In the U.K., classical music is composed by individuals and written down. Indian music is based on certain sequences called ragas. When I perform live, 95% of the music is improvised: it never sounds the same twice. — Ravi Shankar Copy Share Image
In the olden days, I believe Mozart also improvised on piano, but somehow in the last 200 years, the whole training of Western classical music - they don't read between the lines, they just read the lines. — Ravi Shankar Copy Share Image
What Sri Chinmoy does is God-given! He has a tremendous, a fantastic creative urge. — Ravi Shankar Copy Share Image
In our culture we have such respect for musical instruments, they are like part of God. — Ravi Shankar Copy Share Image
I will keep playing as long as my body lets me, and as long as I'm wanted by my listeners. Because music is the… — Ravi Shankar Copy Share Image
There cannot possibly be a god in heaven watching all of this calmly. — Ravi Shankar Copy Share Image
When people say that George Harrison made me famous, that is true in a way. — Ravi Shankar Copy Share Image
I love the work of Matisse and Picasso, but I don't have enough millions to own one. And I don't really believe in owning… — Ravi Shankar Copy Share Image
Pop changes week to week, month to month. But great music is like literature. — Ravi Shankar Copy Share Image
I try to give to my music the spiritual quality, very deep in the soul, which does something even if you are not realizing… — Ravi Shankar Copy Share Image
In the U.K., classical music is composed by individuals and written down. Indian music is based on certain sequences called ragas. When I perform… — Ravi Shankar Copy Share Image
I appreciate very much Vilayat Khan, the sitar player, and Bismillah Khan, the shehnai player; and among the tabla players, of course, Alla Rakha,… — Ravi Shankar Copy Share Image
I have great difficulty sitting in the middle of the night and writing. Everything I do comes spontaneous. Sometimes it takes a long time;… — Ravi Shankar Copy Share Image
