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Apparently, the information i have about Music, Musicality and Jazz seem to be required by young musicians or otherwise. In being a true musician in the sense of the Artist, I have always encouraged questions to be asked openly. This is the first time that i'm writing from personal experience and i hope all of you will go through this article and think over what i've said. The music speaks volumes and so can You.
There's much to say, much that had been experienced, much that has been fretted over (pun intended) in my 'career' in Pune. And i'm talking music. When i got here with the intention of doing my graduate studies, i never did think about developing myself into an 'overall' musician and that's got much to do with our commitments in the real world. so in introducing what i think got me where i'm today, it's absolutely essential to know how to make it in this music thing really seriously.
I did my Bachelors in Arts and majored in Philosophy and i've been basically...thinking. What else can you do with Metaphysics and Ontology and Epistemology.....And now i'm a Post Graduate..
What i'm getting at is that simplicity and substance really speak volumes for your music and in my case, i had to really catch a lot of gigs in Pune, Bombay, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Bangalore etc and in all these places i saw the 'Rock' fraternity rejoicing over their simple revolution- make music- and this has been going on for many years now. There's been thousands of bands in this massive country with all kinds of musicians struggling to do the unspeakable and their common language was rhythm. Everyone in essence 'felt' and this was a big reminder to me to get my act together in terms of performing, entertaining and communicating with all kinds of audiences from the intellectual to the common man.
The first time i landed at a gig, i was stunned to see the audience. It comprised of people ranging from age 10 to age 75. Psyching! The front end of the audience was packed with hair and black t-shirts. Apart from that, the bands up on stage were making a lot of noise, not necessarily heavy metal but heavy nonetheless. I was disgusted. I was expecting some real pro acts where atleast one musician was making a difference or atleast the covers should've been more versatile. Everyone in Maharashtra has heard enough covers of the regular metal bands and i for one have grown on metal too. But metal can be intelligent. You don't necessarily need to propogate violence to be heavy-check out Dream Theater- and at the same time there were tons of bands from soundgarden to pearl jam to the beatles to the who to Miles Davis to Billie Holiday et al to learn from. You all know the current situation. music is not a weapon. it is an intelligent tool; one that uses its own language to speak the unspeakable and the sublime. If it's heavy or soft; that's just a metaphorical way of putting a style across, not a mood. You can be heavy with a really slow song. listen to 'Until it sleeps' by Metallica or 'The day i tried to live' by Soundgarden. These are just contemporary examples of how diverse the musical attraction really is. so in effect, the gig i saw was depressing because the covers that were being played were really bad, i mean, out of tune, bad imitations etc etc. The one thing i wanted to see was serious music being played but it was just a method to get the masses to listen to humans playing music similar to listening to the same record at home. What was really appaling was the total neglect of song choices; what was being played was for the kids who freaked out more or less in the same way as they did in all the other gigs they attended.
How can you make a difference?
First of all, Listen. Listen deeply to the music that moves you. there's no need to fake it. Everybody will know if you do so. The comfort zone exists in allowing your freedom to play music responsibly (*musically and ethically). How much time have you spent listening to the music you like? Imagine if you'd practise as intensely as you heard the music. Wouldn't the music you play then make a serious, emotional and individual statement? This was a wonderful and enthralling oppurtunity i got when i played with MultiplePersonalityDisorder. I had a bunch of conceptualised songs all moving along a paradigm meter that stressed on creativity, fantasy and history. Our concept 'Cycles' was a 50minute plus track that had 7 different sections complete with odd meter, multiple harmonies, lots of solos etc etc. a thousand other bands can boast of the same achievement plus a recording. You see, if you don't know your role in the band, decisions can become difficult to make and you end up misunderstanding what your fellow members are trying to drive at. it greatly misses the point of your endeavour to play with total freedom and mastery. That's why it's important, greatly fundamental, that you must understand the emotional and intellectual drives that help you become a 'creative' person. Lots of people are creative. Give a percussionist a couple of spoons and soon he'll be making music. But this works at a very high angle. What you are is an effect of your social, intellectual, emotional and overall personality. The real 'You' gets trapped in a web of other things not music. How do you get your music to speak the unspeakable? Learn the language. Listen
I got some great lessons in life from many people and a lot of them were musicians. Remember, experience is the key to unlocking the creative potential. Talk to people. Avoid the bullshitters and if you want to know how to know who's one and who's not you've got to try out what everyone tells you to silently and personally. Meditate intellectually on this whole thing about your pursuit in music. What do you want to be even though you call yourself a musician? Playing an instrument is obviously not enough. It's got to communicate. If you're either a bass player or a drummer, then you're the engine room. if you're a guitar player or a keyboard player, then you're the driver. With interpretations like these, talk to a person who does not play your instrument and ask him how he makes his instrument work. In effect, you'll gain a solid understanding about 'roles' and these roles are not designed. They are what you choose to do. So if i take a bass solo then that's not trying to be like a guitar player, That's just a way of expressing what i think is the ideal part. If it strikes me to be emotional then i just let go and then the magic happens. Find out with patient practise how you can inspire and challenge yourself.
