Study Nepali Music

My first impressions of Nepali music were those of one being introduced to a rhythmic, vital succession of pentatonic and modal melodies. Once heard, the tunes were impossible to forget, especially as they became standard trekking songs on our day-to-day journey. Not understanding Nepali, I was still able to approximate the sounds of the text and found myself singing these songs in the privacy of my tent. Equipped with two “recorders”–a portable tape recorder and a small flutelike musical instrument– I started to collect and transcribe various melodies, beginning with, what else, but “Resham Phiriri” and “Simsime Panima.” Both of these are old folk songs that have become popular among visitors to Nepal. “Resham Phiriri” is a mountain song expressing romantic feelings of young people, while “Simsimi Panima” is a “Ratyauli” song associated with the festivities of a marriage celebration. Later, as I continued studying folk tunes and dances, I became more aware of various melodies associated with Newar, Gurung, Tamang and Sherpa traditions, as well as the stimulating and festive wedding music of the Damais.