By Prince Alaka Jnr
The article “The Need For Musical Collaboration Among Benue Born Artist” is written by Prince Alaka Jnr the Media director to the Benue state music director Art and culture (Anongu Data JP).
THE CONCEPT OF MUSIC
Music is define as a pleasant sound which is a combination of melodies and harmony and which soothes you; in other words, Music also refer to the art of composing such pleasant sounds with the help of the various musical instruments. A person who knows music is a Musician. The music consists of Sargam, Ragas, Taals, Etc.
Music is part of our lives, from when we’re growing up to when we’re old. We grow up to the sound of our mothers singing us lullabies so that we’d go to sleep. Music is one of the most calming and soothing things if you let it be. It comes from melodies and tunes strung together by people who sing and play musical instruments.
The power of music shows in the simplest of things, such as when you absentmindedly tap your foot to a beat or hum a tune unknowingly.
Music is not only created by people, but it is also all around us in nature. In the mornings, when the crickets and the birds chirp, it is music. The loud sound of the waves in the ocean swishing, the whistle in the wind, and the sound of trees and leaves rustling are all their own forms of music.
Music is something that we all enjoy in the course of our lives. It is the sound that is brought together through a harmony of instruments and singing voices. It is something that is part of us ever since we enter this world. Our mothers, fathers and grandparents sing us lullabies so that we can sleep peacefully. In the mornings, we listen to the birds chirping and the leaves of plants and trees rustling, and even this is like music to our ears. Music is everywhere, and all you have to do is open up your ears to hear it.
Those who know how to create music using instruments and their own bodies are called musicians. There are different kinds of instruments – percussion, string, brass, woodwind and piano/keyboard. Percussion instruments include drums, bongos, the triangle, tambourine, tabla, dholak, etc. and they are the ones responsible for giving the main beat to a song. String instruments include the harp, guitar, cello, violin, etc. and they give rhythm to the music.
Brass instruments refer to those that you have to play with your mouth, such as the trombone, trumpet, the French horn, etc. In these instruments, you blow air into the instruments to create vibrations. Woodwind instruments follow a similar concept using air/wind, except that these instruments are made of wood and the sound profile is higher pitched than brass, for example, the flute. The piano/keyboard consists of a set of keys that have a range of pitches. When musicians put one or more of these sounds together in harmony, it creates what we know as music.
However, that’s not all to it; music can be even one of those instruments, such as the strumming of a guitar, a melodious tune on the piano, a catchy beat on the bongos, etc. When you add another voice to an instrument, it is called singing and is a vital part of the music. When people who play different instruments come together to play them together, it is called a band.
There are many different genres of music, too, such as rock, pop, classical, blues, jazz, R&B, hip-hop, etc. All of these genres of music are characterized by how the instruments work together.
For example, rock music is often louder and has more pronounced percussion and string instruments, while jazz is a genre where the saxophone is very prevalent. In today’s world, we see a lot of combinations of genres such as pop-rock, classical rock, etc. One of the newest genres of music is electronic dance music (EDM) which consists of loud percussive beats and is very popular to young people.
They say that music is a universal language, meaning that you don’t necessarily need to understand the words in a song to enjoy the music.
In this way, music connects people all over the world with its universal language. I love listening to music especially because of this reason.
Music has the power to unite people, make us feel at peace, make us feel understood; it is something to dance to, bond over, and even listen to when alone. Music is not just sound, it is its own language and it communicates so much; it is a beautiful thing.
Having introduce and lament on the concept of music with it relevance, which most can subscribe to the above explanation as factual, we will now further on to vividly pick some point and discuss as the need for collaboration among Benue born Artist both within and diaspora to help enlighten more on how retro the Benue music industry is going instead of progressing.
POPULARITY
This is one of the key point to be discuss on why and how Benue born Artist needs to be cooperated and collaborate with one another to hit viral.
It is so appalling and a little bit sarcastic why some of the Benue born Artist failed to understand the meaning of popularity and how is effective in the music industry.
Popularity is one of the prominent point to be considered as an Artist, why so because, it gives you fans, and fans give you energy which can be inform of supportive means during or after stage performance.
The inability of Benue born Artist to make themselves popular can be understood as absence of unity among others, I reflect on this kin point with teas on my eyes because, I have heard of numerous and countless Benue musicians whom are doing well within and diaspora, but hence they is lack of collaboration between any of the widely known artists, they are songs and talent remain silent and unknown to the people.
