Ranjit Makkuni

Aug 19 

Written By Taylor Williams

Masterful Sitar Improvisation

Here’s a post for all the guitar shredders and tone freaks. You need to have some solid sitar tones and references in your library, so add Ranjit Makkuni to your list.

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It’s safe to say that most sitar players approach their instrument from a more spiritual side of life than their musical counterparts in the West. Despite having only been in existence for 200 years, you could argue that it’s emotional connection to music is stronger than that of the nylon or electric guitar, due primarily to its association with the meditation and spiritual practices of the Eastern Hemisphere. To put it another way, more people on the planet connect spiritually to the sitar, than they do to the guitar. You know exactly what I’m talking about because as soon as you hear one, you’re immediately transformed.

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What Ranjit Makkuni is doing is not only meditative and spiritual, but he’s also putting the sitar into genres outside of its home. Browse through the links we’ve provided below and you’ll see that he’s expanding into jazz, and sub-Saharan rhythms, as well as addressing the social issues of the day. His mastery of the instrument is exceptional. Watch his videos on Facebook and you’ll see a dexterity that Western guitar gods don’t have. Pay attention to the scales he uses and you’ll realize there’s a massive list of scales you could study. Having spent much of my life listening to artists like Phish, John Coltrane, Pat Metheny and Oscar Peterson - this type of improvisation is unlike anything I’ve heard. We hope you’ll check it out.