Practise? Exactly what you should practise is not so simple as 2+2. Practise what you want to use as part of your technique and expression.This should involve a thorough romp through scales or paradiddles or note dispacements etc. whatever makes the music work and move the other person. You're never playing alone. There's somebody is always listening to you so treat every practise as a performance. If you can't move yourself then you're not going to be able to move somebody. What i'm saying can be summarized- Play from your Heart not always from your Head. This distinction can only be made if you can treat theory as a tool to practising. not otherwise. I assume that none of you want to be teaching music professionally atleast for now and even if you've to do so, you'll have to know a lot of fundamentals. What are they?
1) Listen Clearly
2) Express Emotionally
3) Criticize
Unbiasedly
4) Practise Rigorously
5) Take a break Positively
6)
Analyse Logically
7) Write Musically
8) Read Attentively
These are the things i work on although never so meticulously. Be methodic and be patient. Hurrying or Dragging on reflects in your state of musical affairs.
When our band broke up, I was devastated and psyched out. There were many personal disputes and ideas. All of us were creative but not creative for each other all the time. When there's strength in every band member's contribution, be it writing lyrics or coming out with the harmony or melody; respect each others' priorities. If your guitar player is only playing two chords, ask him to play it soulfully. Allow music to make a statement that is bereft of bias or hate. A positive vibe from every individual in a band goes a long way. Talking out things to each other clearly makes the situation much cleaner without the dirty linen being washed in public. So now you're asking me why i knew these things and how i could allow such a thing to happen to our band not realising that there were fans and people who loved the music musically above everything else...Well..If i hadn't experienced these things more than one time, i wouldn't be able to suggest guidelines to rectify your current band affairs. Be reasonable. Every human deserves the right to be treated fairly and if he's a musician then he's an artist and all artists' are dreamers and thinkers.Their thoughts are just as important as yours. If you allow distinctions of metal and jazz to foul up your chances of playing together, search for common ground. Music is built on common ground. A C# Major is equally relevant in jazz as it is to punk but use it wisely. Understand that every style of music fulfills roles and parts that you must first execute musically before you think of taking a walk in the park(soloing!).
In Headrush i'm playing covers of Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Collective Soul, Stone Temple Pilots etc.. I have done my homework on these explosive bands and although it's very different from my old setup, it's very interesting. People ask me whether i'm happy. That's something i'll have to find out. I'm of course happy in the sense that i'm covering tracks i enjoy listening to. I listened to Pearl Jam when i was 15 and i was hugely impressed With Bassist Jeff Ament's contributions to the World Of Bass as much as i was slapped by Flea! All in all, i felt that alternative music had its own mini language; it's fueled by the nostalgia of punk and hard rock with the interpretative standpoint of consistency and dynamic lyrics. Just listen to Eddie Vedder's or Chris Cornell's lyrics. And although i listen to only jazz most of the time, i'm still very open with other styles of music because i know there's something to learn from every style. Each artist is an individual, independent expressor of his viewpoint solely because he is not you. Understand his part of the judgement and look for mediate ways of playing music. War is not acceptable in musical language. Do not diss off other styles like Latin, Bossa Nova, Reggae and African/South American Rhythms. They're all part of the ever growing musical vocabulary. Although we don't play such styles in Headrush, we do discuss them actively with the goal of listening to it and being able to search for ideas to incorporate them into our band and otherwise.
This is just something of an introduction to what i think about
as far as music in India is concerned. There's much to be discussed really
and i have in my head a ton of information that i will make periodically
available depending on the response and interest by you all. I respect all
kinds of questions and i welcome any endeavour to make music easily
understandable to the budding musician. Conversely, if you don't like what
i'm saying then tell me why and maybe we could get around to really
discussing the oppositions in music and regard the whole exercise as steps
to becoming a better musician. Expect articles on Auditioning, Music
Schooling, Career Interests, Philosophy Of Music and Aesthetic Experience,
Jazz and other numerous styles, Music Theory, Album and Artist Reviews,
Equipment, Band Information and Development and so on.. Let me know what
you think. And remember, Practise, Discipline, Love and Faith. Constantly
Realize the Deepness Of Music. This is the first step and then let's all
take a walk.
If you would like to have your article appear here, submit them to randhir@expressionsindia.com