince authorities that this work is essential in the area of performing arts to ensure propagation and preservation of arts in today?s changing socio-cultural environment influenced by globalisation.?
Also, to get musicians to be part of the project was a mammoth task, recalls Dr Rao. There are technical challenges too. ?To arrive at a set of parameters that will allow the transformation of the acoustic signal in to visual (graphic) representation, with an optimum level of accuracy,? is unbroken ground. ?The entire process of transforming a mere audio signal into a musically meaningful animated audio-visual representation is indeed a laborious and time consuming endeavour. With the present state of technology, it takes at least three weeks to process an audio of 10 minutes!?
So far, Dr Rao has developed a database of 140 compositions in 90 ragas performed by 18 leading vocalists of different gharanas. Once processed, this data will be made available on DVD, CD and also through the internet, besides a 350-page book. ?It will be a reliable, modern reference work, with an in-depth analysis of about 90-100 well-known Hindustani ragas,? says Dr Rao. The publication is expected to be ready by March 2012.