The Beatles Experimental Influence With Indian Music

In the earlier stages of their career and success, The Beatles were established as a pop rock group within the world of music. Despite the fact that this was their marker of sound, The Beatles were always thriving to experiment with their music and this showed that they had the power to diversify their sound. By broadening their horizons with Indian music, and culture it represented their development, growth, and eclectic ways with songwriting. Overall, it can be argued that the music and philosophy of India influenced The Beatles approach and exploration with songwriting through their experimentation with music. This can be viewed through the use of Indian instruments like the sitar, and incorporating Indian musical traditions and qualities with their songs. With musical influences like Ravi Shankar brought onto George Harrison his inspiration for Indian music allowed him to maintain leadership within the group by writing songs like ‘Within You Without You.’ Finally, by The Beatles investigating with Indian music it gave them a different psychedelic sound with their songs. It meticulously represents their use of drugs that is representative in their music and at the same time it allowed them to participate in Indian traditions like meditation to gain a similar experience.

By utilizing the sitar it effectively demonstrates the means as to which the music of India has contributed to The Beatles songs. The music of India has also influenced The Beatles to incorporate Indian musical traits in their songs like ‘Norwegian Wood,’ and ‘Tomorrow Never Knows.’ George Harrison was introduced to the sitar on the set of Help! This is where he became widely fascinated by the instrument, which convinced him to incorporate the instrument in th...

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...ental influences like Ravis Shankar. To finish, The Beatles experimental influence of India has accounted for an authentic and psychedelic sound in their music. It persuaded them to turn away from drugs and allowed them to gain similar insight into their music through the Indian tradition of meditation by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, which can be seen as a positive influence on The Beatles music and culture.

Works Cited

Reck. R, David. Beatles Orientalis: Influences from Asia in a Popular Song Tradition Asian Music , Vol. 16, No. 1 (1985), pp. 83-149: University of Texas Press.

Bellman, Jonathan. Indian Resonances in the British Invasion, 1965-1968 The Journal of Musicology , Vol. 15, No. 1 (Winter, 1997) , pp. 116-136: University of California Press

Van der Lee, Pedro. "Sitars and Bossas: World Music Influences." Popular Music 17.1 (1998): 45-70.