Thursday 1 September 2016

One Secret To Dramatically Increase Music Analysis

Imagine playing a game.

I have a guitar with me. I play a piece, your role is to identify whose piece it is.

A funky riff, with a swift but clean solo. You know you've heard this before. Or at least something like this.

Finally you say, 'Red Hot Chilli Peppers.' I smile, and just when your hope is building, I shatter it like a broken mirror, saying, "No. It's Guthrie Govan."

Why couldn't you guess Guthrie? (Assume that you hear Guthrie quite often). Why RHCP, when they are quite different. 

To a large extent, it is because you haven't analysed the music of both Guthrie and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Analysis is a broad concept, often very subjective. I'll try giving a general view blended with my opinion.



Analysis forms the logical part of music. As per Wikipedia, it seeks to answer, 'How does it work?" I think that analysis does not necessarily have to be always rational ; intuition works well too. Like in cases of guessing whose piece it is. 

Generally, music analysis lets you understand what's happening inside a musical piece; often leading to developing your own style of playing or singing. 

Therein lies it's importance. You can become a very avid listener when you become a proper music analyst. However, the balance should always be there, between feeling the music and thinking about what's happening inside. A proper analysis is when you 'feel the depths of the song leading you to realise what's happening and who is doing what'.

The secret that I'm talking about here focuses primarily on increasing your ability to understand a specific artist's music. When you properly listen to an artist or a band, you get to know what exactly is their style, and in which direction their songs usually go. 

I've seen that people put their playlists on shuffle and listen to whatever song that comes. However, if you want to analyse an artist's music, listen to that artist only. More precisely, listen to an album, keeping shuffle off.

This serves two main purpose -
1. You get to understand what the music does, and in turn realise intuitively a uniqueness in their music.
2. You get to know the overall feel of the album, creating a good platform to compare the sound of that album with another of the same artist.

This trick, to listen to an album without shuffle, has helped me a lot to understand artists and bands better. You also feel a sense of curiosity and explore more about the album, sometimes finding out weird facts that aid in further understanding of the album, and the artist.

It is very simple, and yet, very profound in understanding the nature of someone's music. It feels as if you are inside the music, inside their lives, feeling the emotion that they felt while making the song. It can titillate you to the extent that people start calling you 'weird'. 'Empathic listening' is how I'd like to label it.

Music becomes so much more, so much  organised and  so much enjoyable once you develop this. Trust me, it's worth it.

Saturday 6 August 2016

How To Write Good Lyrics | The Base



It's all set: a good musical piece, a good idea for a song, the vocal lines for it; all that remains is the lyrics. The song is promising, it's future as bright as the sun on a clear day.

You then take out a pen and paper, scribble your idea, arrange your words here and there, and behold! The song is done. It sounds awesome.

But then, reality hits you after the release. Someone gives you an honest opinion that the lyrics aren't very good. You check, now like a critic, and true enough, they aren't.

This is quite a common situation for many of us. We struggle to write lyrics, or find good lyricists (which is rare). However, good news is, we all can write good lyrics. It's just a matter of time and practice.

Take the art of writing lyrics as a tree. There are techniques to play with words, of which you'll find plenty of articles, but it just constitutes taking proper care of the branches, flowers and leaves. The roots are the most important, though. They are the ones that your branches and leaves are dependent upon.

Of course, the tree should be visually attractive. But the foundation should be taken care of in the first place.

The root for writing any good lyrics is but one word: emotion. Emotion builds the base upon which you apply writing techniques to create good lyrics.

Here's the list of steps for building a good foundation for writing.

Step 1: Determine the feel of the song. Is the song sad? Or happy? Does it evoke anger? You decide this by hearing the instrumental.

Step 2: Decide the direction of the lyrics. Once the emotion is set, begin the writing. Will it be a story? Or a metaphorical idea of the emotion? Will it uplift you or make you question about things? Keep the emotion as the base.

Step 3: Check whether the song blends in with the lyrics or not. You've written a story, but does the song sound good with it? Maybe the song is demanding something else. Listen to it over and over again, at different times, and decide what blends well.

Step 4: Edit the lyrics. While writing, you just blurt out what you feel. Now it's time to use the left brain to analyse it. The technique part comes here. Rephrase, use different words, anything to make it sound better.

It's simple really, isn't it? You will need to practice to get the 'writing juices' flow out naturally. Your first lyrics will not be a good one. Keep on writing, until you can give your best work. Don't settle for 'good'. Mr. Stephen Covey has said, "The enemy of the best is often the good."

What was your first lyrics writing experience? Did you feel proud of it? Feel free to comment.




Sunday 3 July 2016

5 Things You Should Know Before Entering A Studio (For the first time)


Would you not like to make a dashing impression on a studio, entering for the first time? Of course you would. Who doesn't?

'What's the big deal? It's just a studio." You might say. Well, it isn't. A first time studio experience can be devastating if you can't handle it properly. However, it can also be a great experience, if you know some 'tricks of the trade'. Here I'd like to share five such crucial tips which will help you have a good time at the studio, while also making a good impression.

1. Playing with a metronome. We all don't really care about that 'tick - tick' sound of a metronome, do we? Such apathy pays a great price while in the studio. Since everything has to be precise and perfect for your song, the timing is the first thing you need to get right.

