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Bhangra
is classified under ‘England/UK’ in World Music: The
Rough Guide, and it is within the UK South Asian communities that
this fascinating fusion of Punjabi traditional folk tunes with
Western popular music styles developed. Traditional Bhangra is
a folk dance in the Punjabi region of North India, celebrating
harvest (and other festivals) and led by the Dhol (a double sided
wooden barrel drum) - Bhangra dance steps reflect the harvest
roots. Modern Bhangra is also dance music, using traditional rhythms
and folk tunes with Western instruments such as bass, electric
guitar and keyboards but keeping the upbeat, joyful feel of the
original. One of the earliest Bhangra bands to make an impact
were Alaap and traditional elements can be clearly heard in their
hit single ‘Bhabiye Ni Bhabiye’ (see ‘Resources’).
Many Bhangra tracks make use of traditional folk tunes, which
frequently have an enormous swing and rhythmic vitality: one issue
that has caused resentment is where bands using traditional tunes
have copyrighted their music, thereby making the original tunes
inaccessible to others.
Underlying
most Bhangra is the sound of the Dhol, and the characteristic
Chaal rhythm (see Example 5). Another rhythm that is apparently
much used is known as the Bhangra rhythm, although to my ears
at least it is much less obvious than the all-pervading Chaal.
Example 5: Characteristic Bhangra rhythms Chaal
Bhangra
(very fast – double time feel)
NB
North Indian bols (tabla notation) adapted: na = treble side of
drum only; ge = bass side only; dha = bass + treble together
More recent Bhangra has combined these elements with a vast range
of ‘Western’ popular music styles such as rap, reggae,
hip-hop, disco, drum‘n’ bass etc – a useful
listening exercise would be to listen to a Bhangra compilation
and try to hear the other influences at work. Many GCSE students
will have a wide knowledge of contemporary dance styles, and it
is worth making use of such expertise. In virtually all of its
incarnations Bhangra is supremely danceable music – a happy
marriage of dance cultures across both place and time. The combination
of traditional tunes/rhythms with modern ‘dance’ culture
would seem to have potential for compositional starting points,
as well as linking in with (and expanding on) the OCR specification’s
‘Dance Music’ Area of Study. Electronic keyboards,
sequencers and even sampling programmes (such as the various versions
of Dance Ejay) all provide opportunities to produce backings in
various dance styles, and pupils could experiment with combining
these with acoustic vocal or instrumental sounds, perhaps using
traditional musics from any culture. Ian Waugh’s useful
Quick Guide to Dance Music contains detailed drum and bass patterns
for various dance styles that pupils could adapt (using a sequencer
such as Cubase/Cubasis or Logic) rather than relying on a pre-existing
backing.
If
Bhangra has roots in popular North Indian culture, awareness of
the procedures and characteristic instruments of the Indian classical
tradition are part of the ‘Techniques of Melodic Construction’
Area of Study of the OCR specification. Such awareness can help
pupils to understand some of the other musical fusions that are
implied by the starting points of the ‘Traditions and Innovation’
requirements. Gerry Farrell, in Indian Music in the West (1997)
explores the Indian influence on the Beatles, from the use of
the Sitar in ‘Norwegian Wood’ (the first use of this
instrument in Western popular music) to a detailed analysis of
the Indian structural, melodic and rhythmic organisation in ‘Within
You, Without You’. The same book also considers the music
of John McLaughlin and Shakti, an excellent example of a genuine
and sympathetic fusion between Indian music and jazz.
Artists
such as Talvin Singh have also created a distinctive style of
British Asian popular music. A classically trained tabla player,
Talvin Singh started out as a performer, producer and remix artist
before achieving national notice with the album OK (winner of
the 1999 Mercury Music Prize) and this year’s Ha! Both albums
mix traditional Indian techniques/instruments (eg tabla, sarangi,
qawwali influences) with a range of Western dance styles (drum’n’bass,
techno, ambient etc), as well as combining samples and computer
programming with live/improvisatory sound. Described in this way,
it sounds like a melting pot that shouldn’t work, but this
music genuinely fuses the varied influences into something unique.
Bhangra influences are evident (especially in the ‘Mustard
Fields’ track on Ha!) although this is part of the wider
British Asian popular music world rather than Bhangra as such.
There would seem to be a good model in this approach to fusion
for pupils needing to meet the GCSE composing requirements (see
below). Pupils wishing to experiment in this vein might find Swar
Shala a useful piece of software (see ‘Resources’),
as it contains samples of Indian instruments (sarod, sitar, tanpura,
tabla, dholak) and rhythmic/melodic (Tal, Rag) patterns.
Resources
Books
World
Music: The Rough Guide (Volumes 1& 2),
Rough Guides, 1999/2000. Invaluable sources of information and
suggestions for further listening.
Farrell,
G, Indian Music in the West,
OUP, 1997
Waugh,
I, Quick Guide to Dance Music,
PC Publishing, 2000
Web
Resources
www.knockonwood.co.uk
www.sheetmusicplus.com
Excellent internet sources for World Musics (especially for material
that cannot be located elsewhere).
http://dhol.uv.net
Web Site of the Dhol Foundation, run by Johnny Kalsi, originally
a member of Alaap.
www.desicorecords.com/main2.html
has
freely downloadable remixed versions of Bhangra tracks such as
‘Bhabiye Ni Bhabiye’ – as the web site says
“here it is for the 2001 wedding season”, reflecting
one of the original venues for Bhangra in the UK.
www.bhangra.com
has a range of Bhangra MP3 links.
Recordings
The
Rough Guide to Bhangra (World Music Network
RGNET 1054). Contains ‘Bhabiye Ni Bhabiye’, ‘Piya
Re’, a remixed track featuring Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (a
useful link to the QCA Bhajan/Qawwali scheme of work), the Reggae/Ragga
influenced ‘Mera Laung Gawach’, ‘Baloo’,
showing a wide range of dance influences and samples (including
Carmina Burana) etc
Bhangra
Beatz (Naxos World 76012-2)
Good material from the specialist Kiss Records catalogue. Track
7 features the dhol on its own (accompanied only by the characteristic
shouts of ‘Hoi’).
Talvin
Singh: OK (Island CID8075/524 559-2); Ha!
(Island, CID8102)
Best
of Shakti (Moment MRCD1011)
Assorted
Resources
Discover Percussion
(01733 204616) is an excellent source for school or INSET workshops
and/or consultancy on any of the material covered in this article.
Swar
Shala (Indian Music Software) is available
from www.swarsystems.com/SwarShala/
Songlines
Magazine (Gramophone Publications) is a valuable
source of information and reviews for World Musics. Volume 9 reviews
Talvin Singh’s Ha! and volume 10 contains an interview with
the composer.
Ian
Burton
October 2001
