Music, as perceived by many, is a rhythmic, melodious
composition of musical notes. For many years, even I connected with music in
the same way. I would listen to a song and I would like it only if the singer
qualified for my personal criterion of “My Favorite Singer” and also if the
song was catchy. My perception of music changed when I listened to a randomly
chosen song at my uncle’s place using his headphones. All I can recollect is
that I could hear every musical instrument being played in that song! I was amazed!
A new curiosity had emerged in me. I wanted to listen to every song with such
detail! I identified several unheeded beats, strums and tunes in a song.
Sometimes it occurred just once in the middle of a song! But I waited to hear
it (Try it. It’s fun!)
And so a year passed and I developed a lot of interest in
music. I even went to a crash course in guitar, (Although I did not master it.
Read my blog post "Strings and Frets"). And then I wanted to compose my own song. I know I had started dreaming
big without knowing the A, B, C of music. But I badly wanted to compose a song
which had a meaning in it. Which is not just catchy, but which can match up
with the songs sung by international artists. So then I set of on the task of
composing a tune for my first song. I did this while carrying out my daily
tasks, humming a tune, trying to find out if it matched with any of the songs
that I know of. One day, while washing my clothes, I found a melodious tune(that’s
what I think of it). I noted down the tune i.e take a guitar, play the tune and
note down on which string and fret of the guitar it is played. Well this is how I write down my compositions.
So now I had a composition. All I needed is the lyrics for
the song and then my song would be complete, or so I thought. I sat down one
day and wrote a story. It took me quite a while to convert that story to decent
lyrics. I named the song “Love Untold”. Now everything was ready. I had to only
record the song and then I would upload it on YouTube, get a million hits,
become an international superstar and play golf with Hollywood celebrities. But
there was something missing. Something that made me to not record it in a
professional studio. It was the zeal to materialize my composition.
Three years passed, I graduated, got 1 year work experience
but I had still not recorded the song. The lyrics had undergone several
modifications. My excuse was that I had
no musical background and dint know where to record a song. Two of my friends
motivated me to record the song. One by saying that it will top the Billboard charts
and the other by giving me the push to "google" recording studios at where I reside.
So Google searched a recording studio for me. I was a bit hesitant to approach
the studio manager. What if he says that he doesn’t cater to such foolish
requests like recording just one song. I feared I will be embarrassed if he/she
asks me any details about the composition that only trained musicians can
explain. I thought they will laugh at the lyrics that I had written.
But then I just wanted to give it a try. Let them laugh or
say whatever they like. I did not want to regret not having tried. So I ended
up at a recording studio after convincing my family that I was on my way to
stardom. After asking the cost of
recording and pretending that I was not actually worried about the cost, I showed
a sample composition of my song I had created using a computer software. Unbelievably,
he heard the entire 2 minute composition.
And then he told me to sing the song with the lyrics. I was ready for him to
smile at me when he heard the lyrics. But he did not. He listened intently and
carefully. He even gave me some suggestions on how to make the song sound
better. He then gave me a date to record the song. And from that day till the
day of the recording I persuaded my friend to listen to me singing the song everyday
and correct me if I would go wrong in the pronunciation or tune. I practiced
the song as much as I could. Then came the day of the recording. I was very
nervous. I met the studio manager. He had already composed the background score.
Blasting from the speakers in the sound proof room, it sounded fabulous! I
stepped into the live room where there was a microphone which looked more like a
gadget from the future. I put on the headphones and after the recording manager
instructed me by counting 3 on his fingers, I sang the first verse of the song.
The first verse was over and then I got to hear myself. I was surprised at the
quality of the recording. We had a few more recording rounds and then an hour
later we were done with the vocals. In the next 2 hours we mixed the song with
the background score and a bit of technical mastering and mixing gave the final
touches to the song.
I uploaded it on YouTube and waited for stardom to approach
me. Well, it did not. And that was not my intention. I had materialized my dream
of composing a song. Music is not just about sounds emanating from a speaker or
from musical instruments. It is about emotions being told by someone. It tells
you a story, an idea within someone’s mind. From this experience I learned that a
simple excuse in life can make you miss a lot of targets. If you dream
something, then you better start materializing that dream. Stop giving any
excuse. Do not wait for the right time. Every day is a good day to start
anything good. I may not have achieved something great. I may have not matched
up at all with the songs sung by international artists, but I am content with
the smiles that I see on anyone’s face when they listen to my song. Your dream can be achieved, it can be made
real, but not with just your efforts, it needs the efforts from your near and
dear ones to motivate you to achieve it. It needs the help of strangers who are willing
to help you in your journey. Be humble, accept that you cannot achieve
everything on your own in this world and live your dream.
Listen to Love Untold here.
Listen to Love Untold here.
