A Viral Approach To Classical Indian Music : Shankar Tucker at TEDxGateway

The ShrutiBox is the title of an ongoing series of internet music videos composed, recorded, performed and directed by the young clarinetist and composer Shankar Tucker. The videos have created great excitement recently, garnering over 2 million views and 40,000 fans in only a few months. The series has been featured on the front page of KZbin, MTV India, and numerous publications. As a clarinetist, Shankar has shared the stage with such legendary artists as Zakir Hussain and Hariprasad Chaurasia, and recorded for music director Pritam Chakraborty.
"While his mastery over the clarinet can't be doubted... he magnificently blends the essence of jazz, pop, Indian classical to create seamless fusion. His KZbin music channel, The Shrutibox, features his fusion compositions and has garnered over two million hits... If you think nobody could have made Slumdog Millionaire's soundtrack better than A.R.Rehman, think again."
-Hindustan Times
"Tucker sets up a unique jugalbandi between jazz and Hindustani classical music, playing the clarinet like a bansuri, or slipping in the sounds of the kanjira into an ensemble of guitar and piano. Tucker's fusion gives the classical tunes space to breathe, as he deftly weaves in jazz elements into a composition. The videos are minimalist and tastefully done, as befits the music... making him an internet sensation."
-Indian Express
"Everything about this young American screams fusion beginning with his name - Shankar Tucker. He's been playing the clarinet for 14 years, but thinks in ragas instead of chords. And, not surprisingly, his KZbin channel, TheShrutiBox, has gone viral..."
-The Hindu
Shankar blends Classical Indian music, jazz and popular music to create a unique and original fusion sound, both in solo recordings and with some of the most talented and accomplished young Carnatic and Hindustani vocalists and instrumentalists, including Vidya and Vandana Iyer,Nirali Kartik, Mahesh Vinayakram, B. Sree Sundarkumar, and others. Shankar himself plays a wide range of instruments in his recordings: piano, bass, kanjira, tabla, and other percussion instruments.
The videos feature his own compositions, and his arrangements of traditional and classical songs, film and popular music, in Hindi, Tamil and English. Shankar's videos are featured on the front page of KZbin and the MTV show, "Roots", and in articles in The Indian Express, The Hindustan Times, and notably in The Hindu -- "everything about this young American screams fusion, beginning with his name..." Shankar was in fact the name given him as a young child by "Amma" -- the spiritual leader and renowned humanitarian Mata Amrityanandamayi Devi on her US tour, and he has gone by it ever since. He started to learn classical clarinet at age 10, and earned a scholarship to the New England Conservatory from an appearance on "From the Top", the nationally syndicated youth radio show. He became deeply interested in improvisation, both in jazz and classical Indian music, while he continued to study and perform Western classical music at such venues as Symphony Hall and Jordan Hall in Boston. At the Conservatory he studied with Tom Martin of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, while the sitar player Peter Row taught him the fundamentals of Indian classical performance.
More than anything else, Shankar wanted to study classical Indian music at its source in India,and on graduating from the Conservatory he was awarded a grant by the Frank Huntingdon Beebe Fund to pursue his ambition to adapt the clarinet to Indian classical performance. He was accepted as a student by the world famous Hindustani flute player Hariprasad Chaurasia at his Gurukul in Mumbai in the summer of 2010. Shankar describes this experience as "nothing short of life-changing" and that his "musical standpoint has completely shifted. Instead of thinking Western notation and chords or counting to 8 or 16, I think teentaal or aadhi taalam ." While in India he had the opportunity to perform Hindustani classical music on clarinet on stage with such legendary artists as Zakir Hussein and Hariprasad Chaurasia, and to record for one of Bollywood's most prominent music directors, Pritam. Shankar has also performed with other leading musicians at major venues in Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Bangalore, and has been invited to perform on Indian MTV, and at upcoming festivals throughout India, North America, and Europe

[@anshuljain7822]

It's absolutely beautiful... I'm a 20yr old in Delhi and feel sorry for so many people that I meet who think Indian classical is not good, is boring, etc. They just really need to listen to it more

[@user-vi3pi9rf7w]

yup agreed 100%

[@amarsingh6785]

Shankar, a great clarinet player, plays in the melody of a cuckoo. Hats off to you. Salute.

