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The ancient art of Indian rāgas freshly reimagined for piano
"…a wholly different way of making music…"
Menu
* The books
* How to Play Indian Sitar Rāgas on a Piano (2020 edition)
* Indian Rāgas for Piano Made Easy (2020 Edition)
* Rāga Jogiya Kalingra (Christmas 2019)
* Extreme Heterophony: a study in Javanese Gamelan for one or more pianists
(Dec 2021)
* SAKURA Three Koto Transcriptions for solo piano (Christmas 2022)
* Reviews
* Articles
* Shop
* Lessons
HOW TO PLAY INDIAN SITAR RĀGAS ON A PIANO & INDIAN RĀGAS FOR PIANO MADE EASY &
RĀGA JOGIYA KALINGRA “AROMA OF SAFFRON”
[New books—December 2021 Extreme Heterophony: a study in Javanese Gamelan for
one or more pianists read more here, December 2022 SAKURA Three Koto
Transcriptions for solo piano read more here]
* Amazon UK / USA – How to Play Indian Sitar Rāgas on a Piano (2016, fully
revised 2020) Perfect-bound, 268 pages, 21 x 1.5 x 29.7 cm. The 2020
edition is also available coil-bound from Lulu or as a digital download from
SheetMusicPlus or BUY NOW in any format from this website
* Amazon UK / USA – Indian Rāgas for Piano Made Easy (2018, 2020) or BUY NOW
from this website
* Amazon UK / USA – Rāga Jogiya Kalingra “Aroma of Saffron” (Christmas 2019)
HOW TO PLAY INDIAN SITAR RĀGAS ON A PIANO (2016, 2020)
262-page book by composer John Pitts, with sheet music for 24 rāgas, step by
step instructions and hundreds of musical examples to try out.
2nd edition – fully revised 2020 (first published 2016).
Indian rāgas (or raags) have an extraordinary musical heritage dating back
several centuries (from the area that is now India, Pakistan and Bangladesh) – a
truly unique musical genre of fascinating melodic beauty and rhythmic intricacy
– freely combining elaborate composed melodies with carefully rehearsed
improvisation. This rich and intriguing music is traditionally performed on
sitar – or instruments such as the sarangi, sarod, esraj or voice – and has
previously been generally unavailable to pianists.
But now the amazing world of Indian rāgas has been opened up in this sympathetic
but thorough reinvention for piano solo (or duet or two pianos) by an
award-winning British composer (www.johnpitts.co.uk). Watch video samples from
the book.
This collection of 24 rāgas will be enjoyed by good amateur pianists through to
virtuosic professionals. It is suitable for any pianist who enjoys discovering
new music, or who has an interest in music from other cultures, or who knows the
pleasure of jazz noodling and wants to explore a rewarding and fresh (but
centuries-old) form of improvisation.
This book contains:
* Sheet music for piano solo: a set of 24 rāgas, newly composed within a
traditional rāga genre, one for each hour of night and day, sunset to sunset,
encompassing a wide array of moods, and based on over twenty fascinating
scales.
* Step by step instructions to play each of the pre-composed and improvised
sections of Indian rāgas, written for pianists who are used to playing
European classical music and jazz. This includes how to develop the melodic
material in the improvised ālāp (with optional joṛ and jhālā sections), and
the part composed part improvised slow, medium and fast gat sections, with
optional jhālā to finish.
* Instructions to play any of these rāgas in a duet or at two pianos.
* Hundreds of musical examples.
* Accompanying audio & video examples can be accessed for free at pianoraga.com
The book has been fully revised in 2020, with improved explanations and
definitions, spellings conformed to academic usage, corrected inclusion of the
improvised joṛ section, inclusion of mohrā phrases in the ālāp, and a
transcription of the intricate free-pulse rhythms in the first example ālāp
video. Read more here...
