indian scale keyboard?

aishka

This is the first time I've posted here although I've been including this useful site in my research for my trip for several months.
A friend of mine has requested that I try to find him a keyboard that switches from a western to an Indian scale (I believe there are twice as many notes (tones?) in the indian scale.) You will have to excuse my musical ignorance if i'm not descibing it well enough. So I'm wondering if there are any musicians out there who have an idea what I'm talking about, where to acquire such an item or an idea of the cost. (does this item have a name? can I get it at any music store?) Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.

Nick-H

There basically are the same number of notes in the Indian scale as in the Western scale, and the Indian keyboard will look exactly the same with the usually arrangement of black and white notes.

It may not be tuned the same as the Western Tempered scale.

Although Hindustani music has adopted the Harmonium (probably the only Indian keyboard instrument), the keyboard is foreign to Indian music which is too flexible to be restricted by the fixed notes of a keyboard.

In the sense that an Indian musician will not necessarily sing C# and D-flat at the same pitch then, yes, there are more notes in the Indian scale. Also an Indian musician may make small alterations to any of the notes according to the raga they are singing. In this sense the music is microtonal.

I hate shopping for others without clear and specific instructions! Also what you are seeking will not be cheap and will be heavy. Are you willing to give up a large chunk of your baggage allowance?

I'm not a keyboard player (I'm a percussionist, so I don't even know much about raga...) but I would have thought that the best thing for Indian music would be an electronic keyboard with a pitch-bending wheel. No need to go to India for that!

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