Hindustani Slide Guitar? Yes!

Have you heard of Hindustani slide guitar?  You've probably heard it in movie and TV soundtracks, but you've probably never given it much attention on its own.  I don't have time to write more than a brief blog post if I still want to get all my homework done, but I thought this was really cool and wanted to share.

This evening, K-State's Society for the Appreciation of Bharatiya Culture and Arts (SABHA) is bringing in Debashish Bhattacharya, one of India's most accomplished slide guitarists, and his family for a special performance at the K-State Alumni Center.  The style of music is different, but we all know how much the slide guitar has added to the blues, and it is interesting to see a display of virtuosity on this instrument in a different form.  I think it helps serve as a gateway to appreciating a less familiar, but very cool form of music (even though we know the blues is ultimately where it's at).

Here is the concert announcement on the SABHA website: http://www.k-state.edu/sabha/Madeira.htm

Here is an interesting article on Hindustani slide guitar: http://www.premierguitar.com/Magazine/Issue/2012/Jul/The_Secret_World_of_Hindustani_Slide.aspx

And here is Bhattacharya live in concert displaying his virtuosic skill:




And finally, for the sake of comparison, and also simply because I love the blues, here is an example from my favorite blues slide guitarist:




Update...Missing link found...!

Thanks to Topeka bluesman and K-State alum Rod Peterson for sharing this video of Harry Manx, a Canadian musician who combines Indian instruments and techniques with blues and roots music: