Insomnia

Tonight I have a kind of sleeplessness that occurs no due to enough rest, but due to being overworked. Imagine a machine that has run continuously for hours, more than it could, being productive, and ended gaining so much momentum that it begins to resist it's own retirement. It is that kind of sleeplessness that I am experiencing tonight. A mind that has suddenly become physically restless because of the mental activity. It is some sort of impregnation, like a consuming thought that continues to grow once it has taken to inception. 

I feel tonight the push from my mind to work out the thought through the body which is tired to an extent that while it appreciates the mind's work, it doesn't want to move itself physically. How do you think an active mind and a worked up body coexist with each other? That is the kind of sleeplessness I feel tonight.

Translation: What it means to be in tune?

 

“'सुरात असणं' म्हणजे काय हे माहित नसल्यामुळे ते बेसुरे असतात, की ते बेसुरे असल्यामुळे त्यांना 'सुरात असणं' म्हणजे काय ते माहित नसतं? Can tone-deaf people ever understand that they are tone-deaf?”   त्याचा दुवा मी खाली कमेन्ट्समध्ये देतोय - त्याच्या पोस्टला अनुसरून जे सुचलंय ते इथेही लिहितोय. पोस्ट लांबलचक आहे पण जरूर वाचा. हा संभ्रम होण्याचं एक कारण असं आहे की आपण binaryमध्ये विचार करतो. सूर ‘कळणं’ ही स्वतः एक कला नसली तरी याच्या अनेक कला आहेत (चंद्राच्या असतात तशा). अनेक स्तरांवर आपल्याला सुराचं आकलन होत असतं. काही लोक असतात की ज्यांना सुराची संकल्पनाच कळत नाही. ज्या लोकांना खऱ्या अर्थी आपण tone deaf असं म्हणू शकतो. त्यांना मणेरीकर सर म्हणतात त्या प्रमाणे सुरस्थान मुळातच कळत नाही. हे लोक बहुतांशी संगीताच्या बाबतीतच agnostic असतात. मरीन जिऑलॉजीचं व्याख्यान ऐकण्यात मी जितका तग धरू शकेन तितका वेळ हे एखादं गाणं गुणगुणण्यात किंवा गायनाच्या कार्यक्रमात धरू शकतात. Aptitude नाही त्यामुळे रस नाही अशा प्रकारात हे लोक मोडतात. मग दुसऱ्या प्रकारचे लोक असतात की ज्यांच्या नेणिवेत ते सुरस्थान आहे पण जाणिवेत बिल्कुल नाही. हे लोक जेव्हा गातात तेव्हा बाहेरच्या श्रोत्याला त्यांचं गाणं बेसूर ऐकू येतं पण यांना ते सुरातच ऐकू येतं. एखाद्या रंगांधळ्या व्यक्तीला जसा लाल रंग हिरवा दिसतो त्याप्रमाणे यांना सुरस्थानं दिसतात. या संदर्भात एक रंजक कथा आहे. हिंदुस्थानी संगीतज्ञांमध्ये (musicians या अर्थी) एक जुनी परंपरा आहे. होळीच्या दिवशी प्रचंड बेसूर (पण आपण भलतेच सुरात आहोत असं वाटणाऱ्या) गायकाला बोलवायचं आणि त्याच्या गायनाचा मनमुराद आनंद लुटायचा. (ज्यांनी ‘भेजा फ्राय’ पाहिलाय त्यांना लगेच लक्षात येईल. त्यामधल्या ‘भारत भूषण’ या व्यक्तिरेखेची शास्त्रीय संगीतीतली आवृत्ती असं समजा). गाण्यातल्या जुन्या लोकांना ‘भँवरे पिया’ हे नाव कदाचित आठवेल. तर अशा एका होळीच्या कार्यक्रमात असेच एक न-गायक आले होते. सुमारे पाऊण तास पट्ट्या बदलत, बेसूर, बेताल