‘Don’t compromise on originality, quality’

Stars share experiences and advice with aspiring musicians.

LAHORE:

“Finally an initiative to promote music! It is an opportunity for which guys like me have waited for so long. In the absence of music courses, this is the next best thing,” is how Zia, a music enthusiast, described Lums music festival.

Arranged by the Lahore University of Management Sciences (Lums) Music Society, the festival welcomes solo musicians as well as bands. The highlight of the first day was the workshop by Salman Ahmad, who addressed aspiring musicians through live video conference from New York. The music society first played the recording of a workshop that Ahmad conducted in a studio with Peter Gabriel – recorded for the event. Ahmad stressed originality while talking with the participants, “Be inspired but play like yourself. You can learn the major scales but learn the rest on your own. Very few musicians can write or play music from the heart, you should aim for that. If you stay true to yourself, you can bring about a revolution,” he advised.

Salman Ahmad also talked about how important it was that a musician should appreciate all sorts and genres of music. “Every person and what they create is unique. A simple chord can create something moving,” he said.

Participants got to ask questions from the guitarist about the commercialisation of music and difficulties that beginners face. However, as a result of a bad connection, the question and answer session did not go that well.

The second workshop was conducted by Farhad Humayun, the Overload drummer and vocalist. He talked about the technicalities of recording, equipment and software that can be used for better results. “Cheap equipment will give you a cheap sound; good equipment will give you good sound. How much you want to spend on equipment is your choice but learning the technicalities will teach you what you need to know about good sound,” he told the participants. A few then recorded a live session during which Humayun gave them tips.

Ali Nabi Nur, one of the organisers, told The Express Tribune that the aim was to promote music in a way that was more than entertainment. Azam Khurram, the society president, said that they had been planning the event for about a year.

The Friday event ended with a live gig by amateur bands that performed original songs as well as cover songs of some metal bands.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 6^th, 2011.