Keyboard is a great invention as it can recreate effects of multiple instruments, but several musicians have lost their jobs because of it, sarod legend Ustad Amjad Ali Khan has said.
In a lighter vein, the maestro also said that he would have probably been out of job if the device could reproduce the sound of sarod.
"Keyboard has rendered jobless many people, including scores of instrumentalists in the film industry.
"But it still remains a great invention as it can recreate a whole lot of sound effects from instruments such as violin and sitar. I respect the person who invented it," the Padma Vibhusan recipient said during a conversation at Tata Steel Kolkata Literary Meet here Sunday
Talking about traditions in music, Khan said it was important to understand the nuances before breaking conventions.
Drawing parallels with literature, he said "grammar might be important, but not many understand the intricacies of poetry".
"Rabindranath Tagore had on occasions broken convention in his songs by taking liberty in his ragas and the result was beautiful. Only a genius like Tagore can do that, the rest follow convention," he added.
Later in the evening, Khan mesmerised audiences at the open-air lawn of Victoria Memorial with his aropund one-hour long recital.
The eighth edition of the literary meet ended on a high note on Sunday amid discussions on art, written works and socio-cultural issues by various authors, historians and academicians.
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