Canadian Musician - November/December 2020 | Page 40

ity , these sections can last up to an hour long . The whole purpose of an alap is to establish the raag ( the Hindustani version of a mode / makam ). Musicians dig deep into the phrasing and nuisances of the raag , creating a musical atmosphere . This is exactly what Araz was talking about when explaining his compositional process .
It was fascinating to draw lines like this between Iranian traditional music and my knowledge of Hindustani music , much of which has come from professor Rob Simms . Simms teaches both the Music of India and Music of the Middle East at York University and has spent most of his life exploring the sounds and developing an ear for the different types of modal music . He plays many instruments , including the guitar , tabla , and the setar , which is a long-necked lute . For my second interview , I set up a Zoom meeting with Simms to get a more pan-modal perspective .
CM : WHAT IS MODAL MUSIC ?
ROB SIMMS : It ’ s a different sound world , a different way of thinking , and a different approach to music making altogether . We grew up in a harmonic world and it ’ s great , but there ’ s a whole other aesthetic space found in modal music that is really beautiful . Modal music opens up a whole toolkit of musical ideas that can open your mind and heart and ear in a way that you wouldn ’ t if you were just dealing with western harmony .
Modality is like tuning into a radio station ; you tune into a particular atmosphere / colouring . Just like each radio station has a different aesthetic , each mode has a different character . Getting to know a mode is like getting to know a person ; the longer you spend with them , the more you understand how the person or mode works .
CM : HOW DO YOU GO ABOUT COMPOSING MODAL MUSIC ?
SIMMS : I ’ ve spent a lot of time trying to learn these modal musical languages , and I ’ ve found there are many connections between them . They ’ re all modal resources of a larger modal family , like a tree with roots . When I ’ m improvising in this music , I cross over many styles . A lot of people find this goes against particular traditions and some find it offensive , which of course is not something I want to do , but I enjoy pivoting from a Persian makam to an Indian raag . I think it ’ s cool .
CM : WHAT IS THE STATUS OF MODAL MUSIC IN CANADA ?
SIMMS : It ’ s a small subculture right now ; it ’ s a specialty niche . The individual modal subsects are becoming pan-modal and are constantly being mixed with western genres . For example , there is a musician in Montreal named Mercan Dede who plays Turkish makams in EDM music . Many traditionalists hate this kind of stuff but people who listen to Dede might get hooked on these sounds and seek out the traditional Turkish music , almost like a gateway . There are so many examples of this happening . A great example is rock appropriation with Led Zeppelin , The Rolling Stones , and The Beatles using modal sounds from the Middle East and India . These are almost entry points for listeners to get into the classical , more traditional stuff .
CM : WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE SOMEONE WHO IS LOOKING TO INCORPORATE THESE SOUNDS INTO THEIR MUSIC ?
SIMMS : Most importantly , you ’ ve got to listen to it – really spend time with this music and dig in . There ’ s so much out there . Get these sounds into your ear and develop an understanding of it .
To play it , you need an unfretted instrument that ’ s capable of microtones . For most of us in Canada , the violin is probably the most accessible for this . The best thing to do is learn short little tunes or snippets of melodies . These are normally eight- or 12-bar pieces that give you the flavour of the mode / makam / raga . All of these modal traditions have this built-in repertoire ; by learning a piece , you ’ re actually learning the phrasing and workings of that mode .
Both Simms and Salek share similar views on the practical aspects of modal music . Both emphasized how the phrasing in a mode gives it its own specific trait or characteristic . You can actually have two modes with the exact same notes but completely different phrasing , giving each a distinct character . Both musicians also stressed the importance of spending time really listening to this music , to dive in and tune your ears to the nuances of these rich musical cultures . The casual listener of Hindustani music is likely able to discern microtones or long , complicated rhythmic cycles better than you or me because their ears are tuned to it .
What I found particularly interesting is where the two musicians disagreed : the appropriation of modal music . Talek compared Canadian “ world music ” to him having a conversation with a Japanese person and a Brazilian person . While they can still communicate in English , none of them are able to express themselves as deeply as they would in their native tongues . Simms , on the other hand , explains the importance of bringing these modal sounds into western music not only as a gateway to the traditional musical heritages , but as a way of pushing music forward . Simms told me : “ We have to grab a new instrument or borrow a phrase from another culture to make new music . That ’ s what we do . That ’ s how new music is born .”
When it comes to pushing music forward with modality , the best example I can think of is jazz . Technically , I ’ m a jazz guitar major , and although it isn ’ t really my main field of study anymore , I still love it and I continue to study it with my private instructor , Roy Patterson .
Roy is an accomplished jazz guitar player who teaches jazz at York University . Not only does he have a deep understanding of modal jazz , having written and performed it for much of his professional life , but he also studied and plays the Arabic oud . The oud is a stringed , fretless
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