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I have always played music. I began guitar at six year old. I got my first harmonica at 8. I played in Jazz band, boys chorus and various garage bands in middle- and high-school. I learned to read music but tended to pick things up by ear or from other players faster.

After two very slow and painful semesters of College music theory at a junior college in Central Wisconsin, I abandoned my immediate goal of going to music school for a much more interesting and liberating visual arts education. I was, however, only temporarily able to turn my back on my musical inclinations. Later, I transferred to the University of WI, Madison. I could not see a musical group, go to a football game, see a band or soloist and not wonder what it would have been like if I had further pursued the musical side of myself. Among my favorite places to be was the Chamber bar and musical venue, especially Monday nights to see Clyde Stubblefield and the Blue Monday Group. It was at this time that I quit smoking cigarettes and learned to blow cross-harp. I believe the harp player I used to see there was named West Side Andy Lindermann. I couldn't afford lessons.

The moment I saw a chance to get back into anything musical, I took it. I moved to New York City and I have been involved with Carl Fischer Music Publishers for 13 years. I brought just enough musical knowledge and experience to the job to be able to handle book and ad layout related to musical education and performance. I have been able to speak with authors, editors, music engravers and composers about music as it relates to the various projects we have produced and I have learned from my experiences there.

Recently, I have begun to study Classical Indian music. I fell in love with the sound of the Bansuri (North Indian cane flute.) The first complete raga I heard was called Myian Ki Malhar. It sounded like water. Handmade cane flutes are easy to come by, but ones with proper tuning are more difficult to find. After several years of listening to the North Indian ragas of the legendary Hariprasad Chaurasia, I came to the bitter realization that I would never learn this complicated tradition of Classical Indian music by ear. I would need to seek instruction.

I turned to Jeff Slatnik, the purveyor of world instruments and musical knowledge at the Music Inn in the West Village. I spent several years learning compositions and traditional Indian melodies. I continue to work and play around the shop and will spend my life playing Raga music. Contrary to popular belief, Raga music is not entirely improvised. Many gurus share written pages. All gurus encourage students to write down their lessons. The written music, uses a notation, called SaReGaMa, that differs greatly from western notation. It's strongest feature, in my opinion is it's ability to describe rhythms much more accurately and simply than western notation can.

(photo of Andrew J. Dowty veinly impersonating a diety by Zachary Fernandes)

(photo of my bansuris)

Here are some links to some very informative sites devoted to the study of Indian Classical music:

http://www.itcsra.org/sra_others_samay_index.html
http://www.asavari.org/ragamala.html
http://www.ancient-future.com/theka.html
http://www.sawf.org/music/articles.asp?pn=Music
http://www.chandrakantha.com/articles/indian_music/

Further developments at the Music Inn have landed me working downstairs under the shop building electric sarods, guitars and basses. In addition to co-designing a revolutionary design for solid body electric stringed instruments, (see the "instrument Builds" page of this website for new photos) I have been involved with a software project utilizing the DSP tools in Max/Msp to create a program that synthesizes sympathetic strings as found on sitars and sarods. Again, my little world expands. Link to that site is here

(screen shot of nyAsa 1.5)

In Summer of 2009 I began to play Rock Music with a friend of mine from the neighborhood and an ever changing line up of other dudes. It started as something to do on week nights. I brought my harmonicas but wound up playing the electric bass. It's pretty "amped up" and satisfies a need we all have to create heavy duty sonic happenings.

Here is a Facebook link to a performance from this summer.

(video still of The Air Conditioners 07.19.10)

—Andy Dowty


	I have always played music. I began guitar at six year old. I got my first harmonica at 8. I played in Jazz band, boys chorus and various garage bands in middle- and high-school. I learned to read music but tended to pick things up by ear or from other players faster. After two very slow and painful semesters of College music theory at a junior college in Central Wisconsin, I abandoned my immediate goal of going to music school for a much more interesting and liberating visual arts education. I was, however, only temporarily able to turn my back on my musical inclinations. Later, I transferred to the University of WI, Madison. I could not see a musical group, go to a football game, see a band or soloist and not wonder what it would have been like if I had further pursued the musical side of myself. Among my favorite places to be was the Chamber bar and musical venue, especially Monday nights to see Clyde Stubblefield and the Blue Monday Group. It was at this time that I quit smoking cigarettes and learned to blow cross-harp. I believe the harp player I used to see there was named West Side Andy Lindermann. I couldn't afford lessons. The moment I saw a chance to get back into anything musical, I took it. I moved to New York City and I have been involved with Carl Fischer Music Publishers for 13 years. I brought just enough musical knowledge and experience to the job to be able to handle book and ad layout related to musical education and performance. I have been able to speak with authors, editors, music engravers and composers about music as it relates to the various projects we have produced and I have learned from my experiences there. Recently, I have begun to study Classical Indian music. I fell in love with the sound of the Bansuri (North Indian cane flute.) The first complete raga I heard was called Myian Ki Malhar. It sounded like water. Handmade cane flutes are easy to come by, but ones with proper tuning are more difficult to find. After several years of listening to the North Indian ragas of the legendary Hariprasad Chaurasia, I came to the bitter realization that I would never learn this complicated tradition of Classical Indian music by ear. I would need to seek instruction. I turned to Jeff Slatnik, the purveyor of world instruments and musical knowledge at the Music Inn in the West Village. I spent several years learning compositions and traditional Indian melodies. I continue to work and play around the shop and will spend my life playing Raga music. Contrary to popular belief, Raga music is not entirely improvised. Many gurus share written pages. All gurus encourage students to write down their lessons. The written music, uses a notation, called SaReGaMa, that differs greatly from western notation. It's strongest feature, in my opinion is it's ability to describe rhythms much more accurately and simply than western notation can. (photo of Andrew J. Dowty veinly impersonating a diety by Zachary Fernandes) (photo of my bansuris) Here are some links to some very informative sites devoted to the study of Indian Classical music: http://www.itcsra.org/sra_others_samay_index.html http://www.asavari.org/ragamala.html http://www.ancient-future.com/theka.html http://www.sawf.org/music/articles.asp?pn=Music http://www.chandrakantha.com/articles/indian_music/ Further developments at the Music Inn have landed me working downstairs under the shop building electric sarods, guitars and basses. In addition to co-designing a revolutionary design for solid body electric stringed instruments, (see the "instrument Builds" page of this website for new photos) I have been involved with a software project utilizing the DSP tools in Max/Msp to create a program that synthesizes sympathetic strings as found on sitars and sarods. Again, my little world expands. Link to that site is here (screen shot of nyAsa 1.5) In Summer of 2009 I began to play Rock Music with a friend of mine from the neighborhood and an ever changing line up of other dudes. It started as something to do on week nights. I brought my harmonicas but wound up playing the electric bass. It's pretty "amped up" and satisfies a need we all have to create heavy duty sonic happenings. Here is a Facebook link to a performance from this summer. (video still of The Air Conditioners 07.19.10) —Andy Dowty
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