BY PRATIMA ACHREKAR | NT NETWORK

Meet William D’Souza, a Carnatic percussionist who creates rhythm through a curious blend of eastern and western music. A veteran performer, he has impressed audiences both in India and abroad with his musical skills.

This Master from the Karnataka College of Percussion, Bangalore in his quest to create a distinctive identity for himself in the field of music developed the flair for creating music from almost anything – toys, jars, utensils!

A professional musician (he is skilled at playing the drums and the Mrudangam) he has enthralled the public with his musical creations with a toy bat and jar, and now intends to repeat his performance with utensils this time.

“I love to experiment with the unconventional. While in the West Indies I saw people playing on steel drums. That gave me the idea of making music with utensils. It is an idea, who knows it might be a success.”

Recently, William posted his musical experiments on Youtube, which has received good response.

Now he is all set to impress the students of St Xavier’s Higher Secondary, Mapusa on June 23.

“The students will get to listen to a professional percussionist’s experiments with using utensils to make melodies. Hopefully they will be inspired to step out of the conservative block and try new things.”

What is the difference between the conventional and the unconventional in music? “In conventional music there are preset tones, tunes while in unconventional music there are no-preset tones; intelligence and skills are of significance here,” informs William.

“I pick up the note and play it in different styles on the utensil. It is not a traditional format. You can’t strike hard on here as it sounds harsh. Force applied while striking is of paramount importance. Softer tones sound good. Different vessels give different notes and with trial and error you work out the music. Take the case of a bowl placed upside down. You have to know the diameter to know exactly what sounds nice. Smaller the vessel more the notes,” he adds.

With his performance at St Xavier’s the student community will be the first to get a preview into this new form of music.

BOX

• William's career in drumming can be traced to 1975 when he first associated himself with the Goan troupe, "The Band".
• In 1987, he was declared best drummer in the southern part of the country at the jazz-rock festival.
• He has toured extensively with foreign and Indian bands and is also as a solo performer.
• His recent performances were in 2007 where he played at the "World Jazz Festival" in Bangalore.
• Internationally, he also toured South Africa in 2008 with a fusion band from Chennai.
• He played with the Brasilian instrumental maestros Acuri at Gonsalves Mansion in August 2009.