Introduction

All of us have one thing in common. We like Hindi Film Music. Taste may differ, favorite singers can be different but I am yet to find a person who doesn't like Hindi film songs. There is a bathroom singer in all of us and we really enter a different world humming our favorite song.

  It doesn't stop here, all of us have an urge to learn the music, understand the music and to be able to play a little bit of it.  The common belief people have is I didn't learn it when I was a kid and now it's too late. Another school of thought is, it is too tough. Then there are people who say they want to learn but they dont have time. Few actually go to music classes learn it for a while and then give up because either it is not interesting or it is not my piece of cake. 

  Well let me tell you something, all of us can learn music without much pain. The level you want to learn is solely up to you but learning music can be anything but painful. It's not boring, but yes it doesn't come without effort.  

  The problem I have seen with most music classes is after going there for a while people don't really able to connect the learning with the music they like. The music learning becomes a study and from our school days study is linked to boredom. The music shouldn't become a study but should become a journey. I wont say all but some music classes are too commercial and they teach with the stereotypical, copy-book style where one stays engaged for a long time. 

 I am not trying to give you an alternative to music classes if you are already going to one. This is an effort to bring the missing link, the interest and the perspective in your learning. The end goal of these tutorials are multi-fold.  If nothing at all it will surely make you good listeners. Where you will know a little about the song while enjoying it. it will help you develop a taste. It will also open up the different genres of music which right now may be too complicated for you to understand and appreciate.  

   One should first understand their skills and then perceive it instead of going to a class because it is near by or your friends are going there.  You want to be singer or a instrumentalist? you want to pursue taal or Sur.  You want to go deep into indian classical music or want to become a light music artist. These tutorials will help you decide these things and will leave at a level where you are already a musician and now want to enhance and explore further learning. 

We will always use famous Hindi songs in our journey so that it will not become boring. you will be able to connect your learning with your interest. 

Learning music is different from learning science. Science is all about capturing the information,  processing the information and presenting the information. One mistake which every beginner makes is to try to learn the music like they learnt science. 

 Music has mainly 3 parts.  Understanding the theory, tuning your ears and ability to recreate the sound.

 First one is the theory part which requires a bit of reading and lots of listening. Once you know a little basic every song you listen will give you a bit of information. It will also urge you to learn different songs to know more. 

The second one which is tuning your ear requires listening and practice.  Once you get a little back-ground, your ear will automatically start picking up what it wants from a song. It will learn to differentiate between right and wrong. This will make you your own critic while playing or singing. If you sing and play with a tuned ear, you will know the moment you go wrong and this will activate the feedback loop.  

The third one is all about practice. As said earlier playing with a tuned ear will help you practice the right way. And then it is a positive loop. You perform in the correct way your ears will get tuned further and more your ear gets tuned you will perform correctly.  There is no substitute to practice. Practice can be tough but you have to keep in mind is any discomfort during practice is a sign that your body is learning the art. You should use this to motivate yourself. Another important point to note is once you know a little you would want to outdo yourself and fail miserly. E.g. A tabla player just learns the Teen-taal and then tries to play a complicated peshkara of Ustad Zakir Hussain. He will of course fail and may think that he is not learning fast enough. Dont compare your learning with anyone else. Just compare your with yourself of past. It will grow on you it's just a matter of time and how much you practice. 

 The 3 parts should be absorbed together and not in any particular order. More it interests you faster you will learn. 

Let's start with the first tutorial.