Believe me, the timing will fuck you up. It might seem easy to play or sing on time while practicing, but the precise timing is hard to get. There will be somewhere where you'll rush or drag (see the movie Whiplash to get the concept clearly). And you cannot compromise on that. You have to get it right. You do it again and again until you do.

So I'd suggest, if you're thinking if recording a song, better get used to a metronome. There is nothing more frustrating than playing the same thing over and over again, just because you couldn't time it correctly.


Here's a good list of metronome apps. 

2. Sharps and flats. This applies to vocalists. While your voice may be perfectly smooth and always getting the right pitch, it doesn't pay off in the studio. Even a hint of a sharp or flat note can ruin a song. You have no choice; you have to sing what the song demands, with a consummate touch at each and every detail.

There will always be points where you'll go sharp or flat. Believe me, it's embarrassing to hear your own voice on a huge studio monitor, and even more when you've sung differently. While there is no definitive escape from the enemy of sharps and flats (except constant practice and experience), there are some ways in which you can minimise them.

The most important one is to pay attention to the notes you're singing while you practice. Always be aware of what you're singing, and whether you're singing it correctly. Don't just focus on the pitch, focus on getting wat you're singing right, in terms of notes. This will at least create a habit and you'll be aware of your notes.

Also, you should do vocal exercises. Plenty of them are available on YouTube. Warming up before a session is very efficient in getting the notes right, and also singing for a longer period of time.

3. Attention to detail. These three words can be said as the epitome of a studio. I've emphasised before, but I'll be saying it again - everything needs to be precise. Just like every moment in life matters, every second in a song matters. It has to be closest to perfection.

Since studio is for delivering a song, the perfection demanded there will be of delivery. So brush your techniques, your timing, your pitch, and everything else that matters in a song, because you'll need every ounce of those.

4. Proper tone. I've seen many, who are awesome players but have no knowledge of tone. If you are one of those, change that! The output should correspond to the input you're giving. Tone determines your output.

A studio will offer you a variety of choices, but like every other art, a tone is unique for everyone. If you delve a little deeper, you'll soon begin to realise what kind of tone you like. And if that same kind doesn't come out in your song, you'll be disappointed.

Make your tone properly, giving it a lot of time, tweaking here and there until it comes out right, before you enter the studio. Buy the pedals and amps that give you the 'right' tone. It's not an expense, it's an investment. You'll be much more comfortable with it, and the studio engineer will also be impressed, seeing that you've done your homework.

5. No Compromise on Quality. Musicians often get intimidated at the huge pressure of doing things perfectly, that they let go of some of the parts. This is precisely what you shouldn't do.

Producers will sometimes be irritated, and say that a certain piece will sound 'good enough'. Never settle for it. Take your time, pay more if you have to, but do not compromise on the quality of your song. Trust me, you'll regret it later if you do.

Also, keep reminding the engineer about how do you want the mix. The mix determines how the output will be. It will be a sad situation if you've given your best but the song isn't sounding good because of bad mixing.

Wednesday 22 June 2016

How You Can Create Original Music | A Practical Approach


A pro footballer can put the ball inside the goal in different ways. Many players are known for their distinct free kicks (think David Beckham), or corner kicks. The 'distinct' is what makes it original.

How did they achieve it? Simple: they practised so much that they knew what would happen if they did something in a certain way. Then they developed a style that reflected their way.

Originality does come with practice. In my previous article, I've talked about the duality of originality (please refer to it here). The philosophy behind it is done. Now it all boils down to practice.

Here are a few things to focus on while you practice, to develop originality --

1. Playing style. Everyone has a distinct style of playing. It will not be apparent at first, but it soon comes to light once you've practiced enough.

However, the 'practice' shouldn't focus on transcriptions. It should be on what you play for yourself. Just ramble on, play anything; first, you'll go towards covers, but slowly upon perseverance you'll realise that you have a way of handling those notes that comes intuitively to you. That's when you get your playing style.

You can test whether the playing style is actually yours or not, by simply singing what you've played. Or playing that in another instrument. Put it in a backing track, and see how does it sound. Unique? Then it's definitely yours.


2. Note imagination. This is something the great guitarist Guthrie Govan talks about. Before you hit a note, just imagine it (this applies to instruments only). If the note doesn't sync with the note in your head, find it. In this way, you won't just play repeated patterns, but something out of yourself. You'll also feel much more involved in your playing.

Another strategy is to sing your imagined note before you hit it. You'll get what sort of notes you prefer. After all, you have to love what you hear.

3. Technique Mastery. To be original, you must be willing to experiment. Try out different techniques, and check which one gives you the 'chills in your back'. Then apply the earlier two tips into the technique, put some rhythm, and you're on!

Likewise, there might be some technique you don't like; however, learn it first, then decide. I've never heard Dimebag Darrell use tapping, but it doesn't mean he didn't learn it (just hear the solo of one part of 'Walk' to check).

Master the techniques that you're fond of. That will prove very useful while making music focused on originality.

You must also be willing to improvise. To get tips on improvisation by the guitarist Guthrie Govan, click here.

What is your experience while making songs? Have you ever made songs that sound totally unique and like 'you'? What was your experience? Do let me know in the comments.


