Final Draft - Morgan Garrett

         I can never remember having a connection to any music before entering high school. I would listen to the radio in the car with my family, but that was about as far as my exposure to popular music reached. I did not understand most aspects of music. I could not even comprehend how sounds were produced. I knew nothing of musical instruments other than most music is made with guitars, a drummer, and a singer. I assumed that all bands were huge. Being in a band was seemingly unattainable in my eyes; it was only for people that were somehow able to transcend average people. I grew up with no knowledge of an aspect of my life that is incredibly significant to me today. Within a span of five years, I went form being an outsider to music communities, to becoming heavily involved.

            I can remember being exposed to boy bands like N*SYNC and The Backstreet Boys when I began kindergarten. I don’t recall any memories concerning my exposure to radio music before this time. 

When I entered into public school, I began to see an obsession with the members of these musical groups by my peers. Many kids would wear these groups on their shirts, and talk about getting the chance to see then live in concert. These concert trips were very sought after and typically occurred during special occasions like birthdays. I can remember hearing this music on the radio and on Nickelodeon. This type of music began to have some sort of wire connected to nearly every aspect of my life. At school I would see it within my friends, occasionally within music classrooms, at home on television, and in restaurants and shopping outlets. I feel like it was at this time that I finally acknowledged music. I became truly aware of its existence at this point, and it terrified me. I viewed music as a powerful entity that was untouchable by me, so I tried not to think about it. I did not associate much with the music I heard, I tried to shun it off and become as disinterested as possible. Eventually this intensity began to wear off, but many of the stigmas still remained. I became more comfortable with music, after accepting its presence in my life. I still viewed it as something bigger than my understanding, but I was willing to interact with it more.

            At age twelve I went on a field trip to Washington DC with my sixth grade class. I brought along a Sony Walkman CD player, but I don’t even recall bringing any CDs to listen to.

I knew that all the kids would have some sort of musical device to keep them company, so I thought I would bring mine along (which I used to listen to my only two CDs: Human Clay by Creed, and Astro Lounge by Smash Mouth) and maybe listen to music if it were offered to me.  I ended up sitting with a friend who brought along a slew of CDs. They were mostly CDs bought from the store, but he had a few mix CDs as well, which included many different artists. I can remember him giving me an Eminem CD to listen to. My only knowledge of Eminem was from an entertainment television show, which talked about how many people viewed him as a bad role model for kids because of the content of his music, like “I want to stab nine inch nails through each one of my eyelids.” (Eminem) I felt conflicted to listen to it, but I was curious to see what all the fuss was about. I ended up listening to the CD the majority of the way to DC and back. I was impressed by his witty lyrics and intensity. His personal reflections seemed very genuine and real. I started to gain a greater appreciation for this type of construction of feelings. I began to understand this outlet of emotion through music. I was not yet aware of it as an art form, but I could identify its impact on people, and I understood how people related to music in personal ways. These connections made more sense to me, but I still neglected their connections to myself. This appreciation grew when I entered into junior high school and became exposed to different forms of music.

            Around age thirteen I acquired an mp3 player that could hold around 50 songs. During this time, file sharing became very popular among my peers. I can remember going to friends’ homes and watching people download music through file sharing sites on their computers. This sort of accessibility is what led me to explore different types of music. I was not allowed to download music on my own computer, so I would secretly use my friend’s computer to fill my mp3 player with different kinds of music. I packed it full of whatever songs he had in his library. I listened to groups like Death Cab for Cutie and the Arctic Monkeys. They both fit in a similar vein of music; very melodic, comforting, pretty sounding, and easy to listen to. This sort of composition made me realize that not all songs were jagged, energized pop songs like I was familiar with as a younger kid. I felt like the people in these bands resembled real human beings. They did not appear to be the filtered image that I was bombarded with as a child. These groups were not made up of 12-year-old kids rapping about doing homework or beating Shaquille O’Neal in an imaginary game of basketball (AZLyrics). The elements of their music felt personal.

I had never seen music in a light like this before. Through researching these groups and learning more about their activity as a band, I started to see the connections that existed between them. Many of the bands that I started listening to performed with each other from time to time. Some bands would go on tours, which are extended periods of performing music in different cities, often with two bands. A community began becoming clearer to me. These musicians belonged to a music community that I did not know existed. The musicians in these bands interacted with each other. My idea of a “musician” was a standalone performer who danced and lip synced in front of thousands of people at arenas. These bands wrote their own music, and worked their way up to greater success by playing constantly and recording. They didn’t play in arenas from the get-go. Many bands began performing in small bars, and slowly created a larger fan base through networking. It was these elements that started to push my music interests past listening, and into creation of my own musical sounds. In high school I found a friend that I was able to share these interests and ambitions with.

            From my freshman to senior year of high school, I shared a gym class with my music friend. During these classes we would walk laps around the gymnasium and share music that we had found online the night before. We both resonated with one band that we discovered at the same time.

            It is important to mention that during high school I began playing a video game called Guitar Hero. It was a loose simulation of playing guitar where you would press frets which corresponded to pitch, and strum a plastic bar which was similar to picking. 