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INDIAN RĀGAS FOR PIANO MADE EASY (2018, 2020)
Second Edition Published January 2020 (First edition 9Jan2018), Intensely
Pleasant Music
This book is a collection of eight Indian rāgas, re-imagined for piano, and
simplified for fledgling pianists (both children and adults). The purpose is to
provide an introductory experience of classical Indian music-making in an easy,
hands-on way at a piano, offering a very accessible first encounter with
improvisation. It is designed for near-beginners (pre-grade 1) through to early
intermediate players, and can be used as a stepping stone to the much bigger
volume for more advanced pianists: How to Play Indian Sitar Rāgas on a Piano
(Intensely Pleasant Music, 2016/2020).
The first three rāgas are each presented in three versions – “really easy”,
“easy” and “quite easy/not so easy” – so that students and their teachers can
quickly find a best fit for their level, and add complexity when ready. Read
more…
Click here to download a free zip file containing all the mp3s. Or, click here
for the links to download individual mp3 recordings of each rāga.
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RĀGA JOGIYA KALINGRA “AROMA OF SAFFRON” (CHRISTMAS 2019)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1650187777
The word rāga literally means ‘to colour’, and from that also ‘to induce
passion’ or ‘emotion’. The musical term rāga refers to a performance, within the
melodic and structural conventions of Indian classical music, that evokes a
particular emotion. Rāga Jogiya Kalingra “Aroma of Saffron” evokes a mood of
wonder:
It is night-time. Strong breezes blow through purple fields of the beautiful
saffron flower, its red stigma the source of the world’s most expensive spice,
releasing wafts of powerful fragrance.
This through-composed Rāga Jogiya Kalingra “Aroma of Saffron” is a solo
performance piece for piano lasting around 16 minutes. It is a fully fleshed-out
version of the musical material from the 12th rāga/raag in the book How to Play
Indian Sitar Raags on a Piano (2016) by British composer John Pitts, and is
suitable for advanced pianists.
Indian rāgas have an extraordinary musical heritage dating back several
centuries (from the area that is now India, Pakistan and Bangladesh) – a truly
unique musical genre of fascinating melodic beauty and rhythmic intricacy –
freely combining elaborate composed melodies with carefully rehearsed
improvisation.
With improvisation being such an important element in the performance of Indian
rāgas, sheet music of a through-composed and fully-notated rāga may seem like a
contradiction in terms. However, this piece, with its notated sections of
‘improvisation’, is designed to serve two purposes: 1) as a model example of how
to follow the ample instructions in rāga improvisation for owners of copies
of How to Play Indian Sitar Raags on a Piano; and 2) simply as a performance
piece in its own right for classical pianists who are used to playing entirely
from written music.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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VISIT THE SHOP HERE
LATEST REVIEWS OF “EXTREME HETEROPHONY: A STUDY IN JAVANESE GAMELAN FOR ONE OR
MORE PIANISTS”
“…in this new book by John Pitts, we find a novel and very practical approach to
unravelling and understanding this intricate and seemingly impenetrable world.
…it is an in-depth and detailed study, and users of this book will be
generously rewarded by the investment of their time, effort and patience. …very
impressive…” Chris Baxter, Piano Professional, January 2023
“…a wealth of knowledge in Javanese Gamelan in this pedagogical book… thorough
overview… plentiful information… detailed notation… Teachers and students
wishing to explore more about Javanese gamelan will enjoy this book.” Jui-Ching
Wang, Piano Magazine, December 2022
“…compelling and rewarding. …a respectful anthropological exploration which
acknowledges the value of this music and looks to learn from it. That is
celebration and it is invaluable.” Allan J. Cronin, NewMusicBuff, July 2022
“…this latest offering from the enterprising composer John Pitts provides a
fascinating introduction to the rudiments of Javanese gamelan music. …Pitts’
presentation and methodology ensure that readers emerge with a broad awareness
of Indonesian culture… Pitts offers a practical rather than theoretical
introduction to gamelan through extensive and ingenious ‘transcriptions’.”
