4 Things To Remember if you want a Career in Music !

The Fête de la Musique, also known as World Music Day is a global phenomenon celebrated on the 21st of June every year to mark the solstice and first day of summer in many countries. Of course, in India, this day usually falls bang in the middle of heavy monsoons all over the country! However, that doesn’t hold us back from being a part of this culturally diverse and spectacular event. India played its part with multicultural musical performances all over the country showcasing folk and tribal, old and new genres !

I, on the other hand, decided to catch up with a close family friend who also happened to be my music teacher when I was a kid. Shitalchandr Kulkarni, apart from being the lead guitarist in Tungztn is also a fabulous music teacher, producer, composer and amazing human being. We got chatting about his journey over the years, how he pursued his dream to be a musician and his views on the independent music scene in India.

Can you please start with telling us a little about your childhood and your introduction to music?

“(Laughing) Baap re! You’re asking me to turn back time a few hundred years! My introduction to music was in the fifth standard when I started learning the guitar at the Institute of Modern Music, a music school that my father started in 1965. I studied at Vidya Bhavan School in Pune and was extremely fortunate to have Father Barreto as my Principal. He was one of the first people, along with my father Suhaaschandra Kulkarni, to recognise my aptitude for music and the guitar. He played an immense role in my nascent career by always being supportive and pushing me to keep my focus on music. Sometimes, even over academics. It gave us major incentive to know that our school believed in us studying music and promoted our talent every chance they got. My initial stage fright and shyness was completely abolished thanks to the various school functions and inter school activities that I was a part.”

So, from playing at school functions to being the lead guitarist and co-founder of Tungztn, tell us about your journey …

“After school, by my 11th standard, I was already part of a band that was playing commercially. The first band I was a part of was called TallFaThins which was more of a college-ish band. In 1995, we changed the band name to Tungztn, because we thought we had become mature enough to change the kind of music we were making. The line up changed, the thought process changed and we became more creative and commercial. We released our first Twin Album in 2000, which did fairly ok. We released our second album last year, and thanks to the technology and friendlier platforms, the album did really well. So if I had to gauge my journey from school and college to where I am today, I’d say my experiences have taken me much closer to the industry, understanding of the commerce and the creativity of being a musician.”

Tell us the highlights of your career in the past few years. The moments where you felt that life couldn’t get much better than this!

“The top moment in the recent past will be when Tungztn was nominated in 5 categories at the IRAA awards for our album Jumpstart. Even though we didn’t win the award, it felt good to be recognized and appreciated for our work. The second would probably be when the guitar company Ibanez heard my work and offered me an endorsement opportunity. It isn’t about the publicity, just the fact that a body had noticed my work and recognised my music on a global platform. So now, I’m the endorsee for the Ibanez S-Series in India.”

What would you say is the scope for musicians in India?

“Honestly, that’s a very relative question that would be very difficult to answer in a specific way. There is a huge amount of scope and then there’s no scope. Both the areas are on a very transparent level in our industry. It just depends on how fast you establish yourself, how fast you get recognised and how fast you manage to be with the right people at the right time and in the right place to make it work for you. When you start off, there are stingy payments and it seems like an unviable career (financially). So it’s important to figure out if working in these volatile conditions suits you and if you have an alternate route to your ultimate goal.

All of this of course, is with your talent taken for granted. If you don’t have the talent; as a singer, a musician, a mixing engineer, a composer or even a producer; if you don’t have the talent to cater to the need of the market, there would be no scope for you at all. At the same time, the industry is growing, there are now a host of channels and choices for musicians apart from mainstream instrument playing. For a matter of fact, there is a body of work that’s being created as we speak. But in the Indian industry, it is still very difficult to achieve success as an equal balance of popularity and money.”

What would your advice be to budding musicians?

1)   Define yourself

“It is most important to define yourself and define your music at the root level. Musicians are very emotional and very easily inspired. So for example, it is very easy for a guitar player to go to a rock concert and get blown away by the drummer or the sound technician! But remembering not to get carried away and defining yourself as a guitarist first, is what is important. Know what your core values are and what would truly be the central aspect of your musical journey.”

2)  Focus on Growth

“Also, at the same time, it is important to grow and focus on self development. Music is one of the few fields where you can spend a life time learning new things and discovering new sounds. Focus on developing every aspect of yourself. For example, being a good DJ is about a lot more than knowing your software and your iTunes library. You must be a good performer; you must have an ear for versatile music and sounds and be open to understanding the fundamentals of making music.”

3)  Recognise yourself in your music!

“All musicians start off replicating other musicians’ work, trying to mimic their sounds and doing cover tracks of their songs. Most musicians also have an idol and guru from the music world that they look up to. However, it is also important to remember that you should recognise your own style and your own uniqueness in your creations. After a point, your own creativity and a little bit of ‘you’ should become a part of your work. And you should be able to recognise that element.

4)  Be prepared for the struggle

“Contrary to popular belief, being in the music industry is not a cake walk. Creative people are highly emotional and sensitive and so, you must have the resilience and fortitude to face the tough times. It is a hard road to get to where you want and it isn’t always smooth and sunny with a rainbow. People can be de-motivating and opportunities might be scarce, but believe in yourself, put your game face and be prepared for the struggle.”

Lastly, could you please tell us who some of your idols have been ?

“I have had 4 idols over the years; RD Burman, Ritchie Blackmore, Yanni and Paul Gilbert. All, for their impeccable musical skills, discipline and ability to sheer ability to create magic!” 

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If this interview has caught your eye and you want to find out more about a career in music, let us know and we can set up a mentoring call for you with Shital !

About the Author 

Aanchal Sant is a third year Arts student, pursuing a majors in English Literature. She has a keen interest in management and administrative work and is a part of The Potter's Earth team. She loves interacting with her peers to help them find their unique life purpose ! Away from her crazy and eccentric life, she loves music and dance and spends her evenings in the company of her white and brown weird dog, Boochie!