How it started

It’s like, kind of unofficial or informal way to express or write down my thoughts in a piece of paper and share my feelings to all those who have their different experience in life on their destined path. I mean I am not a professional writer neither do I have all of the life’s experiences. But sharing feelings has always been good for me.

My involvement in music started from earlier days and that was like about 12 years back and it was all at school.  Talking about my schooling days, I was never a bright student neither I realized any extra talent on me. We used to have singing, dancing and music classes every week, towards which I was more attracted besides formal study. At that time, we were taught these subjects by some great teachers around the city, which helped me to learn music quite good. During music classes, we were taught an instrument called ‘Madal’ which is typical Nepali musical instrumental played for Folk songs. But today, we can hear this instrument in many different musical genres. That was the time when I was in the 4^th or 5^th grade. I don’t exactly remember everything, but music classes were what I liked the most and wanted to attend. We had a class of almost 40 students as far as I remember and I was one of the favorite students of my Madal guru. I don’t know how it came or what happened but the instrument really drove me. I still remember, we were doing some typical Nepali music stuff playing “Panche Baaja” a musical form from rural areas with a set of instruments like, Jhayli, Tyamko, Damaha. I guess I forgot some of the names. Being a good student in Madal, I was asked to play one of the instruments first and the rest of my mates were behind me. I think the instrument was Tyamko that I played and believe me it just worked out well for me. Then we were out for many stage shows representing our school and also won 4^th prize for playing Panche Baaja.

Till then, I was not ready for any professional musical thoughts.  So, for me it was like weekly interest. Then later, I saw my brothers playing guitar songs. But my interest in Madal was nevertheless until I heard some of the songs from legendary rock band-GNR. The song was sweet child O’ mine and the intro, you won’t believe it but it blew my head off. Then for the first time I held a guitar and learn few Nepali songs and GNR songs, too. Just like Madal, I was doing well with guitar as well as seeing my seniors playing guitar in cultural programs. I thought if they can play it then why can’t I. So, this feeling led me to practice guitar for hours and hours and that time I was in 8^th or 9^th grade. But I never thought that I would end up in this field and would devote my life to music. It was just my crazy dreams and a feeling of showmanship as starting to play guitar. Moving on gradually and learning eventually my interest was digging on me very fast and deep. After completing my school life a feeling stroked my mind and I thought sitting in 45 min class among teachers was never effective for me but listening to a 5 minutes song, I could grab the sound of music. Then I realized that I have something important for what it takes to be a good musician, but I was not particularly good at my playing stuffs. It is said that, “every individual is blessed with a talent, only thing is that we must be able to identify it within ourselves”. The statement just kept coming to my mind and hit me really hard. By the time, I had started playing guitar but wasn’t much into theory. I started searching for music teacher. But my stupidity had no limits. Earning so much respect within a short period of time from surroundings was good enough for me to continue my passion for longer time. But it felt my mind with stupid and just a foolish desire to be a rock star as I had a stupid thought that I have mastered everything on guitar except I needed damn speed fingers. So, I used to ask my teacher for a help to teach me some nice fingering stuff as I had already started listening and following some of the greatest Nepali rock bands like, 1974 A.D, Nepathya, Mukti and Revival, Robin and the revolution, Abhaya n the Steam Injuns etc. and guitar gods of 80’s. Every institute, I would go to learn for, my focus was only building up speed on guitar. That was the time, when I was doing intermediate level course and everybody were out there listening hardcore metal. And watching videos of some greatest and fastest guitarists in the world ruined my mind and I just kept on focusing building speed rather than composing own songs. For almost 2 years I just did nothing but played band songs in my acoustic guitar for over and over again. I forgot to mention something important here, during those days I met a rock band through my classmate and they were just busy in composing and writing their own piece of songs and they were a kind of different entity in themselves, positively.  Every day I would go to their practice room and listen to them playing their songs just washed my mind and for the first time I asked myself, what have I done these long years, fooling around? The answer that I got from within myself was actually nothing.

Hanging out with each other, we sort of built pretty good musical relationship and we began to share feelings and knowledge. I have never felt so alive and a positive vibe entered into my mind. After few months, I joined the band and we started jamming for over an hours. Most of our time would spend on jamming or talking about music. There was a different energy within all the band members as our musical journey had just started and for me it was just completely different and learning experience as I was not playing alone anymore. We also did record a song and a music video of same song which later received "Image award" for best animation category. But till then I had already left the band as I had to go for job and teach guitar as well. And honestly, I wanted to learn more and a step further in this field. But within the time period when I was in the band, I learned many things and experienced some truths about Nepali Music Industry and music scenario here. Again I have been playing guitar for myself as I used to do some years back, but I can feel music in a different way than the youth of my age. And appreciations from my friends will always keep my musical feeling alive and honestly I appreciate myself as guitarist. But the major question that I ask myself is 'who would I be if I hadn't chosen music'? and that is what keeps me encouraging in this field.

The article is the personal journal and does not reflect the view of SongsNepal.com