Occasionally I come across people who say they are hardcore
music lovers but when it comes to understanding the technicalities, they
falter.
Perhaps what they connect with is the lyrics which the singer sings – maybe the agony with which he expresses his love for a long lost lover or the ecstasy with which he announces his freedom. For them, they feel themselves in the song! If we observe, they sing the lyrics as they find some free time.
While on the same time there are people who understand music - what is the underlying note/tune behind each guitar strum or each tingle that a piano key plays. For them, the sounds send chills down their spines and they feel their blood flow with great pressure. While recollecting the song, they’ll always focus on humming the tune correctly. They generally find music instruments driving them to a high level of passion.
Perhaps what they connect with is the lyrics which the singer sings – maybe the agony with which he expresses his love for a long lost lover or the ecstasy with which he announces his freedom. For them, they feel themselves in the song! If we observe, they sing the lyrics as they find some free time.
While on the same time there are people who understand music - what is the underlying note/tune behind each guitar strum or each tingle that a piano key plays. For them, the sounds send chills down their spines and they feel their blood flow with great pressure. While recollecting the song, they’ll always focus on humming the tune correctly. They generally find music instruments driving them to a high level of passion.
After a hectic day at my JEE Entrance class, I sat on a fast
local near the window listening to “Viva la Vida” by Coldplay. In my head I was
trying to calculate my friends belonged to which of the either categories, what
was their type. After a while I came down to assessing myself. Sweet mother of
God! I was the musical! It dawned upon me that how affectionate I was towards
the drums beating at the moment perfecto and how the cello’s soothing tune sent
goose bumps all over my body. It was then I decided in dramatic style, I will
not die without learning an instrument completely!
Well that was just like taking my feet off the ground to
make my first move of entering into a new world altogether. A few days later I started
a bit of research as to what I’d like to learn. Came across hundreds of
choices, I would imagine myself pose with each instrument and try to guess how
cool I’d look with each(although it’s the perfectly wrong way to determine
which instrument you belong to) . I was almost convinced the guitar would be
amazing: easy to learn, tutors available nearby, I have friends who play it
damn well and will teach me too, Awesome choice!
Somehow I couldn’t find the right “mahurat” as they say to
start off my journey. Most of the times I would be scared of the commitment I
would have to give to do justice to the instrument. Will I be able to practice
hard enough to reach a certain level of accomplishment? Will I be able to spare
that much time considering the hectic life engineering studies give me? These
troublesome thoughts did not allow me to move forward and eventually, I too
forgot about it.
Come December 2012, people were ending the horrible year
with newer resolutions, a fresh start. Of course there were speculations of the
Mayan End of the World Story. I was reminded of my nautanki wala vow: the
resolution to learn an instrument before I died.
In fact there’s this thing, I tend to always look for a 1st
of any month or a Monday to give new things a fresh beginning. This is it! This
new year I am off to learning a new instrument! I informed my mother of my
intentions and pop comes her reply “Which instrument?”
“Of course, the guitar!”
“Guitar!? Isn’t it so common?” She listed atleast 8 people we knew who had the guitar skills.
“Of course, the guitar!”
“Guitar!? Isn’t it so common?” She listed atleast 8 people we knew who had the guitar skills.
Ah damn she was right, I need to find something else, something unique! My
second favorite instrument being cello, I started reading the amount of dedication
and devotion needed to learn the instrument. When I realized people in India,
donot even know how to pronounce it correctly. Ouch! In vain, I knew I had to
search another alternative. The closest of the family – The violin.
The connect was instantaneous. The violin is my instrument,
I knew it. And my search for a tutor began the very next day. Thankfully I did
manage to find a teacher who excelled at this rare instrument near to my home.
I followed up with an enquiry the next day and fee payment the very next week. There!
I was not even slightly worried of my sincerity. All the doubts I had in my
mind suddenly vanished. Only that now I would have to miss SPQC every Thursday but
kuch paane ke liye kuch khona padta hain
na?
Without any delay I bought the violin from Sardar Flute,
Santacruz. It was the first time I was seeing a violin in front of me. When I
held it, I was unable to believe it’s a real instrument. It is so light! Handled
with care, got it home.
All excited, I searched “violin tutorials” on youtube and
started experimenting a bit. The strings screeched as I played and so I got a
little disappointed with myself. “I’ll have to be patient till I start with my
classes”, I thought and kept it away.
Came January 2013 and my classes begun. My ma’am began with
the very basics, teaching me how to take care of the piece and maintaining it;
how to handle the bow; how to ensure no screeches henceforth. Finally, some
soothing sounds started flowing. The style is carnatic style. It is quite
different from the Western Style of violin playing. You hold the violin between
your shoulders and ankle as you sit and play it. And since it is a classical
class, I started speaking Sa Re Ga Ma in no time!
As of today, not a great player but I am through with my
basics, trying to adapt to newer songs and fingering positions. I am loving the
journey immensely. I look forward to every class and whenever I find time, I
make it a point to practice as much as I can, after all practice makes a man
perfect.
Sorry to have written such a long post, I was so lost in the
charms of the instrument that little did I realize how long the article’s been.
It thus proves how much I love the instrument and how engrossed I can get when
only talking about it! J