Sunday 19 June 2016

How You Can Create Original Music | A Simple Philosophy

Have you ever tried making some music; realising later that it sounds very much like one of your influences? Why does it happen? What is it that makes great artists' music so unique and ours copied?

By original here I mean not just your own song, but your song which is actually your song. In other words, a song that you made, that reflects something entirely unique, something never heard before.

'Practice' may be the answer you have in mind, but I doubt it. It is one factor, of course; you cannot make a very original song in the first attempt. You need to do it over and over again. But there is more to it. Things more philosophical are at play here.



Upon much pondering, I've come across two aspects that can make a song original. This is like what physicists call the 'wave/particle duality' of a property of light. Light is both a wave and a particle. It isn't an either/or situation; light exerts both these properties at the same time. Similarly, originality has a duality; both are essential for it to exist. One is a philosophical one. The other is practical (that practice determines). I've covered the practical aspect here.

Since music is a reflection of who you are, your music will never be original unless you yourself are an original person. Now this is confusing. What does it mean to be an original person?

You'll get a lot of books on this, but here I'll give my own and perhaps the simplest definition of an original person: A person who lives upon his own values and beliefs, such that he fills the description of a person who is true to himself. This is a simple but a difficult thing to achieve. But the good news is, all of us can do it.

When you are original, you think nothing about 'what will others think about me?' This can also be translated as: you'll think nothing about 'what will others think about my music?' You'll totally be focused on getting yourself, or a part of you, out in that music.

When your music rings to the deepest part of you, that's when it 'touches' you. And that's when it becomes something entirely unique, because no one has lived the life that you have, and you're simply taking out your experiences and emotions associated with it into the music.

It's very simple, really. The deepest truths are usually the most simple ones.

Summing up, to create original music:
1. Be original.
2. Reflect yourself in the music you're creating.

What do you think about originality? Do let me know in the comments.

Monday 6 June 2016

Stages Of Mastering A Technique and its Efficient Usage

In my previous article, I've written about the trend of technically focused music. (If you haven't read that, do give it a read here). This trend is usually seen in 'hard' genres, like rock and metal. It can also be seen in softer ones like Blues and Jazz, but it isn't very common as the former. Like I said there, the feel is disrupted when too much emphasis is placed on technique.

However, not to know a technique at all would be thinking on the other side of the extreme. I am reading a book 'Discover Your Destiny' by Robin Sharma, where I got a pretty good insight on the balance that we need to create in life, between the head and the heart, with the heart guiding your way. Just apply it in music as well, where the technique and skills become the 'head' part, and the feel and the emotion arising becomes the 'heart' part. Both must be in balance.

The book had one very powerful insight that I found useful if applied in music. Of course, it can be applied on anything (especially your life), but I am focusing on music here. It is about the four stages of mastery. Here, it will be about mastery of a technique.

We will take 'tapping' as our base technique, and go on with the show.



1. Unconscious Incompetence: At this stage, you do not know how to tap, and you do not know that you don't know how to tap. In other words, you are unconscious as well as incompetent when it comes to tapping. If you hear a tap, you'll simply ignore it, or will marvel at its sound, but won't know what's going on.

2. Conscious Incompetence: At this stage, you still don't know how to tap, but you're now aware that the thing you heard is a 'tap', and is done in a certain way. To quote the main character Julian Mantle in that book, "Awareness precedes choice and choice precedes change". You can now make new choices relating to this technique, and this will lead you to become a better player.

3. Conscious Competence: At this stage, you have learnt tapping, but you have to be very conscious while you're doing it. You cannot really enjoy it, because your focus lies on getting the notes, and the piece, right. You keep on practicing, but still it gets difficult. This stage takes a lot of time.

4. Unconscious Competence: This is the stage where you've mastered the technique, and you don't even have to think about it while you're doing it. You can now totally engross yourself inside the music, while your hands are moving to play that wonderful piece which involves tapping. Tapping becomes second nature to you.

I personally believe that a technique should be added in your composition only after you've reached the fourth stage. It is because, at this stage you'll know exactly where the song needs the technique, and won't have as much desire to show off your technique, as you would if you were in the third stage. As my brother says, "Music should be expressive, not impressive." You will know when the song requires an expression to be done through tapping, rather than to impress someone even when it sounds filthy (with the song).

Since the major idea of this article is taken from the book, I'd suggest you read that book too, if you want to learn about life. You can find it here.

Friday 3 June 2016

The Trend Of Technique Focused Music

A technique is a way to do a certain thing. It utilises skill and knowledge of a particular field to get that work done.

Music has an abundance of techniques. Everything in it, if you delve deeper, has some kind of technique; be it simple or complex. It is a mind centred thing, therefore it is logical that it should be present everywhere.

The 'technique' I'm talking about here is, however, about the general use of the term. It means a complex way of doing something quite difficult, which makes people go, "Whoa! That guy is awesome." Or, "He is a really good player/singer. He did that (shredding at 240 bpm, or singing at the fifth octave of a note, or slapping the bass hard) so easily. I'm a fan of him."

