Words » Magazines

How Music Really Works

I am a very curious person. Every since childhood, I've had a strange desire to find out why things were the way they are. What made the alarm clock ring? What made the record player spin? What was that funny little thing in the washing machine that bobbed up and down? These questions and more led me to take things apart in order to understand how they worked. I would disassemble radios, lawnmowers, and once even a Volkswagen engine. Usually, in the end, I'd manage to put everything back together again, minus only a few pieces, and would gain an expanded knowledge of "the way things worked."

This curiosity eventually spilled over into music. As a child, I had my own clock radio (one I had successfully taken apart and put back together) which I would tune to the local Country Western station, and listen for hours to the hits of the 70's. I can remember one particular song, "Blue Bayou," sung by Linda Ronstadt, which stuck me as particularly enchanting. Later as a teenager, I began to learn more about Linda Ronstadt, her background, her producer, and the songwriter, Roy Orbison, in order to better understand what made "Blue Bayou" so special to me. I didn't know it at the time, but this curiosity would eventually determine my career in music.

To this day I am still taking things apart. As a musician and a producer, I spend most all of my time taking apart and putting together music. I have to know which chord works with which note in the melody, which drum pattern works better for what style of music, or what computer prints out better music charts. This lets me better understand how music really works. There are a lot of books written about how music works. The Musician's Guide To Recording, Advanced Arranging Concepts, Top Producer Tips, etc., etc... and I've tried to read as many of these books as I can to better understand music in general, but there is one aspect of music, one that I have only recently learned, which is so simple and important, that I would like to devote this article to it. That is, creating the right atmosphere for the musician to perform better.

I have discovered, working in a variety of musical situations, that the musician is the single most important and crucial aspect of music. All musical creation must somehow begin and end with this person. Some people will argue that a great studio can make up for not so great musicians, or that a fancy production can make up for a bomb of a song, but in most cases, this just isn't so. Of course, everything added to a song will contribute to the end product, just like every part of a watch has something to do with telling the correct time, but a good musician is necessary to start everything going in the right direction, and the right atmosphere is necessary to get the best out of the musician.

Recently I have had the wonderful opportunity to work with a group of excellent musicians on a project that is very important to me; my first island-wide saxophone concert, "Gao Pei Hua's Music Pocket." Even though all the players knew each other, we had never really worked together as a band. We were starting from nothing, and it would be interesting to see how five different personalities would form into "The Music Pocket Band."

Under the wing of an excellent teacher/bass player, Teacher A-Jao, who has led bands for such artists as Emil Chou and David Huang, I learned how the "feelings" of a musician can dramatically effect the quality of a performance. In this electronic and computer age, we often make the mistake of thinking that machines, not musicians, create the music. Worse yet, musicians are often expected to behave like machines. For a machine, all you have to do is plug it in and press some buttons. For a musician, you have to understand the "person" making the music, their needs, wants, and problems. Making music then becomes an exercise in communication, interpersonal relationships, and caring. A caring, supportive band leader can form a group of musicians who have never worked together into a tight "jamming" group.

I discovered, working with Teacher A-Jao, that the smallest gesture can make a big difference. Our "Music Pocket Band" had such little time to prepare for our concerts due to tight scheduling, and the fact that I had to go abroad to do some production with A-Bee in the middle of our preparation. We were left with only two rehearsals to pull everything together before the tour. Our first rehearsal was coming up, and we had twenty songs to learn. What could I possibly do to ease the pressure everyone was feeling? Teacher A-Jao suggested bringing good fresh coffee to the rehearsal to lighten everyone's mood. That would make it easier to concentrate on the music needed to be rehearsed.

Taipei life is incredibly busy, and for everyone to take time from their busy day to be at rehearsal on time shows that they care about the project. Bringing coffee and snacks just shows that I care about them too. Music is feeling, and good feelings make good music. It worked! Fresh coffee and snacks gave us the inspiration to stay in the cramped little studio working long hours under heavy pressure. In just two rehearsals, we managed to do what would normally take five or six rehearsals to accomplish.

Getting to bed at 2:00am, and taking a bus at 8:00am to Tainan is exhausting, but it's something that most touring musicians get used to. Our band would arrive at the concert hall, tired, hot and in no condition to play in front of 2000 people. As soon as we got off the bus and unloaded everything, we would have to take out our instruments and practice for three hours while the sound crew tuned the sound, and the lighting crew adjusted the lights. How were we going to make it until the performance? First thing, I learned from Teacher A-Jao, is to get away from the concert hall. A good meal and some time to relax before the performance, can make the difference between an exhausted performance and a relaxed performance.

Musicians like to take it easy. That's part of the culture of being a musician. The pressure of a live performance is incredibly demanding (What if I make a mistake in front of 2000 people?). I learned on my "Music Pocket" tour that an hour or two away from the concert hall, in a tea house, or in a park gossiping, instead of backstage practicing and eating boxed lunches, gives everyone the chance to mentally prepare and relax for the concert.

Creating a good feeling among musicians is a part of music that I never really knew before. Leading a band, and understanding their feelings, taught me this new aspect of music. Music is as much emotional as it is technical. Creating a good, friendly atmosphere can bring everyone closer together. I learned from my "Music Pocket" tour that the "little things" that allow a musician to relax, a fresh cup of coffee, some jokes, an hour or two day-dreaming before a concert, can lead to successful exciting concerts. Good feelings is how music really works. I am so happy to have had the chance to learn from my Taiwan musician friends just how important this feeling is!

« Chopin On Rollerblades | Back | Playing The Saxophone Is A Mystery »

© Copyright 2007 3q2u  §  Powered by Movable Type 2.661
This site has been visited approximately 47040 times.