Murray McLachlan, International Piano Magazine, July/August 2022
“carefully-researched and clearly presented… This detailed, well-researched
handbook is a fascinating introduction to the alluring soundworld of Javanese
gamelan.” Frances Wilson, Cross-Eyed Pianist, January 2022
LATEST REVIEWS OF “HOW TO PLAY INDIAN SITAR RĀGAS ON A PIANO” (2020 EDITION)
“If you are curious about rāgas, composer John Pitts’ method books are exactly
what you need …a great introduction to a very different genre of classical music
…well researched and rich in detail …demystifying the Indian classical genre for
western audiences and opening the door to a new way of understanding music.”
Evelyn Dias, Piano Magazine, Summer 2021
“Studying John Pitts’ innovative books could fundamentally change your
perspective on music. …Both books are fascinating and deserve wide currency.”
Murray McLachlan, International Piano Magazine, Jan/Feb 2021
“Five stars to John Pitts for his exhaustive and absorbing book on a timeless
music” John Carpenter, WAIF FM, December 2020
CRITICS’ VERDICTS (HOW TO PLAY INDIAN SITAR RAAGS ON A PIANO 1ST EDITION)
“a fascinating and unique product!” Christopher Norton, Composer
“bursting with information, ideas, and advice… truly monumental… a lot of fun”
Dr Gail Fischler, Piano Bench Mag
“fascinating” Dr Angela Miller-Niles, American Music Teacher Magazine
“endlessly fascinating”
Allan Cronin, NewMusicBuff
“…I strongly recommend the book to pianists with an eye and an ear to the East…”
Dr Jonathan Katz, International Piano Magazine
“If you have any interest in this esoteric arena… I can’t imagine a better
primer than this.”
Jonathan Woolf, MusicWeb-International
“a very well produced and informative book”
Robert Matthew-Walker, Editor, ‘Musical Opinion’
“This is a great book.”
Dr Mark Polishook[lulu.com]
CRITICS’ VERDICTS (INDIAN RAAGS FOR PIANO MADE EASY 1ST EDITION)
“I can see this book being extremely useful to: those who teach world music and
would value a keyboard approach to it; classical pianists wanting a wonderfully
approachable insight into Indian music; and anyone teaching pupils of Indian
heritage.” Fiona Lau, Music Teacher Magazine
“very handsomely produced … immediately accessible and enjoyable … utterly
enchanted … a fabulously colourful and rich new sound world … a brilliant boon …
this stunning music … an essential purchase … HIGHLY RECOMMENDED” Andrew Eales,
Piano Dao
“exposure to the actual practice of this music will leave a valuable bit of
programming in my neural circuits that will enhance my musical thinking and
ability to appreciate other musics. …highly recommended.” Allan Cronin, New
Music Buff
“A Very Out-of-the-Box Book for the Improv-Challenged Pianist …a very useful
tool … fascinating … A perfect approach for someone who just can’t fully break
away from the printed music yet! … extremely accessible …” Natalie Weber, Music
Matters
“intriguing, attractive and engaging… Recommended” Frances Wilson, Crosseyed
Pianist
“ORDER “HOW TO PLAY INDIAN SITAR RĀGAS ON A PIANO”
Options: Perfect-bound or coil-bound paperback, PDF digital download, Studio
Licence for teachers, bundles...
ORDER “INDIAN RĀGAS FOR PIANO MADE EASY”
Options: paperback book, PDF, Studio Licence for teachers, bundles...
VIDEO EXAMPLES
Click here for video excerpts
ARTICLES
* New recording of Raga Desh
* First review of the paperback collection “7 Piano Duets & Triets inspired by
music from around the world”
* New review of “Extreme Heterophony” in Piano Professional
* New book: SAKURA Three Koto Transcriptions for solo piano
* Cross-Eyed Pianist review of “Extreme Heterophony: a study in Javanese
Gamelan for one or more pianists”
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raag raga rag raga raaga alaap alap jhor jor
tal taal tala sitar improvise improvisation India
Pakistan ICM piano solo duet two pianos piano ensemble
Indian Classical Music Easy Piano
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