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.