[@simongaywanjala9143]

Anshul Jain idiots cannot understand Indian classical coz it is very technical itself

[@jvydehi]

Yes Anshul, when it comes to classical, one needs to keep listening consistently with deep focus after which the real absorption begins..

[@shivranjinighegde1113]

Yes and the same youth bee like " ohh Beethoven piano is so good, jazz that and this..." if you like that there is no way you won't like Indian classical music.

[@preetammukherjee623]

that's american being an indian.. amazing .. respect from india.. i also have learned classical music... but u were brilliant..& the background tanpura was awesome..

[@andy4an]

Classical Indian Music: 0:00-6:55 Talk by Shankar: 6:55-13:25 Preview of three of his videos: 13:25-15:52 All three parts are worth listening to.

[@thepopcornandfun]

Great! Thanks for making it.

[@anjaliskumar6094]

He has completely brought out the healing power of Indian classical music. Superb.

[@thierrydavid1651]

+Anjali Skumar La musique est la vie..., la plus belle chose dans notre univers, Thierry

[@narbherambhovan6196]

Bal Krishna

[@darlapudisastry2448]

Subtleness and perfection = Shankar tucker ...respect to his talent and art...

[@gvaradharaj]

I would have been very very poor... if I had not listened to this. BEAUTIFUL. Thank you TED

[@dakkumar]

Wow! Never before heard a clarinet sound India. Lovely! Great job Shankar!

[@mithilasharma1536]

A die hard fan of Shankar Tucker!!!great music!!

[@muqarrabkhan4423]

wonderful performance i have no words to say .Really heart touching tunes.Stay blessed.

[@aswinisahoo1977]

Immortality of Indian classical music... Shankar is always awesome... Fusion of clarinet and Indian classical music at its best... love you brother. You have gone the extra mile...

[@kishtn]

Great music. Thanks. Thanks TED for featuring Shankar Tucker

[@denirobeckham1496]

Great, in the classical indian music setting, I thought at first that the clarinet sounded like a wooden man trapped in a silk suit. But then Shankar was able to somehow able to take that sound and explode it plain out of sight! Bravo. Will definitely check out your channel sir!

[@AartiRajaratnam]

Amazing stuff. You just earned yourself a fan for life.

[@user-vi3pi9rf7w]

Indian classical=heavenly

[@VSNarasimhan]

Unbelievably beautiful Indian Music by Clarinet, from a Westerner!!!! Bravo!!!

[@dupedandi]

i am not sure if you really meant that there is no difference between western classic and indian classical music to begin There are innumerable differences. Not taking into account the instrumentation some of the biggest differences are: 1. Western classical is mainly based on harmony (the combination of more pitches at once), while Indian classical is mostly purely melody based. 2. In Western music the pitch of any particular note is fixed, while in Indian music there can be a difference in intonation, according to the scale (Raga), and pitching/gliding in between those notes is very common and important. What I mean is, say an "A" note for example in Western music will always be 440 Hertz, it's fixed, that's what it is. In Indian however, say a "Dha" can vary according to the raga and what the musician chose to be the Sa. It's not fixed, it's much more fluid. 3. While Indian music typically stays in 1 raga, in 1 pitch, for a whole piece, Western music changes scales and "flavours" all the time. The focus in Western music is very much on this change of flavours, while Indian is much more about going very deep into this one flavour, exploring it to the fullest. 4. In the West music is thought of in a linear fashion: things happen in a linear fashion, with a beginning, a development and an end, that's it. In Indian classical, music is perceived in a much more cyclic way: all is a development within a fixed Tala (rhythmical cycle). 5. While in Western classical improvisation is almost non-existent, it is of key importance in Indian classical music, it is absolutely based on improvisation in the moment. Western music is a fixed, written down piece that is to be followed to the last note. This is just the absolute beginning of all the differences.

