The Chinese Bamboo Tree and You
Do you realise that you and the Chinese Bamboo Tree have a lot in common? Yes, that’s right.
The Chinese Bamboo Tree shows no outward growth for the initial 3-4 years. And in the fifth year, the tree grows an astonishing 4 feet per day! During the initial years, the tree grows its root system that is powerful enough to support its rapid growth later on. And it does just that for F.O.U.R years during which it looks like it is not growing at all!
Learning to sing is exactly like growing a Chinese Bamboo Tree. You will not be a star the next day. If anyones says otherwise to lure you, you should be very cautious and tread carefully.
So how do you grow your singing roots? By listening to good music, and by practicing every day. Let me break that down for you.
Listening to good music
The other day, I asked a question to Shri Trilochan Kampli – a well-known Tabla maestro, who is also the Chief Content Officer for Riyaz. I asked him, “Bhai, with Riyaz we have hundreds of thousands of beginner students who are just getting started with their journey of learning to sing. How do we help them besides the regular practice with Riyaz? There are many unknowns to them, some might even be intimidated by the learning difficulties.”
A child prodigy, he reflected on his own journey as a beginner to answer this question. Then he jumped to the present day where he himself is teaching students to play Tabla. He said, “Music is a shravana vidhya, I have always failed in explaining a certain composition to my student. But what amazes me is the effect of constant listening to that composition; it enters you, goes in the blood and takes you over.”
There it is!
Constantly keeping yourself soaked in good music == Growing roots in learning to sing.
Not good music alone, but also hearing to the priceless experiences of people who have been through this road and seen the struggle to get there.
#ListenToSing Series
We want Riyazers to stand on the shoulders of the giants. This will allow you to experience your own journey in the new light shed by the journeys and insights of those giants.
To make this happen, we are launching an experience series starting today. In this series, you will be sent one video which you can watch each day to learn and experience something new. These videos will come from a set of well-curated ones that Shri Trilochan himself and the educators at MusicMuni have hand-picked.
We hope this will be a cherished learning experience for all of you. Please do share your views and suggestions in the comment section below for the collective benefit of all Riyazers.