असा त्यांनी आपला performance दिला. गाण्यातले अनेक दिग्गज त्यांच्या गाण्याची ‘मजा’ घेत होते. श्रोत्यांमध्ये पं. सत्यशील देशपांडे होते. या महोदयांचं गाणं झाल्यानंतर सत्यशीलजी मंचावर गेले आणि त्या गायकांना नेमकी काय स्वराकृती दिसत असेल याचा सुरेल तर्जुमा त्यांनी ऐकवला! तात्पर्य असं की या लोकांना आपण सुरेलच गातोय असा भास होत असतो. या लोकांना आपण बेसुरे आहोत हे कुठलाही युक्तीवाद पटवून देऊ शकत नाही कारण हे स्वतःचं गाणं वेगळ्याच मितीतून ऐकत असतात जिथे ते सुरेलच असतं. गंमत अशी आहे की यांना सुरेल लोकांचं गाणं नेमकं कसं ऐकू येत असेल हे आपण सांगू शकत नाही कारण हा अनुभूतीचा प्रश्न आहे तर्काचा नव्हे! मग पुढचा गट येतो तो मणेरीकर सर म्हणतात त्याप्रमाणे ज्यांना सुराची जाणीव असते पण मेंदूने दिलेला सिग्नल गळा ट्रान्सलेट करू शकत नाही. या लोकांना ही जाणीव असते की आपण गातोय ते सुरात नाही. हे लोकही ठार बेसुरे असतात पण त्यांना याची कल्पना असते. आता तुझा जो प्रश्न आहे तो या गटाला relevant आहे. म्हणजे आपण बेसुरे आहोत हे कळणं म्हणजे सुरांची जाण असणं आहे का? तर याचं उत्तर आहे - पूर्णपणे नाही! आपण बेसुरे असल्याची जाण असणं म्हणजे आपण बेसुरे असण्याची जाण असणं. उदाहरणार्थ मला पूल बांधता येत नाही इतकाच साक्षात्कार होणं म्हणजे इंजिनियरिंगची जाण असणं नाही तसंच आहे हे! कारण ‘सुरांची जाण’ याला अनेक प्रतल आहेत. ही बिगरी आहे. पण गाण्याचा आस्वाद डोळसपणे घेऊ शकणं या लोकांना सहज शक्य आहे. ऑम्लेटची चव कळण्यासाठी, कोंबडी होऊन अंडीच देता आली पाहिजेत असं नाही तसंच आहे हे. इथपासून studied listening मधून व्यासंग वाढवता येऊ शकतो. पुढचा गट आहे की त्याला सुरस्थानं कळली आहेत पण ती गळ्यावर चढली नाहीत. हे लोक सहसा पट्टी न सोडता गाऊ शकतात पण एखादी गुगली जागा खळेंच्या किंवा हृदयनाथांच्या गाण्यात आली तर हुकतील. पण हे लोक स्वाभाविकपणे गाण्याचा उत्तम आस्वाद घेऊ शकतात. मग असा गट आहे की ज्यांना सुरात गाता येतं पण तितका रस नसल्यामुळे असेल किंवा इतर काही कारणांमुळे असेल ते या नैसर्गिक क्षमतेचा विस्तार करत नाही. आता यात एक गोष्ट लक्षात घ्यायला हवी. की गाणाराच माणूस उत्तम आस्वाद घेऊ शकतो ही अंधश्रद्धा आहे. काही लोकांचं आकलन फार उत्तम असतं पण सांगितिक articulation उत्तम असेलच असं नाही. आणखी एक गट मला फार महत्त्वाचा वाटतो. त्यांना संगीतामधलं काही कळत नाही पण त्यांच्या क्षेत्रात त्यांचं पांडित्य असतं. असे लोक (आणि हे केवळ माझं निरीक्षण आहे) फार वेगळ्या पद्धतीने गाण्याचा रसास्वाद घेतात. संगीतकार म्हणून मला अशा लोकांना माझं गाणं ऐकवायला फार आवडतं. त्यांची दाद ही त्यांच्या disciplineच्या तर्काने देत ते असतात. तो तर्क मला जाणवला तर मी कमालीचा आनंदित होतो. यात कवी, साहित्यिक, चार्टर्ड अकाउंटंट, वकील, शास्त्रज्ञ कुणीही असू शकतं. नियम एकच - आपल्या क्षेत्रामध्ये त्यांचं केवळ नैपुण्य नव्हे तर पांडित्य असावं. सारांश असा की सुरांची जाण वेगवेगळ्या लोकांना वेगवेगळ्या प्रतलावर होत असते. ती बायनरी नसून degreesमध्ये असते. यातच तुझ्या प्रश्नाचं उत्तर सामावलेलं आहे. - कौशल ईनामदार च्या वॉलवरून.

