Telling stories through music
Pic by Nilan Maligaspe
Talented guitarist Aaditya Gandhi from India was among the international acts at Guitarfest which concluded recently.
His performances at the festival were captivating. The soft strumming, followed by the complicated chord sequence, had the effect of taking it’s listener on a beautiful journey. A raw passion was pictured on his face at the time, while a keen observer would’ve noted the music flow through his body, before finally resonating through his guitar.
Soon after the festival had concluded, we caught up with him, for an insight into his experiences in Sri Lanka.
For Aditya his shows include a theme if you will, tied through a narrative that runs across all the works. This is complemented by an explanation in between. The latter part is his favorite, for he could also throw in a little humour.
Aditya is convinced, music is not the most important part of a performance, rather the story is. As storytelling to him is the oldest and most universal form of art, and one must use all the tools available to do it well.
“The bad performances aren’t the ones where I made a lot of mistakes on stage, but it’s ones where I forgot to put the story and message first.”
Aditya’s journey is an interesting one. It delivers a strong message that anything is possible, if you set your mind to it.
It all started, when his brother, introduced him to the guitar, he recalls. Aditya was 14 at the time. It was his parents, however, who were his biggest patrons and supported his entire musical journey.
As a child, Aditya had no inclination towards music; rather he used to be very good at visual art. “I find it important to convey that I didn’t choose music in some great inspirational moment, but it’s the exact opposite. I just started doing it – like any kid impatient and casual at first, but, eventually I fell in love with the music,” he tells us.
It nevertheless took him years of playing to finally reach that stage, where he truly wanted to pursue music. “This should encourage anyone struggling with the frustration of beginning to learn an instrument. It’s an important part of the process,” he says.
Being mostly self-taught, Aditya later graduated from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, with his bachelors in music. He went on to receive his Masters of Music at the Chicago College of Performing Arts under world-renowned guitarist Denis Azabagic. Today, he is a renowned musician and has performed in several countries such as India, Sri Lanka, Scotland and the United States.
He says Sri Lanka is a lot like India; a blank canvas. But this also means it has great potential. “One must remember that the most important people in any artistic experience are not the artists but the audiences -and Sri Lanka definitely has that,” he says, adding that he was overwhelmed by how responsive and patient the audience was. He notes that all of this points, to a hunger for new and good music.
Aditya observed that the other guitarists embodied an exceptional amount of enthusiasm and optimism. “I saw something unique in them – they were all making music happen. It is this spirit that will end up improving the cultural scene in Sri Lanka and not any influx of capital,” he says.
Our conversation moves on to the music that he does. Aditya performs music that is contemporary, and at the same time accessible. He constantly tries to shake up preconceived notions that classical music is old and complex.
“At the core of my philosophy I believe that all music, and especially classical music, which stood the test of time, is universal,” he explains. He adds one doesn’t need years of training to enjoy and understand it and mentions that he himself started loving and playing classical music, much before receiving any formal training in the subject.
Performing in front of a crowd is no easy task and until about a year ago, Aditya was frequently criticized for his stage presence and confidence while talking. Not letting this get him down, he worked hard until he was good at it. This was clearly visible in his performances.
“Our job in a concert is effective communication – through the music, through words, jokes and explanations etc. They’re vital for a good concert experience.”
He cherishes it when people compliment a piece he played, because “then I know that they were really listening and that I did my job well.”
Up on stage, the music stops and the audience is transported back to reality. The story now over and a round of applause is only fitting, as the somewhat shy guitarist takes a bow. As we recall this moment, Aditya shares that he hopes to do a solo concert in July, this year, in Colombo.