Nowadays, priority is given much on technique in music. The composers often add all or at least almost all of the techniques they know in one song. With good reason, of course. They want recognition, and these days 'how good he/she can play' is one measure of it. And, of course, everyone loves that bit of attention; what better way to get them than by showing off techniques?

However, these short term benefits have huge long term costs. Let's look at it philosophically. The wise have always said, "Mind is a wonderful servant but a terrible master." Techniques are mind centered. So, like the mind, they should also be mastered. And how? By using it the way you really 'feel' like using it.

However, what we usually see is that the techniques control the composers. They focus more on 'how can I make this song more difficult' than 'how can I make this song more meaningful or touching'. Often, the fast paced drumming or shredding, or a four finger tap, is put in places where it is not needed. It makes it sound difficult, of course, but doesn't gives any boost to the overall 'feel' of the song

The technically oriented music is a fully mind focused one, where little to no importance is given to the 'touch' and 'feel' of music. The purpose of music is, however, not to make it sound difficult but to make it reflect yourself, or a part of you, or an event, or anything else which you deeply feel and have a connection to. Focusing solely on technique defeats that purpose, and makes it sound dry.

So does that mean that these techniques aren't important at all? Absolutely not. Like I said before, they should be mastered. It is important for a musician to know the techniques used in his/her instrument. But it should be used in places where the song actually needs it, and it gives a boost to the feel of the song. For example, a song about fast paced inspiring thoughts coming and going, could be reflected by a good shred of a major scale. Or a good drum roll could give a good build up and intensify what the song is trying to convey. It all depends on your reflection in the song, and what the song is asking.

Leonardo da Vinci has said, "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." Simple music, with use of few techniques here and there, which touches you to the core, is in the end, the most sophisticated one.

Wednesday 25 May 2016

5 Signs That You Are A Musician



Everyone has a certain thing for something that goes beyond simple 'interest' in that subject. You dream about it, you have it in your mind almost all the time, and you constantly see that in everything happening around you. It can be painting, physics or business, or anything else for that matter. Or, of course, it can be music.

I define a 'musician' as a person who has this certain thing for music, which we call as 'passion'. A person may not be professionally trained, but he will be a musician if music just comes to him.

A person, without knowing how to play or sing, can still be a musician. Likewise, a person can be a professional vocalist/instrumentalist and still not be a musician.

You might be wondering if you are a musician. Well, here are five signs that shows that you are. Keep in mind though that these five are simply indicative and not exhaustive.

1. Your world revolves around music. You hear some kind of music in almost everything, like the rusting of leaves or the chirping of birds. A melody or a beat is almost always on your mind, and mostly they are your own. If you are the sun, music is the earth, and is usually the only planet in the solar system.

2. You get an in-depth understanding of a song. When people talk about a song, you usually find yourself in a position where you explain a certain 'thing' that you feel while listening to a certain part, and they will give an I-don't-understand-a-word-you're-saying expression. You simply 'get' what the composer is trying to convey, and oft times find your hairs standing on end. You are the one who usually writes about meanings of songs in a website provided for the same, or in your own blog. Not only that, you also research on the musical aspect and know the techniques and the time signatures used in it.

3. You feel very close to another person who talks about music in the way you do. If someone understand even a little of what you're saying, that person becomes your best friend. You feel a connection with him/her instantly. You'll constantly find yourselves in situations where you sing a line, the person sings the other; or you sing and the other person provides the background music.



4. Air drumming and bathroom singing are your constant companions. A beat gives rise to a rhythm, and you're the one who will express it in the air. Your roommates or parents will often be annoyed with your constant singing. But it doesn't really bother you. When you're in it, you feel the most alive.

5. You think and express in terms of music. You've got a thing to make your own music, and you constantly think about what to include and what not to include. Originality is a base; after all, the music has to reflect a part of you. Expressing your views, feelings and thoughts through music gives you a pleasure like nothing else.

Tuesday 17 May 2016

5 Life Lessons that Music Teaches Us

"There is no truer truth obtainable by man than that which comes of music," says Robert Browning. The depth of this statement is enough to make us understand how important music is to our life. Life is incomplete without music. After all, everyone of us has a song to sing, the song of our own lives.

In a way, music itself is a form of life. It has its own soul and its own journey to make. Like every life, it has a purpose. Unlike many lives, it is fulfilling it.

We hear the sweetest harmony when our life blends with that of music. This brings not only joy, but also some lessons. Here are some of them:

1. Originality. I'm sure everyone has a moment when you hear an intro and instantly recognise whose song is it. Why does it happen? Because the composers have made their song in such a unique way, that we can instantly recognise their style and sound.
In life too, we are born with originality. Our years of growth has tainted it with a fake persona. But, just like the universal soul of music has blended with the artist's heart to create the original sound, the universe also blends with us, only if we are willing, to create an original person. We are all unique. Realisation of our uniqueness marks the inception of being original.

2. Learning never stops. Ask the masters of music whether they are done with learning and they'll say, "No way. I still have a lot to learn." Music is infinite, with no zenith. You master a technique, something else pops up. Or you realise that you haven't really mastered it. The more you learn, the more you realise you know nothing. It is the learning that actually gives meaning to music.
In life too, there's never a full stop to learning. As we gather wisdom, there will be more questions than answers. The quest for meaning comes to life when the new comes up every now and then. Like in music, there wouldn't be any meaning in life if you wouldn't learn.

