#LifeIsMusic: Guitarist Abhay Nayampally is a rebel with a cause

Musicians do not fit into the traditional moulds of society. But from the point of view of laymen like us, they have their unique mould. There are, however, exceptions to every case. Abhay Nayampally is one such exception.

Dubbed a rebel, Abhay plays Carnatic music on guitar. Surprised yet?

Abhay started his love affair with music when he was six. He was instructed to not play the keyboard without adult supervision, but he did. At the age of 10 he would save up money by skipping meals in the school canteen to build a collection of Western Classical Music cassettes. He taught himself how to play the guitar.

Even though he got admission in Pune's prestigious Fergusson college, his education was happening atop the hill behind the college where practiced playing the guitar early in the morning.

These are not the traits you will find in a person willing to do a 9 to 5 job. Obviously this little rebel was not interested. Yet such an attempt at a routine job brought an awakening that music is the only path he wants to walk on.

He was advised to approach Prasanna, who plays Carnatic music on an Electric Guitar, but he chose to approach and train with Mandolin virtuoso Late U Srinivas.

Read excerpts from an interview by Yoshita Sengupta with the rebellious musician Abhay Nayampally;

When did you first pick up any instrument?

The first time I played anything was at three – the Keyboards and the Tabla. The Keyboard I largely taught myself. For Tabla I would go to someone to learn but I didn’t pursue it for long.

Do you come from a family of musicians and artists?

Dad and mom used to sing, they still do. My dad used to compose and write songs as well. They are trained in Indian Classical.

What was the association with music, growing up? How did you discover the Guitar?

I remember my dad had got this small Keyboard for me. He had given me strict instructions to not touch it when he wasn’t around. I obviously did not follow that. I used to spend a lot of time pottering around with it, trying to figure out harmonies etc. At that time, I discovered that if I played a C note with a C, it is one color; C note with an F was another color, and so on. That is when I first came to know how music works – the understanding was of course at a very basic level. Music had started piquing my interest. That is when I started moving on to other instruments. Along with the Keyboard, I also started with Western Classical Music.

I was in class six when I first picked up a Guitar. It was at a friend’s place. We used to go there to play tennis and cricket, but I found myself spending more time sitting at his home playing the Guitar. That’s when I fell in love with the instrument.

Did you train to play the Guitar?

It was completely self-taught. Back then there was no internet and I didn’t have any tutorial books either. But I knew about chords on the Keyboard and I knew how the Guitar was tuned. I would sit, sometimes the entire night, to figure out how the Keyboard chord would be on the Guitar. That is how I learned my chords. Learning that way was good because I knew my way around a Guitar, I understood its anatomy better than I otherwise would have.

To read the complete interview click here.

There is abundance of music shows to recognise the up and coming talent. But all these shows are focused on vocal performances. #LifeIsMusic is a digital platform for musicians who are integral to what makes for our understanding of music. These talented musicians are mentored by musical legends Louiz Banks, Taufiq Qureshi an Purbayan Chatterjee.

Here is a glimpse of the interview with Abhay -

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