The band struck the chords and drums to tune up and their
beats reverberated briefly through the auditorium. We were at the fag end of
our marathon half-day session. The starving crowd, which had already queued
itself next to the dinner tables, turned their heads in anticipation. They,
however, were disappointed as no sound bite followed for next few minutes. As
the minutes ticked by, there were occasional guitar, drums, keyboard beats and
they were largely ignored. The wait was appearing to be agonizingly long and
few persons had already left.
At last, the band played. And what a show it turned out to
be! For next 30 minutes, they belted out one hit after another sending shivers
down everyone's spines. They captivated their small audience and held them
spellbound. The effect probably was magnified due to smaller size of the
auditorium and familiar faces in the crowd and the band. It felt like being in
a college fest after ages.
Later that night, while driving back home, I couldn't
resist thinking about "The Band". They had a very peculiar name – Out
of Order Band. If this was what Out-of-Order meant then I was for it every
single moment of my life.
Noise or Music?
A band, in essence, produces sound that sounds like
phenomenal music because it is produced in a certain pattern and order. How can
they do it? Because its members understand and complement each other. They come
together to play in unison, not in isolation. They do not compete with each
other and neither any one plays to outdo the rest. Every member acknowledges
and respects the contribution of others. Occasionally and intentionally, they
allow one of them to take over and hog the limelight for a while. Why? Because
that's what the music demands sometimes in order to propel the audience
experience and that member to a higher level. And what do other members do?
They simply raise themselves up to meet and match them all in that higher
orbit. This is one of the ways how tempo is built. At its peak, it is beyond
words and can only be experienced.
The Sounds of Life
Yes, life mirrors a musical band. Whether its sound bites
seem like music or noise is controlled by us. What instruments and how many
does your band require is decided by you. After all, it is your band.
In general, the instruments we struggle to synchronize
across would fall under these 4 categories (rather they are the instruments):
Personal, Professional, Family and Social.
We must recognize and respect contribution of our band
members and ensure they play in unison. If they compete with each other every
single moment, you will only feel stress and hear noise. Of course occasionally
one or the other will hog the limelight for a while. Only for a while! Because
if you allow one member to play for far too long, you run the risk of ruining
the show. Your very own "SHOW"!!