[@abhimanyuvaradharajan906]

Kavita Cheble I dont think improvisation is non exixtent in western classic music.

[@RijuChatterjee]

@@penguinexpress12 There are several. Improv sections are called cadenzas, and each great soloist will play cadenzas differently. Just search cadenza and you will find many examples. However, it is not uncommon to play note-for-note a cadenza written by someone else. Improv is _nearly_ nonexistent in western classical music, but not entirely nonexistent.

[@RijuChatterjee]

You think he doesn't know this? What he was trying to say was obviously at a different level.

[@SerenityNow...]

Your music is so pleasant :) Hearty wishes for all your future videos. . . . Would love see more Bharadhiyaar songs :) Love to hear "Aasai mugam marandhu pooche..."

[@dilipbhende1891]

Really soothing raga. Very well presented. Just close your eyes & allow the music to enter your inner conscious.

[@techdoogs9258]

love you shankar tucker

[@govindarajulu-kasturi9614]

Beautiful Salutations to Shankar Tucker for his masterful rendition God Bless Thanks Kasturi G

[@purnachandrapatnaik.3477]

musician or magician....... creation of God......

[@kunalsiddu]

God Bless Shankar. You are doing a great job. Music is the thread that connects the fabric of various traditions, faiths and life style. You are blessed to be one of the messiahs. Please encourage and inculcate this in upcoming generations.

[@satyajeetkumar115]

really sonorous , dulcet and heavenly

[@suraah]

His music has something magical. He plays with his heart and soul.

[@rosejose20011]

so happy to find Shankar Tucker on TEDex.May u reach greater and greater heights!

[@saidarahaasayyangalam3445]

You're my Inspiration!!! :') ..... Brought tears into my eyes!!

[@besimlatifi4959]

Just perfect

[@hariprasadchakrabarty.5317]

Yes Mr Shankar Tucker you are really blessed by God after worship. You are succed. We want to get more classical (only) from your clarinet. Hari Prasad Chaurasia ji is like a GOD to me. I am his great Fan. I am a amateur flutist (Bamboo flute).

[@JQPOINT]

Ethereal! Thank you for sharing your gift with us!

[@ckarsenal]

Sweet melodies. Peace and love

[@raghu087]

Awesome video...... Shankar tuker u r d musician i ever seen....hats offf...

[@workonyourbiznotinit]

Soulful Mr.Shankar ! Very grateful for your talents !!

[@samthakur86]

Wow...simple great....peace of mind....

[@simongaywanjala9143]

I've never listened such beautiful music

[@govindarajulu-kasturi9614]

simply wonderful God Bless Thanks

[@PareshVishwasrao]

Hope to see you LIVE @ MIT

[@saju986]

beautiful perfection.

[@gerrycorchado]

I want to hear this louder in my brain. Keep pushing the volume up.

[@vexplore1]

His is born with it...just unbeatable..Good luck !

[@s.dilipkumarsingha6494]

extremely amazing

[@vijayyadav-fk1dc]

student of the greatest flutist ? wow

[@RemoNaidu]

Mesmerising.....you are blessed

[@pvijay10]

Shanker Tucker.............ince again thanks

[@jucartor]

Amaze, Astonished, Dumbfound, blown over..words are less for your talent. Die Hard Fan of your songs. :)

[@shubhamchaudhary5916]

he has taken indian classical music to whole another level

[@sriradhegunjan.bhajangroup6067]

Just awesome....

[@dhimanchakraborty5639]

awesome..

[@prestonsullivan6807]

Beautiful!

[@MrPrasadBhargava]

This is just great stuff. Keep it up.

[@vamshi551]

Namasthey .... Jai hind

[@FireWithinCosmosaicSEA]

Right on!😄

[@VinitBansal1992]

Very very very beautiful

[@dadhichsri]

awesome

[@nanak3363]

Brilliant.

