The Life of a Musician

Whether we be a classical player in a symphony or a guitarist in a hard rock band or a quirky mutli-instrumentalist in an indie group, all of us have dedicated our selves to our art form. All of us can regale you with stories of torturous practice sessions of working with a metronome or drone and the scales and those damn passages that took hours just to get through a few mesures. The dozens of scales and chords we learned show hours upon hours of work. All the peices we have learned took even more time. And above all of the things we gain the something close to telepathy with the other members in our ensemble. No one has to say a word for us to tell what they mean.

Playing in a small ensemble and in a large ensemble are two different beasts. In a small ensemble you are very close to the people around you. If you have ever seen a string quartet play, you may have noticed that they breathe in sync with each other. The player know what each little minute movement means such as a person taking a significant inhale shows that you are about to land on an important note. In a band members often can look at each other and can tell there is a problem just by making eye contact. All the people in the entire ensemble become your family basically. Even after just a week you know what there body language means.

Playing a large group is a lot different from smaller groups. Large ensembles usually have a conductor to aid in keeping tempo. You learn their methods first as they are the ones keeping everyone together. There is often insular groups in sections. For instance, the cellos in an orchestra know each other better than most of the others since they have to rely on them to keep the section playing the right thing, from bow changes to rhythm. You don’t find many large bands. Slipknot is pushing it, but is still small compared to an orchestra. Playing in a large ensemble requires a different skill set and often you will not be as close to most of the player in the group.

It takes discipline to be a good musician. It takes hours of arduous work to be at least a descent musician. Scales can get boring quickly with their constant repetition, metronomes get annoying with the constant clicking and trying to line up rhythms, and drones are frustrating with their ability to show how bad you intonation really is. Auditioning is one of the hardest things we face as musicians. You walk into a room know the minute you walk in to the minute you walk out you are being judged. Is you hair no too crazy? Are you clothing appropriate? Did you prepare well enough? Questions and doubt run through you mind until you receive the results. Walking in most of the time you might only play a small part of what you prepared. Bands have to call around and get gigs to get noticed. They have to fight to find a record label that will sign them, and then they must find bands willing to tour with them. Musicians battle to become successful, never giving up during exhausting practice sessions and rehearsals, and never losing hope despite how long it takes for someone to notice you and/or your ensemble.

Recently there has been a lot of people choosing to leave their bands for numerous reasons. One of the people that shook me the most was Adam Gontier leaving Three Days Grace. That band along with Apocalyptica introduced me to a whole new side of music that changed my life. After being constantly harassed and bullied in an youth orchestra, which I was at a significant disadvantage due to the fact that I was not Asian nor had years of experience though I could play better than people who had been playing twice as long as I, I had to find a new outlet. That is when I picked up bass guitar. It has single handedly saved my life. It was shattering to hear one person who I looked up to as a role model had just left his band. I made sure and looked around before drawing conclusion. I was disappointed that he quit the band, but I understood. Concerts are mentally and physically exhausting. Constantly touring and playing shows can seriously affect you health. Like I have said I was not mad about him leaving the band, however the way he did is deplorable. To send your best friend since the beginning of high school you are leaving by e-mail and then refusing to meet them to talk it out is not the way to quit. Not to mention it was very close to a major US tour with Shinedown to promote Transit of Venus leaving the band without a front man. Luckily the band was able to get bassist Brad Walst’s brother Matt lead singer and guitar player for My Darkest Day, who had just lost Sal Costa their lead guitar player. Sal Costa decided he wanted to leave the band due to musical differences in the middle of a tour, but he finished he tour out. His reasons are totally understandable; people evolve through time differently. Today, 11 March 2013, Angelo Parante of Motionless in White Decided it was best for his health to resign from the band. In his statement he said: “this is very hard to say, and I’m sure it will hit me harder soon, but I will no longer be in the band. This decision did not just all of sudden happen. After doing this since I was 17, the nonstop touring, and everything else that comes with the life of a musician, has finally caught up with me. It has affected me mentally and physically and it’s to a point where the best thing for the rest of the band and myself would be for me to call it quits.” He goes on to say that he and the band are still good friends and that this is an amicable split. It is still upsetting to see band members go, but you have to understand everyday we throw our hearts and souls into what we do. Everyday takes it toll. It is borderline abuse what we do to our bodies; play until it hurts to much, practice till we can no longer stand or sit up in a position play, play shows even when our minds can barely function, live off of caffeine and vitamin B12. Many people are mad at their favorite members for leaving a band or even blame it on their significant others, yet they fail to comprehend the fact as serious musicians are pushing the limits of ourselves. Sometimes we push our self too far, leaving us with serious problems. Look at a Benjamin Burnley for example. Look at all the drug addiction that happens. Constant touring and playing concerts takes a toll on our bodies and minds.

Being a musician is one of the hardest things, especially in this day and age where free illegal downloads are rampant and arts funding is cut. Major symphonic orchestras across the nations are facing lockouts and faced the possibility of shutting down. As a musician I know that it is taxing. A rehearsal wasn’t a good one unless you leave feeling tired because you played hard the entire time. It takes extreme discipline to become a good musician, but there are times when we push our selves way too far and it is then that we are forced to rest. When band members leave it is often for the best. Although benevolent intentions can be counter acted by the way people choose to part ways. Remember that musicians often push their limits everyday and we may have just pushed to hard and need a brake before we brake.