Ustad Shahid Parvez (sitar) 2 

listening to him live is an experience beyond divine. i go to his concerts, sit in the last seat and close my eyes.

Simply the best Sitar player alive today - in my humble opinion

Ustad ji Malik Maheyr Rakhy Kaya Bat ha Bhoot Khub Joda Alap

hi bornysblues,this is not folk music this is pure indian classical music,this is the alap part which appoach the notes of the scale gradually,and it is 200% improvisation. To achieve this level of playing one must train very hard during years.

I love this stuff. I'm basically a blues/jazz player, but I would love to get more into different kinds of folk music. Is this mainly improvisation, or a composition? Beautiful.

i enjoy mu ch iz facial expressions

im happy to share it with you

it's improvised. But there is a fixed composition too and there are certain rules to improvise. It's not that you just sit and play whatever you want. As it's a particular raga and the ascending and descending are decided and the phrases should be used as it is taught by an antique oral tradition to establish the sentiment which is required in a particular raga(there are thousands of ragas). so improvised with certain desciplines.

sure!

Its 100% improvisation.

Chk out the pattern starting at 4:40 and ending at 5:25...... simple..... imaginative.

do you always have to play in the same key on a sitar ? as in do you have to tune the backup strings to a different note to change key

Which raag is this?

Shyam Kalyan

maybe because they belong in the same thaat