“[Are some people] ‘tone-deaf / off-pitch’[1] because they don’t know what it means to be in pitch, or are they off-pitch and hence they do not understand what it means to be ‘in pitch’? [In simple words:] Can tone-deaf people ever understand that they are tone-deaf?” I am giving links in the comments below - I am also writing here what I have understood following his post. The post is long but worth reading. One of the reasons this dilemma arises is due to our binary mode of thinking. Even if understanding (perceiving) pitch is not an art by itself, it still has a lot of aspects to it (just like the phases of the moon). The registration of musical notes keeps happening [in the mind] at many levels. There are many people who just do not understand the concept of musical notes. These, we can call tone-deaf in the true sense. To them, as Rajendra Manerikar says, the position of the note is just not legible. Such people are largely agnostic towards music/musicality. Their interest in humming a song or in a musical programme will only be as much as I would have in listening to a lecture in marine geology! They don’t have aptitude, and hence they can’t take pleasure – that’s the way these people are categorised. Then there are the second kind of people who have the sensitivity of understanding the position of the musical notes, but not conscious about it. When these people sing, their music is off-tune to the audience, but to their ear, it seems to be in tune. They identify the position of notes just like how a colour-blind person sees red as green. There is an interesting story in this context. In Hindustani music, (in the sense of musicians), there is an old tradition. On the occasion of Holi, an extremely off-pitch singer (but assuming that one is absolutely in tune) would be called and their singing would be enjoyed to the fullest. (Those who have seen ‘Bheja Fry’ will immediately realise. Think of the character of Bharat Bhushan in it as the figure of the classical musician). The older musical people will probably remember the name of ‘Bhanvar Piya’.[2] So, in one such Holi programme, a similar non-singer had come. He gave his performance in an inconsistent, absurd manner, changing the pitches for about half an hour. The many musical veterans present were ‘enjoying’ his music. In the audience was Pt. Satyasheel Deshpande. After the gentleman’s performance, Satyasheelji went on stage and demonstrated the musical universe the singer must be imagining. Meaning, such people believe that they have been singing in tune. There is no way in which any one can convince them that they were off-pitch since they have been listening to their singing from an altogether different dimension from where it seems to them perfectly in pitch. The funny thing is that we may never be able to say how they must be perceiving the music of people who indeed sing in tune, because this is a matter of experience, not of logic. Then comes the next group, those who as Manerikar Sir suggests, are aware of the notes but whose throat cannot translate the signal given by their brain. These people are aware that what they are singing, but it may not be (or is not) in tune. These people too are far off-tune, but they have an idea of it. Now the question that you are asking is relevant to this group. Meaning, does the fact that we can identify that we are off-pitch mean that we have knowledge of music? The answer to this question is – not completely! To be able to recognize ourselves off-pitch in a given moment indicates that we may also note when we are off-pitch generally. For example, it is similar to the fact that recognizing that I don’t know how to build a bridge simply means to acknowledge that I do not have enough knowledge about engineering. Because the knowledge of musical notes has several referential bases. Knowing the notes is just the most basic requirement for music. But it is possible for such people to appreciate music with their eyes. It is just like (arguing) how in order to appreciate the taste of an omelette, you don’t necessarily need to be a chicken and lay an egg. But from this point, one can invest and expand into the discipline of studied listening. The next group is one of those who know the position of the note, but it has still not become a memory of their throat. These people can usually sing in a single pitch, but if they encounter a googly musical spot like in the songs of Khale or Hridaynath, they will fumble. But these people can naturally take great pleasure of music. Then there is a group who can sing melodiously but since they are not immersed as much or for other reasons, they are unable to expand upon their natural capacities. Now here, we must take note of one thing – to think that only the singer can take deep pleasure of music – is a blind belief. There are many people whose analysis is quite sharp but musical articulation may not necessarily be at par. There is one more group that I feel is quite important. They don’t know anything about music but they are experts in their own field. Such people (and this is just my observation) take musical pleasure in a very different manner. As a musician, I really like to present my music to them. They even offer their appreciation through the perspective of their own discipline. Learning their logic of interpretation gives me a lot of happiness. This may include a poet, literary scholar, chartered accountant, lawyer, scientist – anyone. Just one rule – if not dexterity, they must be experts of their fields. To summarise, different people register music through different referential bases. Rather than binary, it’s a range. The answer to your question is situated in this very range. -From Kaushal Inamdar’s wall *** Translation: Anuj Daga Inputs by Manas Vishwaroop

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[1] In Hindustani Music, ‘tone’ and ‘pitch’ refer to the ‘quality/texture’ of sound and the ‘accurate frequency’ of notes respectively. In western music tone also means difference of one note. To be sure, the discussion here is about being in pitch, an aspect referred to as ‘tone-deafness’ in western music.

[2] Incorrectly written ‘Bhanvre Piya’ in Marathi