Image gotten from pixabay
FROM THE NEIGHBOR'S POINT OF VIEW
My music journey to me really began when my uncle go I grew up with brought home a keyboard one day, apparently someone who owned a music store owed him money and wasn’t really really interested in paying back. So he brought a cuboidal package that changed my life forever.
At the time, we were living in a fenced compound where my music, as elementary and annoying as it must have been back then (now that I think of it) could not really be heard by my actual neighbors around, but what was my Forster family there for? They were the closest thing to neighbor I had, including our security guard back then, he usually had 3-5 people living with him in his small house- which now that I think about it, may be part of the reason why we were robbed twice in our home there 😆, but we survived all that so it’s all good. We lived there from about 1996/1997- 2010/2011 (I’m sure it fits into that range at least .
Image by Davgood Kirshot from Pixabay
Having no music experience, I started off playing songs in the keyboard library most times. I immediately noticed the digital indicator that displayed the keyboard on-screen and showed which keys were being played while a song was on, the song library, the tempo, tune, song, voice, transpose and other buttons, my favorite at the time being the L & R buttons which were more of an easy way to learn for me while having fun.
I could talk about the features on this keyboard for quite a while, and even though I lost it in a relocation almost 9 years ago, I can remember every inch of it. I think I may have allowed my thought carry me too farther than down the topic than I should be at the moment, let’s get back to the proper order now, shall we?
My music from my neighbor’s point of view
- My first neighbors
My first "neighbors" were my family and the security men. Sadly for them, i was still a child then and without a tutor or any knowledge of YouTube, i depended solely on learning from playing around with that sound box- as our security man Abubakar called... I am sure they had a hard time dealing with the noise at times, however, nobody in that circle played an instrument. This made my progress into a thing of public interest, and i tried to play to impress myself and others, and i remember being told many times that i was reminiscent of one musician or the other... All in all, i think that this bunch was fairly satisfied with my music and hoped the best for me. There were some who thought music was a waste of my time though. Regardless, i carried on playing and learned to score a few song while i would also try to sing along sometimes...
New music, new Neighbors
Experiencing music through dance- my neighbors' view
Image gotten from pixabay
The year was 2012, I had just received admission into a prestigious private university- 'ABUAD'. It was exciting but not as much as when I actually got there... I started dancing in a crew and found music in a new dimension. Performed at gigs and learned a lot from some really dedicated people.
My neighbors here were my friends and dormitory mates, we practiced routines and steps in the dorms, outdoors on weekends and in college buildings(at t his time ABUAD did not yet have a dance hall, now they do). Their point of view, you say? I was a and still tend tend to be a shy person, an as such, i had few friends. These lot were fairly supportive, and i say this because some of them were very supportive and the rest were either indifferent or found ways to throw a shade or two whenever they got the chance to or just felt like. As for the other folk in the dorm, we often saw people passing by the window of the common room we used stop a little to watch and some became ardent viewers and supporters. I was know for my stunts and flips, couldn't really develop my B-boying skills back then, so i wont include that in my resume it seems 😓
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I can safely assume that my neighbors(if they can remember me after all this time) would not believe that i have stopped dancing for long now. Their thoughts at the time may have been either that i was on my way to becoming a great dancer or that i was just having fun. I have always been a lover of physical activities, as i also participated in badminton, tennis, football and some kung-Fu, so it won't be out of place if someone thought i was just passing time with dance.
Epiphany
I found music in yet another light when i picked up guitar playing in 2015. Someone who was known as T.Y was introduced to be by Enoch- a companion at the time. Enoch was bent on my joining his church choir since he enjoyed my singing so much. You see, in this new school i was not in a dorm facility, rather i was in an apartment building where i met a new friend. It may have been the guitar i could see from outside his room while walking through the main entrance that made me befriend him at the time.
I had lost my keyboard by now and had long been craving music in the form of an instrument, i wasn't even dancing anymore. Just like ants to sugar, i immediately started to play with the instrument first chance i got... besides, Alex just had it hanging on his wall and could not even play the dammed thing!!
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I simply cannot understand why he did that, but it turned out fine for me.
I had no idea how to work this thing, there were just too many strings and too much to do at once... so what did i do? I remembered how i played the piano back then and played along one string at a time, striking single note by strumming the one string while moving my other finger along the fret board... This was how i started playing guitar, and it was one of those days i sat at my usual corner at a rarely used staircase in our apartment building i met Enoch...
I have told this seemingly boring tale to paint us the view from some neighbors there of which Enoch was a part, and you can see how pivotal his encounter with my music was to my life as i know it. Other people in my apartment would bring out their chairs to sit at my staircase while I was left with the only option to perform music to them, they often joined in and we made a bit of happy memories together.
A star is born
Haven found a new source and some very strong inspiration, i began writing songs and singing at gigs and shows. Lets jump further up our timeline, just about real time, shall we? I would be in school at the moment where I'm rounding up a degree in Engineering if it was for an ongoing strike... Regardless, we will now assess the views of my present neighbors.
So far so great
I have had quite a music career, with the opportunity to record over 15+ songs and write just about the same with my guitar.
I feel blessed when i hear the comments people make about my music here on Hive and out there in the real world, that in itself is enough to brighten any grey sky for me... I am obliged to also give sincere upbuilding commendation to others as a result. It's been a long time coming and it all has been worth it so far...
[source](Image by Yuri_B from Pixabay)
Please accept these flowers as a token of my gratitude, especially for sticking by this post till now, i for one am tired of writing...
To conclude, however, i must say something else that has brought me joy in the recent years up till now. My recent neighbors have had o deal with me being very unpredictable, i play my guitar and sometimes sing at night when I'm strongly inspired to.
Since it's quiet and void of external distractions, i find it to be the best time to practice at night. I often hear people around me say they enjoyed my singing at night, and some say they could hear my play in their dreams
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I have had the most beautiful experience with my neighbors in general, i hope to find more neighbors that are as supportive and understanding. Of course i try to be as reasonable as i can considering them while doing my music, they are a huge pat of my music life and story so far, so i will always respect their point of view.
This is in response to an open invitation from @mipiano, please join the thread if you are a musician too… You can’t find way better content similar to this on Q-inspiredhere on hive