Finger-style competitors!

Back 2016 I was one of the top 10 finalists at the All India finger-style guitar competitions. There were 20 of us competing for the guitar that came all the way from Germany. Many guitarists came from all over India and I was quick to notice the attitude of a few musicians, some really did not like sharing their “tricks”, especially the ones from the North East. The rest of us from other states didn’t bother to warm up or practice before the show. But the brothers green the North East, found a corner and was always practising. I was wondering why they were being so secretive and not welcoming. The idea of this competition was to bring musicians together to share ideas, network etc. But these guys took the competition literally, perhaps their tribal warriors in them kicked in and they just wanted to obliterate us, with their guitars, of course!

They were exceptionally talented, but very competitive. They would not talk to you! One of them even went to the lengths of covering their hands with a handkerchief, so we won’t copy his technique while he warmed up before the competition. One other competitor blocked his strings from vibrating with a tissue paper, so we won’t hear him. The other musician I saw was in a corner playing silently, and if anyone approached him, he would change his location and continue practicing. I saw another one just not responding (read ignoring) a fellow musician trying to talk to him! 

Honest to god! None of us would match their levels of technique just by looking at their hands or listening to them for a couple of hours. Maybe they value their art so much that they feel superior to everyone else or it just narrows down to insecurity! 

I used to feel superior and now inferior too, at one point of time, but I was humbled by life. That’s the story for another blog post..or not!