3. Habit development. Every one who is into playing an instrument or singing will realise that a thing can be properly applied to what you do only when you make it second nature. Be it bringing out a false note, or playing alternate picking, or hitting paradiddles. A technique is said to be mastered when it becomes a habit and you have no difficulty in playing it. You don't even have to think about it.
This teaches us an important aspect of life: habit development. Just as we master techniques, we can master habits. At first it is difficult, but soon it becomes easy to the point of becoming second nature. Habits are like techniques: as you practice, you become better at it.

4. No man is an island. Music makes us feel united with the universe, and with people around us. A certain emotion is always attached with a song, and a person, once connected to it, feels a connection with all of those men and women feeling the same thing, and with the composer. No one can really be alone: music is there, and with it, fellow humans too. This is one important lesson to learn.

5. Synchronicity of varied elements. Being in sync is very important in forms of art like dance or music. A song is made when varied instruments and vocals are in sync. Individually, vocalists need to sync their mind and their throat/any other part of body from where they are singing. Guitarists and bassists need to sync their right hand and left hand. There can be no music without sync.
Coming to life, just imagine it without sync. You're doing something too extremely, or you aren't doing something which needs to be done. You'll feel ill at ease, and often say that "Life is fucked up." But when you are in sync, have created a balance between every aspect of your life, then you can sing the song of your life in the sweetest tone possible.

Sunday 1 May 2016

Is Music Theory REALLY Important?

'Music theory': the word brings an image of five straight lines, a nice design, hash tags, 'b' like signs, and most importantly, small structures having shape of an 'i' with a black ball, joined together. However, this is only a part of it. Music theory, like any other theory, is a field of study which seeks to describe how music works. It tends to explain what's happening by examining various patterns and structures found in musical pieces.

It always seems boring when pen and paper comes into something as artistic as music. Why explain it when you can simply go with the flow? After all, you can't make music by writing it; you have to be there, with your instrument or your throat. Why make something simple as that complicated?

Many have asked this question. The problem is, however, not the question, but the answer. Perhaps your perception will change if you can delve a bit into the theory of music, understanding what it is made of and what it actually does.

I'll start by saying this: music theory IS important. The explanations and the terms used provide us with a lot of insight why something sounds the way it sounds. As for the 'go with the flow'; it isn't simple as it sounds,, but a complex thing. Humans are, by nature, curious. The difference between past and present is, essentially, the knowledge of what's going on. Even if there was no such thing as 'music theory', you'd some day find patterns inside what you're playing and curse the world for being so dumb and not finding about it earlier.

Say, we're talking about a semitone. A person who is unknown to music theory will not know what a semitone is. You're jamming. Your friend tells you to go one semitone higher or lower. You just look at your friend, as if she said something totally alien. Then she will have to proceed to explain what a semitone is and finally you will be able to understand. But wouldn't it have been easier if you already knew about that in the first place?

This is a simple example providing one basic use of theory - to provide jargon. If someone says, "Play the triad of the A major instead of the tetrad, and diminish the fifth note", you'll be blank with a 'what-the-hell-did-you-just-say' expression unless you know what a triad, tetrad, and diminished note is. Which means if you know some theory. So I hope you get why theory is important in cases of reference.

Another use of music theory is recording music. Yes, yes, I know; why write it when you can record it on a recorder, or more efficiently, on a recording software. But, someone might want to cover it. Covering by listening is, of course, the best way to cover; but there are some songs which are, just by listening, quite difficult to cover. Also, people like to verify whether the piece they covered is right or not, in terms of notes and preciseness. In these situations, the written music comes in handy.

Theory also explains the science of music. How a harmony is produced, which chord of a major chord is a 'relative minor' and what does it do, or what is the key of a song; all these find an explanation. While composing, these come in handy; you're confused about what chord suits a piece or which notes to include in a composition, you turn to theory.

"But there are many musicians who do not know music theory at all. What about them?"


Even I asked this question. It is similar to saying, "Bill Gates never did MBA but still he was the CEO of Microsoft." What I mean is, theory simply explains what is there, and you can recognise it without learning it as well. Theory aids you in understanding, but does not give the essence of what is to be understood. It explains patterns and other insights, which can be found by repeated practice. It is, in some way, a short cut of sorts. The underlying statement is that theory is an aspect of music which is important but isn't necessary to make good music. That's why some musicians can do without theory as well.

Complications can also arise due to theory, especially in composition. Sometimes, the theoretical aspect gets you so engrossed that you fail to take into account your own playing style and what's best for music. It is to music what grammar is to writing. Some people become purists and always go for grammatically correct statements, even when the sentence sounds better with the incorrect statement. Something may be theoretically wrong, but if it feels good and sounds good, you should go for it rather than making it sound 'musically correct'. Theory can make you a bit of a 'purist', and it is always better to be wary of it.

However, most of the time theory aids in composition. Many times you get to explore an area of music because it's given in the theory, just to find out it sounds great. Your playing style can also increase its range when you know more of theory.

So, if someone asks if theory is important, I'll say 'yes'. But if someone asks if it is 'really important', I'll hesitate. Theory helps in providing jargon, and explains certain stuff, but it can also limit your originality and align you towards purism. The essence of music comes from the heart. So my advise would be to learn theory, even master it but don't let it control you.