I played the game more as a skill based game, and did not focus on the music quite as much. When the next installment was coming out, I began researching songs that would be included. I tried gauging the difficulty of these songs by listening to them beforehand. A song by the band The Fall of Troy was included in the newest game, and I was blown away with the complexity of the sounds being produced. This is the band that my friend and I became obsessed with throughout high school.

            I was active in an online Guitar Hero forum where people would discuss songs for future games, strategies for scoring the most points, and different playing techniques. This was an online music community that I was heavily involved in with no real connection to the production of music. In my head, I had a good understanding of how music was made because of this video game. Members of this community only reinforced my beliefs due to the adamancy of their claims concerning music. I was out of touch with the idea of playing music, when I thought I understood it to a significant degree. Luckily my music friend played guitar and could explain real life techniques that these games tried to emulate. I found an article that compares playing Guitar Hero to playing a real guitar (Qualls). It was interesting to read because many of the claims he makes about playing guitar were similar to my experience from switching to guitar from Guitar Hero. He mentions tips to those who are attempting to make the switch, and gives reasons why he believes playing real guitar is more fulfilling. I agree with most of what he writes about. It is strange to read something that is so immediately relatable to myself.

            Both my music friend and I were involved in Guitar Hero, but I became more involved in it than he did. He played guitar, and frequently described the similarities and differences between real guitar and the simulation. After a period of playing this game with him, and him trying to teach me certain aspects of playing real guitar, I decided to as for a bass guitar for my 17^th birthday. My parents were very hesitant at purchasing it for me, as they wanted me to be sure that it would be a happy that would interest me on worth its pursuit. I acquired a lot of inexpensive gear for my birthday, but it turned out to be music gear that I would learn on for the next two years.

My first bass

            I began learning songs by The Fall of Tory, and learning correct playing techniques. I watched YouTube videos on proper playing technique, and I listened to advice from my music buddy on how to approach writing my own music. These steps in my exposure to music have been the most influential in my life thus far. This moment in my life exposed me to an approach of music that I had previously been totally oblivious to, the creative aspect. I became a part of an aspect of music that had previously been so unknown to me. Writing my own music and playing it with others became a life changing experience.

            After learning the ropes for about a year and a half, I joined a band with my friend Evan, and four other people that I did not know. This turned out to be a tremendous learning experience for me. I gained a greater appreciation for the coordination that is involved in getting band members on the same page, and getting everyone available to practice, and in the same mindset for writing music. I was thrown into these situations by my own will, but I learned quickly. It was so interesting to reflect back on where I had come from musically. Many of the members had played in other bands, so I was very much an outsider. Observing interactions between people in this setting was the most exciting and eye-opening. Becoming part of this culture, and learning how to interact and share musical ideas was fascinating. I now had a voice within this realm, and had begun establishing myself within a music community. Setting up performances, and interacting with other musicians became something that I would continue to do in the present day.

            Shortly after I left this band, I started a two-piece band with the drummer that consisted of only bass guitar and drums. 

Evan and I performing in Portsmouth at our EP release

We began practicing and writing songs, and I started getting us shows in my hometown, and in Columbus. Within a very short period of time, I had constructed a complex web a musicians that I became connected to. We started playing shows in different cities in Ohio, and within a year, we went on our first tour of the Midwest. How did all of this happen?

            How did I go from hearing about *NSYNC, to listening to Smash Mouth, to listening to the Arctic Monkeys, to planning tours through New York City and Boston to visit friends? Within a very short period of time, I found myself deeply- rooted within a modern music community. I found myself connected through musicians on the Internet. I taught myself how to play an instrument, mingled with people who do the same, and expanded my communications with those outside of my geographic locations. I very rapidly became attracted to the idea of performing for people. I wanted to share it with as many people as I could. I am currently in the latter stage of doing what I can to share and express my musical collaborations with others around the country. It takes me back to my exposure to bands like Death Cab for Cutie, who toured all the time, and constantly wrote and released music. I find myself doing a similar thing, with similar goals. It was through these experiences that I learned how to handle myself within this community. I started from a very convoluted look on music, to a much more well rooted, understanding of music that has shaped a lot of my interests today.

Evan and I performing at Nice Age in St. Louis, MO

            It is interesting to think of my perception of music now compared to when I was active in playing Guitar Hero. My understanding of music was much different than it is today. It would be interesting to go back to the forum that I was so heavily involved in and see how people have changed (if they even have). Within five years of playing I have found myself somewhat proficient at playing my instrument, and with the ability to setup shows around the country with music friends.  I have found myself within a community that is comparable to my teenage idols. I found out that there is a community of music that can exist on a smaller scale, and one that I can become heavily involved in.

References

“Guitar Hero Vs. Real Guitar.” About.com. Qualls, Eric. n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2012.

AZLyrics. AZLyrics.com (spacecowboy101). Web. 11 Dec. 2012.

Eminem. “My Name Is.” The Slim Shady LP. Dr. Dre, 1998.