This document compares principles of Indian classical music and digital design. Both are synchronized to regular intervals: music uses taals and design uses clocks. The tabla and clock generators keep time. Both combine building blocks - notes form raagas as instructions form logic. Combinational logic and raagas combine notes synchronized to taals. To synchronize independent parts, both require independence with constraint. Faster clocks increase power usage, and tempo varies performance engagement and energy as in design power savings. Both synthesize the abstract into details through the musician's mind as compiler and design synthesis. There are parallels between the logic of music and the art of design at a superficial level.

1. Digital Design Principles and Indian
Classical Music – An attempt to
relate the unrelated
Kingshuk Banerjee

2. The two disciplines seem far apart in
time and nature
• Indian Classical Music (ICM) is a right brain activity
whereas Digital (computer) design is a left brain activity.
• ICM has a much older history than computers.
– centuries compared to decades

3. Can one understand the other?
Creative artists,
not logic-(al)?
Logic-(al),
scientific and no
art?

4. This is NOT a story of application – a
comparative study of the principles
It is not about
• Use of Technology in Music
OR
• Music Therapy in making the left brain more efficient
It is:
An attempt to show the striking similarities in
the guiding (design) principles of the two
apparently unrelated disciplines. – ICM and
Digital Design.

5. First Principle: All are synchronized at
regular intervals
• Digital Design – All activity synchronized to one or
more clocks.
• ICM – All activity synchronized to the Taal (beats).

6. First Principle: The clock generator is
the time keeper of the system
• Digital Design – clock generation
• ICM – The Tabla

7. Second Principle: Combine building
blocks to create a design/composition
• Digital Design- instructions (add, xor, or, and) are
combined to produce desired logic in between clock
cycles.
• ICM- notes are combined intuitively to form alankars
in different forms of raagas.
– Synchronized to taals.

8. Second Principle : Combinational Logic
and Raaga – combination of notes

9. Putting the time and logic together –
The design and composition
• Digital Design
• ICM

10. Third Principle: To synchronize the run-
aways, independence with constraint
• Digital Design – to keep data sanity while merging data from
independent clock domains.
• ICM – to keep artists’ improvisations under control – The Sum

11. Fourth Principle: Faster the clock,
higher the power consumption
• Digital design – clock speed is not uniformly fastest, due to
power saving. Parts of the design are switched off or put on
slower clocks to save power.

12. Fourth Principle: Control the tempo for
an engaging performance
• ICM – A musical performance is never run on the same tempo.
The tempo varies according to the duration and stage of the
rendition. – saves energy of the performer. 

13. Fifth Principle: Synthesis – break down
the abstract into details
• Digital Design – A high level design or program is synthesized
into lower level of instructions (digital design) by a computer
program – compiler

14. Fifth Principle: Synthesis – break down
the abstract into details
• ICM – The musician’s mind (and ears) is the compiler. He
converts the song into notations.

15. Conclusion – A short comparative
study – nothing deeper
• There is logic in Indian Classical Music
• There is art in Digital Design
• Disclaimer
– This is a comparison at a very superficial level. It is not
intended to undermine the depth of either discipline. –
with due respect to ICM maestros and Digital
designers.
– This is not a research topic. Take it the way you want.
Hopefully for some it’s informative and thought
provoking.
– All images used are taken from Google Images.

16. THANK YOU
Digital Designer Community
Indian Classical Music
Community