Saturday 16 April 2016

How Harmony In Music Works

An epitome of the meaning of the word 'harmony' will be 'accord'. We hear it all the time; a harmonious existence, a harmonious life, or a harmonious meeting. However, the musical aspect of harmony has a somewhat different connotation, although the essence is perhaps the same.

In music, harmony is the 'mixture of various notes of varied musical pitch to create a wonderful arrangement of sounds'. Everyone has heard it, no doubt; and many have even pondered over how is it done. I first heard a harmony in a song by Alisha Chinai. It was a Hindi song; marvellously effecting the music as a whole. Later on, I heard it in many other songs, and soon learnt how to make it as well. It's easy, while some knowledge of music theory is required.

The first thing to know about is a 'scale'. A scale is a series of notes usually spamming an octave. There are different kind of scales; where importance is concerned, major scale, minor scale and the pentatonic scale take the lead. Of course, other scales are equally important, but these will give a basic idea about harmony.

                  A C Major Scale


To make a harmony, take the C major scale as an example. The notes on the scale are: C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C.  Now suppose that one person is singing/playing the note C. (It is advisable to have a real/virtual musical instrument while learning this to incorporate harmony in singing). The person  harmonising will, generally, sing/play the note E. You can try it with your instrument. This is called the 'third harmony' (since E is the third note on the C Major Scale) which is the most common one. However, it's not restricted; you can try other notes as well.

Try with a F instead of an E. That will give you the fourth harmony. Likewise, G will give the fifth harmony, A the sixth harmony and B the seventh harmony. And on a minor scale (C minor scale has notes C, D, Eb, F, G, Ab, Bb, C), for the third harmony, you'll have to go to the note Eb instead of an E. That is why it is important to know, first, the theory of the scales; second, the applicability in the song.

Choirs use different notes synchronously to create a mixture of harmonies. They have their separate group for bass, soprano, alto and tenor. Each group sings a different note; say, if bass is singing C, soprano will sing E, alto G and tenor an octave C. Of course, it is not exact; they can go for any note they want. The combination depends, but the theory is the same. In songs, however, mostly two harmonies are used. I think that much is enough to give a sufficient depth to the song.

Now we see how to make harmonies in a song. Here, we first identify the note from which the song starts (or the starting note from where you want to create the harmony). Say, it is, once again, C. Then, let's say, the note moves to D. The distance between C and D, on a C major scale, is one. So, if suppose we are doing the third harmony, the starting note will be E  Since D is a second note and comes immediately after C, the note corresponding D should also be the note immediately succeeding E, i.e. F. So if the song is going in a combination of C,D,C,D; the harmony will go in E,F,E,F. Or if you want the fourth harmony, it will go in F,G,F,G.

Let's see how it will work in this combination on a C Major scale:
C,D,F,A,B,C.
We take the third harmony, the most common one. It starts with F, and goes to G, as we saw above. Now, the third note is F, which is at a distance (or a quantitative interval) of four. So, the harmonic note corresponding F will be the fourth note from E, that is, A. Similarly, the next note is A, at a distance of six notes from C. So the harmony will be the sixth quantitative interval of E on the C Major scale, that is, C (an octave C is generally used, but is not necessary). The whole combination would look something like this:
E,F,A,C,D,E.

If you get the concepts right, it isn't that difficult. And the effect that the harmony gives to the overall music is totally magical. So, just get your instrument (real or virtual) and get on with it!

Friday 8 April 2016

Why Musicians Ponder



Pondering is an act of sitting in silence and thinking of something deeply. A beautiful quote with an air of depth often makes us think how much the author had pondered over it. Everyone ponders at something at some moment in their lives, but often we see musicians, writers and artists doing the act along with the companionship of silence and solitude.

Of course, it seems natural for musicians to ponder; after all, they have to write or make something that touches their hearts, hoping it would touch the hearts of others as well. But it's not always what it seems. The simple act of just thinking about something awakens certain things, like memories or dreams. The very act of hitting a note or scratching on a piece of paper can denote the maker's feeling, intention, or sometimes even rationale.

Pondering asks for silence, for it means 'hearing' yourself. It's, certainly not impossible, but not very plausible to think over something in a noisy environment. That is why we don't see the 'ponderers' often - they're too busy finding answers within themselves.

Musicians particularly Ponder over a sad song, I've seen. There is a certain melancholy associated with silence, a congenial sadness. Perhaps it's because it is the sadness that teaches us where to go, and the teaching comes when we think over it. Songs often reflect what the musician was taught by her sadness, and people feel the lesson as they listen to it.

That's why some songs, particularly sad songs, are so soothing that we completely delve into it, and then cannot express what we feel. We feel the pain, but there is a beauty in that feeling. I've personally been a very big fan of Steven Wilson, because he apparently shares this view and makes beautiful sad music. There is a pleasure in the pain, an ecstasy in the way the maker has presented his melancholy that can't really be expressed.

The answer to 'Why Musicians Ponder' can be subjectively concluded that, it is because they want to integrate themselves in the process of learning. Everyone has their own way of learning things, and making music is one of them. And music is made by thinking over things and attaching anything you come up with inside to the 'outsides' of it.