Let’s examining by using some few artist who became popular with the aid of collaboration, Od woods featuring Davido and Vector song titled “Go Below”. Orduen Ikon better known as Od Woods songs travel airlines and trend on the web because of the collaboration he did with Davido and Vector, and that single make him popular.
Imagine we subscribe to this ideology and make it our priority and as a gaol to work on as Artists, we will at least be heard within and even outside our state; not necessary you will collaborate outside, but Benue state have blessed talents whom are more than those we mix their tracks with our data wasted downloading their songs for the sake of music fashion.
RELATIONSHIP
Most of the Benue born Artist still hustle after show performance because of lack of good relationship with fans and standard collaboration with production manager and show organiser.
Relationship is one of the major point to consider under this regard as far music is concern, because good relationship with fans can help you reach where ordinary you will not; But having some mutual relationship connection with those above or below you both artist and fans can lead you to your dream home.
Good relationship with fans and fellow Artist is what good doing as an artist who is working hard to showcase his or her talent for folk appreciation and general entertainment.
Relationship here I will presume it to be a mutual connection and understanding with people below and above you; thus entails that the connection has valid and unending limitation.
This unending limitation of relationship between fellow Artist can bring a ho-hum and recognise grade to remembered among each other, by so doing, one can inform or involves you in any given concept or show without your notice, without your consent because the mutual relationship has been established in decades.
CONNECTION
Most people today are making connection more than Facebooking, Twitting and WhatsApping, this is because the world continue being in advance standard every blessing day.
Getting connected with different people as an artist, you might possibly receive some dignity and respect, award winning artist will be your portion, it baffles me when an upcoming or a full time Artist keep giving report about another fellow stage performing or producer of a given studio how him or her never feel to be connected with other people.
No man want loneliness, I presume it be as only when you approach without faith and humbleness that they will observe lack of trust in you, if so is the case, they can’t call you for show, blog your content or produce your song as expected because of the attitude being demonstrated.
If you get connected with different artists no matter how sardonically and sarcastic some might treat you but, the other person will console you.
It is crystal clear about how most young people jump into entertainment industry to be recognise or make money, but those we hear their names like Portable and Phyno which most of their songs is recorded in their languages and only few of their singles is meaningful.
But hence they make connections with people, their making it and living a luxurious life; this come through with the help of connection and collaboration with other global Artist who introduce them to the world and people around them.
CULTURAL PROMOTION
From our explanation about what music is, i firmly believe that’s indubitable fact that we capture music relating to culture, and most will attest to the fact that yes even in Benue state most of the talented artist based on cultural promotion, people like Anongu Data, Dan Ayo, Luke Rubem (Rapizo) Egyptian Cairo and many others.
The need for cultural promotion is one of the kin and remarkable point to be understand and work upon as an Artist, let’s take a critical comparable of some well known Artist who since day one refuse to never stop warming the ears of the Tiv people with the current happening within the state for a song collaboration.
If the above mention people team up for a song collaboration most everyone within or outside the state will feel tantalising and curious to have the collaborated song on his or her playlist, because they axiomatic believe that if both mention artist collaborate, the message being pass will be greatly comprehensive.
UNITY AMONG BENUE ARTISTS.
Unity is one of the key element that indicates or show love and togetherness among a given society; with unit one can always be a brothers keeper.
Most of the Benue born Artist what serve as a barrier to their popularity and collaboration is lack of unity; why lack of unity is that, they refute to be cooperated, being a brothers keeper, and standing for the development of another.
Reflecting on the meaning of unity and how is being operated and considered, one can easily asses that, yes they is no unity among Benue born Artist; reason being that, most everyone want his or her name to heard and not the other.
That egoistic life style bring what I refer to as laconic lacuna, because the gap created for problem among artist is beyond measurement, which is really not peasant and accepted among those who they refer to as entertainers.
Most everyone look up to you as his or her joy giver when it come to entertainment, thus, they is every need for unity among Benue born Artist, this unity can be demonstrated through song collaboration and organising of community theatre for both full time and upcoming artist to showcase their talent.
CONCLUSION
The Benue state music industry is seeing to be blessed, just that lack of the above mentioned points as discussed and vividly attempted for clear understanding serve as the major issues which hinder it development.
Thus, the call for collaboration among artist will help solve the issues faced in the Benue state music industry.
Having understood that music serve greatly in human life, hence it can console and set one relief from inner thinking and emotional thought, thus, they is every need for Benue born Artist to Shawn gender bias and the ideology of where one come from and allow oneness or togetherness to make Benue state music industry great.
Leave a Reply