Tough Tunes

Maybe it’s just the beginning. They’ll get better and be Queen someday. There’s a Somerset Maugham short story about a boy who wanted to be a pianist and,despite years of practice and encouragement from family,he wasn’t particularly good. When he was evaluated by another musician who told him he should try a different career,he shot himself dead. Grim,indeed. One of the toughest aspects of being a parent is to be able to judge your own kids and their choices with some level of objectivity. You want so badly for them to follow their dreams and find their own space. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t. Unlike previous generations of Indian parents,many of us are not bound by convention. We don’t think our children should become engineers and doctors,we’re liberal enough to let them choose their professions,no matter how offbeat. But breaking into the music scene and making it,despite the ease with which you can distribute it on the internet now is legendarily hard. It needs a combination of talent,money,exposure and luck. Even Lady Gaga found it tough breaking into radio at the start of her career. If the talent is sketchy,you don’t have a chance. But what do you do if that’s what your child wants to do? Support it,I guess.

A parent I know struck a deal with his 20-year-old son who wanted to pursue a career in music. He had to get a degree in it,he has to practise regularly (the equivalent of studying if he were doing a regular BA course),and if he’s going nowhere in two years,he has to go for an MBA and get a job. Fair enough. Talent is an essential prerequisite of course,in every career,but more so in music,films and sports. The Outliers theory,of 10,000 hours of practice to be exceptional at almost anything,doesn’t apply to musicians,or a lot more of them would experience AR Rahman’s success. The toughest part of any offbeat career besides the obvious one of a steady income,is the waiting. For things to happen. No regular gig means little or no human contact. The isolation can be frustrating even once you reconcile to the uncertainty. Yet,what choice do you have but to give your dreams a chance? hutkayfilms@gmail.com