A sincere thanks to all those musicians who have pondered enough to make beautiful songs where the sadness in it lead a lot of us to bliss, making us realise that sadness isn't really an opposite of happiness. Perhaps apathy is.

Thursday 31 March 2016

How To Keep Yourself Motivated While Playing An Instrument

'Motivation' - We hear this word quite often. And when he hear it, the first image that comes to our mind is a hidden force that helps us to achieve our objective. And it is. It is providing an incentive to ourselves or to others so that an outcome is achieved.

Like any other thing, music requires a lot of motivation as well. Music sounds fun, but people start getting bored after a while. Because aside from the fun factor, you need to improve as well. Many give up because they are not able to go further from a certain intermediate level. Sometimes there comes a time when you even start losing passion from what you're playing. This is the time to motivate yourself. And how do you do that? By giving yourself some incentives, so that a desire is play and improve is escalated.

But motivate yourself to do what? To just go and play? That doesn't require any motivation. You just take out your instrument, play some notes, and then keep it once you get bored. So the incentive is required for you to not get bored, or play and practice even you're getting bored. The objective is to improve. Improvement brings the passion anyway, if it's lost.

Enough with the talk. Let's get down to business. Here are some things that you can do in order to keep yourself motivated.

1. Keep the instrument at your sight. When you see your instrument again and again, you feel an urge to play. This is just a way to make you play your instrument constantly. What you do inside your "playing time" will actually determine how much you'll improve. One way to organise your practice time is to dichotomously divide your time into "technique building" and "fun time".

2. Watch videos of your idols constantly. Your idols are who motivated you to play your instrument in the first place, so frequently watch videos of your idols so that your dream to someday play at their level is not diminished or obscured. You can make new idols too if your music taste has deviated.
Many might think that this will further demotivate them as they'll think "He/she is so good while I am at a mere beginner level. I won't be able to reach that level." The thinking is justified, because you could not master some technique/riff/beat/lick that your idol was playing. However, you need to realise that once you've failed, you're one failure less to achieve your objective. Try and try and try, then look at your idol, then try again. You'll surely achieve it someday.

3. Before practice, think for a while about what you'll do or what you'll make out of that practice session. Will you focus on a specific technique, or will you focus on scales and arpeggios? Or will you just simply play anything and compose something? Although sometimes on the spur of the moment compositions are the best ones, but they come at infrequent times. And you could always make an improvisational plan to your composition during practice. Just like a day can be more satisfactory if it goes according to the way you've visualised it in the morning, a session can be much more productive if you earlier decide what you're going to do. This also helps in keeping you on track, and provides a platform to figure out where you're weak, and then gives an incentive to work on it.

4. End on an interesting point. Don't end a practice session when you've had too much of playing. Instead, end it when it is going very interesting, in an abrupt manner. This makes you keep on thinking about what you were doing, and eventually you'll land up with  your instrument very soon. But keep in mind not to leave when you're just about to master a technique - you might as well have to work all over it again which can be frustrating.

5. Look for lessons to master new things. Sometimes you might feel that you're not going anywhere, and just simply playing what you already know. However, you need to understand that a musician is like a cosmonaut - a cosmonaut is a 'sailor among the universe' and a musician is a 'sailor among music'. The universe is infinite, and so is music. There will always be something new to learn. YouTube and music related articles have made things easier. You can just search and you'll find an endless amount of new things that you didn't know. And the more you know and learn, the more you realise that you know nothing. So go over there, search some new lessons and get on with the music.

6. Cover every once in a while. Covering is another great way to learn new things that can be there in music. You get to know about varied positioning and also ways to use the notes. Don't aim for hard songs - cover simply what you love to hear. That will make playing more interesting. And since we're discussing on incentives, covering is a very good incentive to play as it challenges you in a frolicsome manner. Although hard songs can be covered for technique or timing improvement, but don't do it just for the sake of it. You need to feel a connection with the song that you're covering to make your cover worth it. However, don't cover too much of the same artist. Your music style might go very similar to that artist's, and you will end up as a copycat.

There is a well seen gap between pros and amateurs. It is because of the effort that each group puts into music. So let's try our best to build a bridge and move, steadily and with merriment, from the valley of the amateurs to the hills of the professionals.

Sunday 27 March 2016

5 Reasons Why You Should Attend A Music Concert

Loud music, a shouting crowd, a lucent stage and most importantly, amazing musicians - that's what a music concert is. It can be interpreted by different people in different ways. For some, it might be a stress releaser, while for some others, it might be a yet another place to party hard and have fun. But everyone will agree on one thing - if you like the musician/artist/band that is performing, you will have a good, or sometimes the best, time of your life.

Here are five reasons why you should attend a music concert:

1. It gives you a platform to scream your heart out. Unlike other places, a music concert is a place where shouting, making noise and screaming is encouraged. You can scream your heart out, especially remembering all the negativity or anything else that is bugging you inside, and you'll actually be asked to shout more. How cool is that!