[@vyasashu1983]

lovely

[@waqarbeinghuman4386]

Absolutely 2 thumbs up ..... GOD is GREAT

[@wehipeace]

Thank youuuu

[@rajeevmeets]

Great works !!!!

[@Narayanrbhat]

mesmerizing music.

[@murty9151]

it's so refreshing to see the efforts. thanks. how to support you? where do we get details please?

[@jhookkoo]

Boss God Bless you always

[@smkrish63]

Excellent work by shamkar

[@kulvindersingh6964]

excellent

[@davidmdyer838]

Just wow.

[@segamattube2]

bravo,keep it up

[@manishgaikwad5168]

nice presentation!

[@crsekhar9]

Appreciated Mr. Shanker

[@pinkyyx]

goosebumps..

[@jodetheflowingwater1126]

very talented artist

[@spailoor]

brilliant

[@javasam9]

awesome dude

[@OHQ20]

ama zing Cooll....shankar..!

[@tripmonk0]

Very nice indeed - well done !!! As long as one can get the glissandi, or meend as we call it on the instrument, you can play Indian music on it !!!!!!

[@ammarkhan5921]

I feel an amazing wave in my soul...

[@JagdeepPaul]

Way to go

[@pramodsalve4991]

Wow.. .

[@Alrukitaf]

So soulful reeaally grooovy! Long live Shankarji - the greatest sounds!

[@yashraj12]

DigitalNoor, I agree with your comment. But we follow a defined pattern of naming talks. Would see if we can work around this in the future. Thanks

[@krishnansrinivasan830]

Superb :)

[@Ghulesoorkh]

God Job very nice

[@ramachandransankaran9931]

You could do dome programmes for children. Hi I am Kausalya Sankaran, a retired Early Childhood Educator and I would like to suggest that you could have musical programmes for children Raffi. C. Diamond, Fred Penner, Bob Schneider even David Suzuki's musical discs, to mention a few who Iknow, and globslise the programmes for the benefit of children all over the world

[@annaisaacs7448]

in this performance, Shankar is not in his element ... but you bring magic into the universe :-) and you do, it from your soul ... you were born to be the king of fusion and love xxxx

[@i_beats3252]

😃👏👏🔥🔥

[@TEDx]

@TheVampireelite Apologies. Titling of TEDxGateway videos now done.

[@digitalnaroor]

I would recommend TEDxGateway to be at the end of the title and not at the beginning - that way Searchers can easily find the video and then understand that its from TED.

[@vibhor747]

Sooooooooooooooothing =)

[@efshafi]

hi shanker tucker you say you are composer I too want 2 pursue has composer from where i am suppose 2 start from scratch....please...

[@rohanrajaram5919]

Wonderful to see both styles so seamlessly mixed. Is this based on Raag Bhimpalasi, I think I can catch a Kafi thaat composition? If someone with a better ear than me can figure it out, I'd love to know :)

[@jollyjoker1468]

Rohan Rajaram it is dominantly kafi

[@sayandeeproy7669]

Yes kafi can b added perfectly

[@babaprahladmpai9779]

adhbuta!

[@gerrycorchado]

I keep pushing the like button. Lol

[@gerrycorchado]

+Vinay Theertha It was a figure statement.

[@gerrycorchado]

+Vinay Theertha you missed the :P

[@uudeepak]

!!!!!!!!!

[@rathishvbr]

Like

[@subh1]

raga Kafi

[@younggun9971]

Vidhya vox

[@penguinexpress12]

Is that an A clarinet

[@jollyjoker1468]

Yes

[@GaginDeepPurple]

Jes, jew to cun be dat purple lite jew blink like da night

[@axomiaaccount8747]

Is good. But not in the same league as Rahman. Legend vs pro

[@TheVampireelite]

TED..Please have a meaningful name for the video....Most of the TED Mumbai videos don't have proper name...Disappointed with your standard..

[@aseemjai8267]

awesome..

[@khushibharaj7330]

awesome