by Krithika Shekhar
“Again”.
A word that can fill an artist’s heart with pride when on stage and at the request of the audience, or fill one with dread in class and under the teacher’s orders. We’ve all grown up listening to the adage “good things come to those who wait”, but nobody ever tells you how much waiting you need to do. So when do you know if you’ve waited enough? Is it ever enough?
Learning an art form requires a lifetime’s worth of effort, introspection and dedication - whether for a beginner or a virtuoso. Given the vastness of the performing arts, some teachers would reflect that “what we know, after a lifetime of work, is a mere drop in the ocean of knowledge that is art”. There is depth in its history and significance, and a student’s relationship with each form is constantly evolving.
Miles Davis said “Man, sometimes it takes you a long time to sound like yourself”. And it is true of any artistic discipline. While lessons and a good teacher can help you grasp the basic technique, it takes tremendous amounts of practise to make the art your own.
Practising art can be a very humbling experience on the mind, body and soul. Guitar strings can be a nasty reminder of how we take our skin for granted. A rigorous dance practise can leave you mulling over different muscles in your body in a matter of hours. It isn’t a humbling experience for the student alone - a teacher must sit through their new student playing the C major scale over and over again. It is a living cue for the teacher that no matter how far one thinks one has gone, one may always find themselves back in the beginning. It also teaches you the art of precision - the violin is a firm reminder of this. The shift of one’s fingers at the violin’s neck by the tiniest fraction of a millimetre, can make the note you intended to play sound like another.
We spoke to Tony Das, a musician from Bangalore who has been one of the pioneers of creating the sound of Bangalore Rock with his versatile guitar skills. Tony is an inspiring performer, sought after studio artist and patient teacher. We asked him about one of the main factors that motivates him to practise. For Tony, beyond the initial spark of love for music and the instrument, a big motivation to practising the guitar is to achieve a more dynamic sound, likened to the magic produced by his heroes. It is, very simply, a matter of wanting to be better at what you do. Another reason, he says, is youngsters. Kids on the internet who are prodigies before they’ve finished high school, may have set out to get more likes and shares on social media, but have also ended up becoming unintentional motivators in the process. While most guitarists look up to Tony, his goal with practise remains simple. “I want to become a really, really good guitar player” Tony says. "The better I am at my instrument, the better I can express”.
"The better I am at my instrument, the better I can express" - Tony Das
Why then, do artists endure this pursuit of perfection? Why do they willingly choose to put their bodies and minds through arduous processes, striving to reach goalposts that are always moving? It cannot just be about the dopamine trap, in getting the job done, and completing the task of practise. There is something to the discipline of repetition in practise, and exploration of the instrument, whatever form it may be. We probably spend a large part of our lives trying to figure out who we are and what we want. If art as an outlet provides us with the slightest sliver of a chance to express what we feel, to unite with others and with our emotions, to project to the world a small part of who we are, it is more than a physical reaction to a chemical - it is almost meditative. For those whose minds seek beyond logic, art is spiritual.
Art has metamorphosed through the ages, with the sound of music, and the forms of dance, ever-evolving from generation to generation. Despite these changes, the regularity and discipline of practice provides a solace for the artist to truly pursue the creativity within themselves.
Enjoy the fruits of practice from some of our Singapore talents, by exploring some of the upcoming concerts by Fever at the S.E.A Aquarium as well as the Singapore Symphony Orchestra’s free concerts on July 6th and July 10th across the island. The beautiful scores we’d enjoy would serve as a firm reminder that practice and perseverance spring new life, allowing the melody within to unleash in all its beauty.
Nice post. I enjoyed reading it.