Do the ragas and the veena have any spiritual connections?
The veena is the musical instrument of the Hindu goddess, Saraswati. She is also the goddess of Arts and Learning. Indian classical music has a distinct devotional component, particularly the Bhakti (Spiritual) tradition. A good many compositions set to specific ragas are also invocations to special gods and goddesses. The work of Saint Poets (lyrics) is also a segment in a vocal/instrumental classical concert. Can one play the Beatles and Barenaked Ladies on the veena? Yes. It is a set tune. It may not correspond to a raga, but you can definitely play the tune – bearing in mind that every musical instrument has its own limitations and strengths. You can also play the ragas with western instruments. The famous music group “Shakti” with John McLaughlin and Zakir Hussain is a fine example of the crossover possibilities. I understand Bollywood music often riffs on the raga. What are some examples of classical and modern ragas? This will take pages. Here one has to be very specific: the ra