2. It is a place where you don't become self conscious. In this world where people are judged by what they wear and what colour their skin is, a music concert offers an exception. It is one place where people are totally impervious and don't give a shit to how you are from the outside. And that is one of the most wonderful feeling you can have - to realise that no one gives a shit as to what you're wearing. And slowly you realise that even you yourself have become less judgemental, as you do not see people's clothing or colour or race or whatever. And when the time actually comes to dance or bang your heads to the groove, it doesn't even matter if you are a man or a woman. Everyone is equal, and everyone has a right to listen to what they love.

3. It offers you a chance to feel as a human, not separated by anything. In continuation with the second point, a concert is a place where everyone is treated equally, so you don't have to feel bad for being neglected because you're of a particular skin colour or you are a woman (or in some cases, man) or you belong to a particular caste, simply because you'll never experience it. You can feel totally as a citizen of the earth, where nothing separates us because we all are fellow human beings. You get to see what you rarely see these days - humanity. True, in metal concerts mosh pits are formed and people sometimes get injured, but it will be the fellow guys who unintentionally hurt him, help the person hurt later. I've even seen a concert where Trivium vocalist/guitarist Matt Heafy tells the crowd to make a circle pit, but also adds, "If anyone falls, you'll pick them up. No one will get hurt". I found this statement very warm and touching, coming from a metal band, who people usually regard as heartless or demonic.
And, one statement that touched the heart of every Indian was the one made by Dave Mustaine at Megadeth live in Kolkata - "I see no race or nation. Only metal".

4. It helps you to dream. When you're in a concert, you see the musicians playing, and dream to do the things you always wanted to do. I've never heard of any musician being one although he didn't want to. All musicians on the stage have worked a lot to reach there, and you can see that in the way the sing or play. This inspires us to dream like they did, and work hard to achieve those dreams. And especially if your dreams are aligned towards music, it gives you a sort of bonus point, because you actually imagine yourself playing on the stage, or managing the sounds, or whatever your dream is.

5. You get to know what is it like to be pulled.There are many things in life, in which we have to push ourselves. Pushing is good, but it's drawback is that you can push yourselves only up to a point. However, while attending a concert, you get pulled to shout and dance and bang your heads, by the musicians on the stage and the people alongside you. You get to know what is it like to be pulled by a certain force. We need to understand then when we find our true passion, we don't have to push ourselves towards achieving it, because it will pull you. And we get to understand what it feels like to be pulled in a concert.

Saturday 19 March 2016

A Musical Dichotomy

Music is extraneous to what you think and depends solely on what you feel - many believe this. However, this might be just a distortion of truth.

Afterall, what are feelings? I believe it is a specific kind of thought that has more impact on our mind. Something which, in a sense, is an intensified version of a certain thought. And what is based on what we sense.

So, is thinking necessary in music? Because, if you think, and by thinking I am attributing to "rationalism", then you won't be able to feel, which I am attributing to "emotions generated due to chemical reactions that occur due to a certain thought".

We all will agree that music lies in feeling, because that is when each note makes your heart thump with a certain emotion. If you just rationalise, you won't get music, because music isn't something like Mathematics (no offence to Maths, in face I really like math but all I mean to say here is that music and math are two different things).

However, music might lie in thinking as well. Say suppose you're learning to play an instrument, guitar (the most common one). You don't really feel each and every note when you are learning. Instead, you try to analyse how to move the finger, how to make your right and left hand go in sync, how to alternate upstrokes and downstrokes, and many more. This all requires rational thinking. And especially when you're dealing with sheet music, that also with varied time signatures, you're doomed if you are not paying attention to the counts and the notes.

So the conclusion might seem evident now. Music is also, like any other art, dichotomously divided into its "feeling" side and it's "technical" side. There must, therefore be an optimum combination of these two contrasting forces for your music to be in equilibrium (Oh, how I love economics).

Recently my English teacher was teaching us about two artificial divisions of speech - form and content. I didn't really get what he was trying to say, but the basic thing was that content has what you're trying to say and form shows how. In music, we could analogise this form and content with the technical  and the feeling side. Our feeling, the main reason why we're making a certain song (I'm talking from the viewpoint of composers) is the "content", while the techniques that we use for making that particular song, so that people can hear (sense) and feel it (like I said before, feeling arises out of a sense), is the " form". Both are distinct, yet both are required. And most importantly, both must be in balance.

Almost everyone, at the first levels of their composing, focus more on the technical side, to make their song more difficult. This invariably leads to an increased technique oriented but a very little flow oriented song. Because the song is expressing far too much than what you intended, if you had any intention at all.

However, after a certain level, we all tend to realise an important lesson, penned down most spectacularly by Leonardo da Vinci as "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication". True, when a song is simple, it becomes very easy to connect to. And it furthermore adds to what you're trying to say, or in other words the "content" becomes very much evident.

But what about the techniques then, that we've worked so hard to learn? True, a simple song is better, but simplicity should not reach an extreme level that it is in total excess of complexity. Like I said before, the forces must be in equilibrium. Combination of a good flow with simplistic articulations along with a few technical and complex hinges can make a song really soulful and interesting at the same time.

The ultimate conclusion is that, not only in music, but in every facet of life, the best results are achieved when two contrasting forces are in balance. So let us all lead our lives in the best possible ways we can, by balancing our cconrasting sides. And most of all, let's listen and make music having these totally different forces in balance.