The Different Roles of a Developing Musician

Musician : The musician is one who aims to be an expert in any musical instrument whether it is the voice, flute, guitar, synthesiser, tabla etc. This search for perfection is of prime importance as the deeper you get into your instrument, the stronger your understanding of music. Your skill at your instrument will enhance your understanding of tone, pitch, rhythm etc. Most composers and arrangers begin their careers as musicians. Also there is a lot more work for musicians than arrangers and composers and hence your chances of getting a foothold in the industry are far better. Also, if you have other ambitions, this is a chance to network with the music industry.

As you progress in your instrument you will realise where your forte lies. You will soon begin to realise the direction you want your career to take. You will get an idea as to how music is organised for orchestras and recording and maybe want to enter the world of arranging or composing. This is a maturity issue as you will realise this only when you have spend a couple of years as a musician. I do not recommend hurrying the process as experience can only enhance your work as a arranger, if you decide to become one. In fact, a lot of musicians do not bother to "graduate" to arranging and go straight to composing. They become extremely proficient at their instrument and their creativity will lead them into great heights of fame when they can afford the best arranger to present their compositions to the world.

Some musicians will be content in remaining as musicians as they realise that this is their forte and they are happy with it. Today, because of the Media boom, the income potential of good musicians has shot up to great heights. Of course this makes the choices even tougher!

Arranger : The arranger is usually a very proficient musician who has mastered his craft. By that I mean he usually knows how to play a few musical instruments and if not, appreciates the nuances of the various musical instruments that can adorn an orchestra. It is his decision to choose the instruments that can be used in a composition and decide the basic framework within which these musicians will operate. Of course everything is done in consultation with the composer and the final authority rests with him. It is the job of the arranger to decorate the composition in the best musical terms so that its strengths are highlighted and weaknesses hidden or removed. In visual terms, an arranger can best be described as a designer who dresses up his client in the best possible way in order to impress the audience. He is the presenter!

One aspect of music training which is truly invaluable is the study of Music Notation.

The Western system is extremely sophisticated and all encompassing and although "feel" is something that cannot be quantified and varies within individuals, the system has greatly served the Western Music tradition and ensured the preservation of its heritage. There were no sound recordings in the old days and yet today we can listen to works of the great classical composers of the west almost without any distortion. In India, we had the traditional aural method where compositions were handed down the generations through students etc. The guru shishya relationship was special and something generic to Indian Music and served greatly to pass the genius of yesteryear down the ages. Unfortunately, distortions, if any, will never be discovered! It was only the great work undertaken by Dr Bhatkhande in the early part of the 20th century which has served to archive the enormous musical treasures of the past. The good doctor devised his own method of notation which although not as sophisticated as the Western system, was good enough to be in use even today with minor changes. I greatly recommend the study of any form of music notation to music students as it makes music very precise, concrete and easier to understand. This is a great help for the understanding of something which is so abstract and subjective. It is also a great communication tool and I am sure Western Notation has developed far more than the Indian variety as there is greater need to communicate to large groups of musicians. After all the 100 piece orchestras is a unique western concept! Indian Music is individualistic in approach and interaction takes place only within a few musicians i.e. the singer or main instrumentalist, the tabla or any other rhythm instrument and the Tanpura etc. Indian Film Music has however seen the rise of the Orchestra and all the Film Arrangers have always been masters at Western Notation.

After having glorified the advantages Music Notation, I would also like to add that there are numerous successful practising musicians who have never learnt notation and have no intention of doing so. This somehow seems to suggest to a lot of aspiring musicians that there is no need to study Notation! There could be nothing more misleading than this. This is a matter of perception and how you see yourself within the Musician fraternity. All successful musicians at some stage of their career, feel the need to study notation but could be in a position to hire the services of a trained assistant! Also, all the computer sequencing software today have notation transcription capability and all your midi information can be converted to notation and printed out for distribution. The computer has reduced the tedium from many professions and Music is no exception! However, I would still urge aspiring musicians to learn this art of music notation, especially at an early stage of their career, as the advantages far outweigh the tedium. I would also like to state that it is not as difficult as it appears initially. You can take my word for it as I finally managed to learn notation after I had given up many times before!

Composer : We now come to the pinnacle of the Musician profession, the creator of the work of music. Usually, composing is a mature activity that is reached when a certain level of proficiency in musicianship is achieved. The Composer determines all the parameters of the musical work and is responsible for its musical impact. It would be his job to decide the melody, harmony and rhythm of his composition and call in experts in each department to enhance its musical impact. Composers will have to decide the singers and the main musicians so his composition can get justice.

A lot of people want to know if Composition can be taught. The answer is both yes and no! Composition involves the total use of technical ability in musicianship which needs to be learnt, especially certain aspects that concern the composer.
E.g. re-harmonising a composition can take the original composition into different directions. It could make the melody line darker or happier! In India, the use of different Ragas for the same melody line can change the melody line beyond recognition. Changes of rhythm have been known to change the musical impact of a composition drastically. Technical exercises like these can greatly enrich the Composer's musical life and lead him into territories never explored. The composer has to constantly find new ways to excite him musically and exposure to different musical genres is an excellent training. There are numerous university courses in Western countries that offer composition credits and these courses can definitely enrich the life of a potential composer and help him through the process of self discovery. However there is no substitute for raw talent and no college can make a good composer out of a bad one. The great composers of the West and East are indeed God's favoured children!

There is no rule that says that Composers have to have grey hair or have to graduate from being a musician or arranger. Talent is a God given gift and we human beings have no say in its distribution. We can only cultivate whatever talent we have been fortunate to have been allotted and use our intelligence and intuition to realise our potential. It is our training and attitude that will come handy and help us reach our goals.

Part 4 continues with different roles of pro musicians in India...

Nandu Bhende : nandu@sudeepaudio.com
The author is one of the pioneers of Pop and Rock Music in India.