My musical journey and the pursuit of musical mastery

I play in a rock band.

This means all of the macho connotations of playing in one are included.

We play fast, we play in a rowdy manner and we play loud.

But, I also like a lot of quiet moments. Sitting in front of a computer, I usually write articles (part of my day job) just listening to soothing piano music. If I need to give my brain a jumpstart, I listen to orchestra music. I stay away from heavy metal music and other types of music I’d normally play.

When I go out, I usually end up in a bar listening to variety bands instead of underground bands. The few times that I normally would go to see an underground band is if I know the band is serious about their music and they aim not just to satisfy themselves onstage but also to entertain the crowd.

When I’m not playing with my band and I want to go onstage, I usually seek out really great musicians and try out my luck jamming with them.

Why?

Because jamming with great musicians can help you reassess your own skills and give you a sharp kick in the behind to try and match their skills by putting in more practice time at home and less time spent hanging out doing non-musical things.

Now, would I consider myself a musician? I’d say yes. But I still have a long way to go before I can call myself a master musician.

Why’d I write this article anyway? I usually start writing about one thing and then going off on a tangent and ending up with a slightly off topic conclusion. But, try to bear with me.

I currently live in Davao City and for a very long time, I didn’t play in any band. In fact, I just restarted this band in November and we started playing gigs December 2016. In that short amount of time I got exposed to a lot of musicians and “musicians”.

I love meeting musicians.

I totally abhor spending time with “musicians”.

Musicians are open to music in all its forms. “Musicians” on the other hand tend to be a little purist.

“Musicians” hate any other form of music that they’re not interested in. I tend to avoid these type of people because they can become a little boring and preachy at times.

This is the main reason why I picked my band members from existing variety bands. Although we predominantly play rock music, these guys are open to other forms of music as well and can appreciate anything other than rock and metal.

There’s a reason why I asked them to keep their ears open. It’s because, there might be some things you can pull from other influences into the songs you play which will give it a fresh perspective.

So, to conclude: Keep your ears open. Don’t limit yourself to just rock or metal music. Don’t think it’ll take away from your “coolness” factor if someone chances on you listening to Katy Perry’s “I kissed a girl”. There’s something you can take from all of the musical experiences you surround yourself with. The more musical genres you can play and appreciate, the wider your musical horizons will be.

Play accordingly to the venues you’re slated to perform but don’t be too “cool” to close your mind off to other types of music.

Here’s an example of a musical genius who is respected by a lot of other musicians simply because he chose not to be a closed off or be a “too cool” musician.

I’m out.