RAGA AMALA

October 18, 2022  by Stefano Palleni

CONTEMPORARY RAGA #5: AMALA

The Raga Amala ( Pure in Sanskrit ) is the second in the series of the open collection Contemporary Raga. The song has a sinuous and mysterious character and uses an eastern scale and melody. Again, as in the case of the Raga Udaya, the recording was done in the natural setting of the beach.

The philosophy remains the same, only minimal equipment and post production was adopted for the realization of this raga: an ordinary smartphone, a hand recorder and a little speaker for the shruti box in the background. For this you can sometimes hear the waves’ roar and the wind howling. I believe this relatively lo-fi approach is the one that better pictures the feeling of being there in the moment, just like a polaroid. It’s also a way to encourage everyone to produce their own music whatever the conditions.

Capturing art in this way makes it affordable to anyone and doesn’t diminish the poetic quality of your work. In this regard digital technology can be used effectively at your own advantage. This music is created within a broader research project in music therapy in Indonesia and has both therapeutic and artistic purposes.