JOIN USSeveral artistes in the city have made it big on the music scene, despite being self-taught. Some, it seems, even believe their lack of training is a blessing in disguise since they get to pick up the nuances from more than one musician.
Rinosh George, a pop solo artiste who brought out the viral music video ‘This is Bengaluru’, says he has learnt much from fellow artistes. “One picks up a lot performing with others.”
Rinosh feels that training helps mould one’s style. “But from a very young age, I have always been fascinated by things around me, even while composing. Certain formats and songs on certain subjects were considered more popular. Being self-trained helps one broaden one’s horizon,” he adds.
Some train in one instrument and go on to play another. Aadithya Aigal, a drummer, says he learnt to play the guitar for a bit, which helped him grasp the concept of rhythm. “A lot training resources are available online that is accessible anytime. The good part about learning this way was that there was no fixed syllabus to set the pace. Nobody dictates a certain set of rules to you then,” he elaborates.
Aadithya adds that when one is self-trained there is no restriction on keeping to one particular style. “The only disadvantage of being self-taught is that one will need to own the instrument even while learning.”
Music has no boundaries and being self-motivated can encourage one to perform better. Sramana Dan, a vocalist with the band ‘623’, says one goes through a journey of self-exploration training oneself in music.
“Many would sit and advise one about how one should take up training as it can help technically up one’s performance. But not taking the conventional route also challenges one to perform better,” says Sramana.
When an artiste is self-trained, one has no rulebook to go by. Kannada rapper Karthik Sundar Gubbi says many established musicians have undergone formal musical training and have followed in a certain school of thought.
“It takes a little longer to get out of a set style when one is trained. I have been able to experiment with my sound a lot more as I’m self-taught; and I have been thinking freely,” he says. However, he has been in situations in which, when other musicians were interacting with each other, he wasn’t able to understand certain chords or styles. “I can tell when a sound isn’t right or doesn’t fit. I gradually adapt myself to the scale and adjust the pitch accordingly,” says Karthik.
Naren Thota, a keyboardist, feels that being untrained gives one a new perspective in making music and appreciating it in its entirety. “This gives an edge to the style and work and leads to the generation of fresh ideas,” says Naren.
His bandmate Vinod Patney finds himself open to all genres; he doesn’t belong to a particular school of music either. “This helps increase the interactions one has with others and therefore the projects that come one’s way,” says Varun.
Kalyaani Sakkarwal, a playback singer, songwriter and composer, says passion what drives one ahead, and not having a course one can credit is no set back. “Being trained in a particular style might help you do something exceptionally. But that doesn’t hold others — untrained artistes — from working towards what they want to achieve. I was working in the corporate world but music was my life. It’s just about one’s interests, though one must acknowledge that not everyone can do everything,” she says.
Kalyaani says she was able to collaborate without worrying about going off the beaten track. “You are your best judge. Collaborations help understand what you can do,” she says.