India is a land of cultural diversities. Every region
in India has its own form of folk music. This rich tradition of folk
music is very much alive in not just rural India, but also in some
metros. Though one may say that music has acquired a totally different
definition with the arrival of pop culture and new age cinema, there are
many who would beg to differ. The realm of traditional folk music in
India is very large and it is basically a countryside representation of
the urban Indian society. Many people tend to mix up Indian folk music
with tribal music. There is a huge difference between thee two genres of
music. Read on to know about folk music of India.
Folk music is very different from classical music as well. To begin
with, it is not taught in the same way as classical music is taught.
Classical music usually requires a student devoting their entire life
perfecting the forms of this music. Folk music is more like a daily
ritual without affecting the daily lives of people. People learn it
since their childhood and grow up on these songs. One can always carry
on with their daily life routine while listening to or singing folk
music. Most of the songs are sung in small village functions like
weddings, births, etc.
Folk music also uses a number of instruments. The refined versions of
these instruments are used for classical music. For instance the "Tabla",
which is a very important instrument of classical music, is used in a
crude form like daf, dholak or nal. The cruder versions of Sitar or
Sarod are used in folk music, which are known as ektara, dotar,
saringda, rabab and santur. Not all regions use the same instrument. In
fact, the same instrument may not even be called by the same name every
where. Most of these instruments are made of easily available material
like bamboo, clay pots, empty coconut shells, etc. Most of the folk
music in India is dance oriented and many popular forms of dance like
Dandiya, Lavani, Garba, etc. are danced along the tunes of popular folk
music. They are very enjoyable, as most of them very catchy tunes.
The traditional folk music of
India has a very rich legacy. Read about Indian folk music.
Cultural India : Indian Music : Folk Music of India