Editing Ravi Shankar (section)

== Style and contributions ==
[[File:Ravi Shankar - Madhuvanti.ogv|thumb|Shankar plays the ''raga'' ''[[Madhuvanti]]'' at the [[Shiraz Arts Festival]] in Iran in the 1970s]]
Shankar developed a style distinct from that of his contemporaries and incorporated influences from rhythm practices of [[Carnatic music]].<ref name="NewGrove" /> His performances begin with solo ''[[alap]]'', [[jor (music)|''jor'']], and ''[[jhala]]'' (introduction and performances with pulse and rapid pulse) influenced by the slow and serious ''[[dhrupad]]'' genre, followed by a section with ''tabla'' accompaniment featuring compositions associated with the prevalent ''[[khyal]]'' style.<ref name="NewGrove" /> Shankar often closed his performances with a piece inspired by the light-classical ''[[thumri]]'' genre.<ref name="NewGrove" />

Shankar has been considered one of the top ''sitar'' players of the second half of the 20th century.<ref name="Neuhoff" /> He popularised performing on the bass octave of the ''sitar'' for the ''alap'' section and became known for a distinctive playing style in the middle and high registers that used quick and short deviations of the playing string and his sound creation through stops and strikes on the main playing string.<ref name="NewGrove" /><ref name="Neuhoff" /> Narayana Menon of [[Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians|''The New Grove Dictionary'']] noted Shankar's fondness for rhythmic novelties, among them the use of unconventional rhythmic cycles.<ref>Menon 1995, p. 220.</ref> Hans Neuhoff of ''[[Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart]]'' has argued that Shankar's playing style was not widely adopted and that he was surpassed by other ''sitar'' players in the performance of melodic passages.<ref name="Neuhoff" /> Shankar's interplay with Alla Rakha improved appreciation for ''tabla'' playing in [[Hindustani classical music]].<ref name="Neuhoff" /> Shankar promoted the ''[[jugalbandi]]'' duet concert style. Shankar introduced at least 31 new ragas, including ''[[Nat Bhairav]]'',<ref name="Hachette Books">{{cite book |last1=Craske |first1=Oliver |title=Indian Sun: The Life and Music of Ravi Shankar |date=2020 |publisher= Hachette Books |isbn= 9781566491044 |page=106 }}</ref> ''Ahir Lalit'', ''Rasiya'', ''Yaman Manjh'', ''Gunji Kanhara'', ''Janasanmodini'', ''Tilak Shyam'', ''[[Bairagi]]'',<ref name="NewGrove" /><ref name="Hachette Books"/> ''Mohan Kauns'', ''Manamanjari'', ''Mishra Gara'', ''Pancham Se Gara'', ''Purvi Kalyan'', ''Kameshwari'', ''Gangeshwari'', ''Rangeshwari'', ''Parameshwari'', ''Palas Kafi'', ''Jogeshwari'', ''Charu Kauns'', ''Kaushik Todi'', ''Bairagi Todi'', ''Bhawani Bhairav'', ''Sanjh Kalyan'', ''Shailangi'', ''Suranjani'', ''Rajya Kalyan'', ''Banjara'', ''Piloo Banjara'', ''Suvarna'', ''Doga Kalyan'', ''Nanda Dhwani'', and ''Natacharuka (for Anoushka)''.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Shankar|first1=Ravi|title=[[Raga Mala (book)|Raga Mala: An Autobiography of Ravi Shankar]]|date=1999|publisher=[[Welcome Rain Publications]]|isbn=9781566491044|page=325}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Craske |first1=Oliver |title=Indian Sun: The Life and Music of Ravi Shankar |date=2020 |publisher= Hachette Books |isbn= 9781566491044 |page=x }}</ref> In 2011, at a concert recorded and released in 2012 as ''Tenth Decade in Concert: Ravi Shankar Live in Escondido'', Shankar introduced a new percussive sitar technique called ''Goonga Sitar'', whereby the strings are muffled with a cloth.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.indiapost.com/how-west-meets-east-in-ravi-shankars-music/|title=How West meets East in Ravi Shankar's music|newspaper=India Post News - Breaking and Latest News Worldwide - Indian Diaspora |date=26 December 2012|access-date=22 April 2021|archive-date=22 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422131539/https://www.indiapost.com/how-west-meets-east-in-ravi-shankars-music/|url-status=live}}</ref>