There is a difference between having an understanding of a classical music form, and mastering it. I shall take the example of indian classical music, the hindustani form. Its foundation is formed by the Raagas.

If we look carefully, these raagas are nothing but various scales, with special arrangements of the notes. The beauty of these raagas is that they naturally appeal to the human mind. The great musicians of Indian past have already done the laborious task of working out the various combinations of notes that sound good. And going one step ahead, they have figured out what combination stirs what kinds of moods, a very simplified version of which are the major and minor scales in the western classical music.

So how does this help our professional musician?? Well, suppose he has the knowledge, or even some idea of the raagas, then he automatically knows what kind of music sounds good, and what kind of music does not. Also, he can implement these raagas to create different kinds of music, which stir different kinds of emotions. And that is what he is expected to do. If, lets say, he is a VERY gifted person, and he has he knack to judge what kind of music sounds good, then these raagas will save him all the experimentation that he might otherwise have done.The musicians like Tansen have already dedicated their lives to experimentation with music, and thus indian classical music almost exhaustive where kinds of music is concerned. So all the professional musician has to do is build upon this knowledge. The next time he sits down to create a peppy love song, it will be in the back of his mind that raag Bhairavi is well suited for this kind of music, and this knowledge will be of great help to him.

And this was only one example. When creating songs, we are taught about various keys, for example the key of G etc. Now these are also products of western classical music, nothing else. In a way you can say that just because those guys were born before us, and they got to experiment with music before us, so they get all the credit. :)

Jokes apart, if every single song in the world is analysed, one shall realise that all of them are inspired, whether knowingly or unknowingly, from SOME form of classical music. And that is why the sound just right.

ALL kinds of classical music explain the same basic thing, what kind of music sounds good,sounds 'just right' And after all, that is the essence of music, sounding good, and stirring the deepest recesses of human mind.

So to conclude, I would like to say that even though not imperetive, but still knowing some form of classical music makes a BIG difference to a professional musician, because one lifetime is too short to experiment with all kinds of music, and one lifetime is all we have got........!!

Peeyush malhotra

if anyone want to be successful in music carior then he or she should learn classical music

Now out of these two aspects of head and heart. The question of learning Classical music falls into the area of head. Because learning a specific genre of music means learning a given set of rules defined and about the instruments used in that genre.

Lets talk about the case in india - A traditional person may learn classical music say indian classical to become a professional musician because he knows that this form of music is what prevails in india so he will get opprtunities to perform, to grow as a musician, to earn respect and money (remember its his profession).

On the other hand a young musician may opt for learning modern western musical form say rock or heavy metal thinking that the scene in india is changing the younger generation like these genres of music
and he would be able to earn his bread and butter by following his passion for rock music. This young musician don't feel the need to learn indian classical as long as he is able to rock the people through his music what ever genre that may be.

But what is important for both of them is that they both should know the concept behind making music of there corrosponding genres. They both should be able to express a given emotion through there music .
There are many elements in music theory which are common in many genres like melody, rythm, dynamics, texture are well reflected in both the indian classical and western music. On the other hand there are
many things uncommon in both like raag , taal (complex rythms) on tabla used in indian classical and
counterpoint, well deveolped harmony and major/minor tonal system used in western classical. While most of the western instrument(like guitar) use equal temperament tuning so they can produce 12 different pitches on the other hand on the indian instruments an octave is divided into 22 shrutis alongwith the swaras using just intonation tuning system.

All these elements of music which are present in one and absent in others are nothing but the different tools available for a musician to use. And as such for a professional its a good to know the different tools available for him to accomplish his work in the best possible way.

Asking the question "Is it important to learn some form of classical music to become a professional musician??? " is like a young painter aspiring for an artistic carrer asking if its important for him to learn oil painting because its the most well known and acclaimed form of painting. I think the young man should follow his heart, who knows may be his experiment with art will lead into the development of a new form of painting.

Classical music is probably more familiar than we might at first imagine. Indeed, nowadays it is all around us, whether it be in restaurants, supermarkets, lifts, for advertising or as theme and incidental music on television. A great deal of film music either directly uses or draws from the 'classical' tradition; a good example of the former might be '2001: Space Odyssey', and of the latter, the many scores John Williams has composed in recent years for such blockbusters as the Star Wars and Indiana Jones trilogies.

In the vast and wide-ranging world of 'classical' music there is truly something there for everyone - pieces which once discovered represent the start of an exciting and irresistible journey which will provide a lifetime's listening pleasure. For example, those who are particularly excited by hearing instrumentalists working at full stretch will thrill to the likes of Liszt and Paganini, or if something a little more reserved and self-contained is required, the chamber music of Haydn or Mozart would be a good starting point. If a full symphony orchestra in overdrive is more to your taste then Tchaikovsky or Richard Strauss could well fit the bill, whereas those who have already warmed to Vivaldi's 'Four Seasons' might well try the music of some of the great Italian's contemporaries such as Handel, Johann Sebastian Bach or Domenico Scarlatti. Whatever your tastes may be, there has never been a better time to start building a 'classical' music collection on CD.

Any attempt to define what is meant literally by the term 'classical' music is fraught with difficulty. How does one encapsulate in just a few words a musical tradition which encompasses such infinite varieties of style and expression, from the monastic intonings of Gregorian chant to the laid-back jazz inflections of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, from the elegant poise of Mozart's Eine kleine Nachtmusik to the despairing, heightened emotionalism of Tchaikovsky's "Pathetique" Symphony? One is treading on very dangerous ground indeed if one pre-supposes that it is simply 'superior' to other musical types such as popular, jazz, rock and the like, let alone the music of other cultures.

In general 'popular' music may be as clear in expression as the longer examples of 'classical' music. One important difference, however, lies in the logical connection that exists in 'classical ' music between the beginning and end, with the latter a logical extension and development of the former. 'Popular' music, on the other hand, tends to present its material without development, the music ending when interest is exhausted.

The wonderful thing about the technological age in which we live, and particularly the advent of the compact disc, is that we can bypass all irrelevant social and intellectual pretense, and enjoy in the comfort of our own home (often at far less cost) some of the finest music ever composed.