Where do you fit inside the vast music universe as a rock musician?
Throughout my rock n roll journey, I have often found myself in situations where there was a massive gap between what I was trying to accomplish through music and how people would perceive me as a musician.
Music is so vast that being labeled a musician alone does not mean much. During my teenage years, at social gatherings with adults, I would often be confronted with comments such. “Oh, the son of so and so is also a musician; he gives guitar lessons at the conservatory.” “The daughter of so and so plays the clarinet. Do you want to meet them? They are musicians just like you.”
No! In both cases, they are not musicians, just like me. I am an indie rocker who uses music to advance a rock n’ roll agenda, and they are not doing that. I have nothing in common with such musicians.
It’s hard to blame people for not understanding because the looks are almost identical from the outside. People see two guys with long hair playing the guitar and singing. In reality, each genre within music has its world and ecosystem, and they can be very different.
In this write-up, I will focus on where rock musician fits inside their own genre’s ecosystem. Although a musical journey is an ever-evolving adventure, knowing early on what instrument we are going to play, what sub-genre suits us the best, our role as a musician within a band, and most importantly, understanding our deep motivation in pursuing rock music can help us to get the most out of our journey in rock music.
What instrument do you want to play
Chances are we start with playing rock music with a specific instrument, but then realize we are more passionate about a different instrument. It’s okay to switch or play multiple instruments. The most crucial factor here is passion. I recommend going towards the instrument that triggers the most excitement and passion within you.
The Sub-genre
Earlier, I mentioned that music was a vast, extensive realm. Suppose we take the rock music genre as an example. Saying that we are a rocker tells us that we probably play an electric instrument in a drum-driven band, but still, it’s not precise enough to communicate where we fall in. It’s like saying Ankara is a city on planet Earth. That sentence does not tell us much about where exactly the city is located. Rock music has so many derivatives and sub-genres that we need to be more specific to locate ourselves within the genre.
As a listener, we can listen to all kinds of music, and I think it is very healthy for our growth as a musician to do so. When creating original rock music, what we produce will most likely fall into a sub-genre category or, in some cases, between the cracks of two or more sub-genres. Being aware of where we locate ourselves can be helpful in terms of gaining knowledge on what is being done in that particular sub-genre and who are the leading bands if there is a scene for that sub-genre in your town.
Specific Role within A Band
Even two people playing the same instrument within the same rock music sub-genre do not necessarily have the same function inside the band. Some people are good at songwriting and initiating ideas; others are good at creating arrangements on existing material. Some are versed in playing existing songs but cannot develop their ideas. Some musicians are into music theory, obsessed with understanding how music works, and love to transmit their knowledge to others. Knowing what role we can fill and what specific idea excites us the most in making rock music can save time. It is understood that we can be flexible and versed in various roles, but I believe one will stand out as our forte.
Personal Example
I made the most of my rock journey on the bass guitar, and for the past 12 years, I have been using the electric and acoustic guitar. However, it can seem like I have switched my main instrument, but in reality, I believe in having the same creative function on the bass and the guitar.
What excites me the most in music is initiating new ideas, connecting parts one with the other to create song backbones. When I was playing in bands, I wasn’t forming 100% of the ideas and putting all the song backbones together on my own, but I knew that this area of rock music excited me the most, and I was pretty versed in it. Knowing that allowed me to focus on the songwriting process rather than other areas of music. I don’t waste my time trying to play solos or be good on the instrument just to be good on the instrument. Knowing what excites me the most in creating music allows me to focus mainly on that area.
Making a Living with Music or Making Art?
In social situations, when people find out that I am a musician, they often ask me where I perform live. Meaning in what bar or restaurant I am working as a musician. When I explain to them I do not do any covers and may perform at the same venue only a few times within the calendar year, people generally look surprised by my answer.
From the outside, somebody like me making art through music looks the same as a professional entertainer doing covers to pay her bills. Although, from the outside, the two performers may look similar, the approach to music and the philosophy behind why we are making music are very different.
To make art, you must be free and not worry about the audience’s expectations. If you are lucky, you’ll make your art freely, and there will be a financial return to make yourself sustain. But if there is none or very little, you shouldn’t quit making art. On the contrary, If your primary motivation through music is to make art, you should do it at any cost. In that sense, a musician should decide where she stands.
If you want to make a living through music, you must be ready to sacrifice your musical soul. I see gigers and music teachers as musical prostitutes. Unless you love teaching or playing covers, you should avoid going that route as an artist using music to express herself. I prefer a job unrelated to music to pay the bills than polluting my musical soul playing covers at a restaurant or teaching beginners how to play music.
Although performing covers and teaching might make me a better musician because of the extra practice, I think it will destroy my creativity and joy in playing music. I’ve been playing endless hours without anybody paying me for all these years. This is my biggest passion in life. It is something precious to me. I would love my original songs to stream for millions. I have no problem with making more money with the music I am making today as long as I make the music I want to make without worrying about the financial outcome.
Conclusion
As we progress through our rock n’ roll journey, I believe it to be a good practice to know what sub-genre we are thriving in, what our role is inside a band, and most importantly, why we are doing this. All those parameters can change through time, and it is acceptable, but the more we know where we stand, who we are, and the function we have as a rock musician better we will be equipped to make the right decisions and concentrate our efforts where it matters in order to make progress.
About Me
I’m Ali Deniz Özkan. I’ve been playing in original music-making rock bands since 1991. I am the founder and sole member of the rock band Black Sea Storm. In the mid-’90s, I played in a Swiss band called Swoan. During the 2000s, I played in a San Diego, California, band called Channing Cope. In 2010 and 2011, I played as a stage musician with Kenseth Thibideau in the United States.
