Independent Music in Iran

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Unofficial music after the 1977 Revolution, much like other socio-cultural developments, is leading an independent life, at times in reaction to limitations imposed on it (like covering mostly Western Rock music); at others with variations on established norms (fusion music). The young demography of the country, along with the power of available home technologies, have made the unofficial music scene in Iran a lot more colorful, and many today are recording works and performing them in the quiet of their dwellings.

But this music has had little opportunity to play to a wide audience and, because of it, has been deprived of the blessings of criticism (constructive or otherwise). The intention of writers of the article below is to talk about independent music of Iran to compensate for a lack of public feedback. They are in no way trying to classify unofficial music in Iran or provide guidance, but to simply establish a framework within which a debate on the state of independent music can take place.

Snippets from four Iranian musicians and bands accompany the article to give tangible examples of the writer's points.

One can hypothetically categorize some of the issues that independent musicians of Iran today are grappling with.

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Concern over STYLE

Style is a vague musical preoccupation, simply because one is hard put distinguishing the interposing gray-areas of various styles. When artists confine themselves to a particular style, they shut off the wellspring of creativity. Naming, classifying, and speaking about a style is the work of critics. A work that seethes from within, and critics have yet to listen to it, has no name and is framed by no style. The artist's job is to produce music.

Common description of musical styles, like fusion, modern jazz, alternative, or World Music, needn't preoccupy the music aficionado. To draw inspiration from works of others is not only not bad but necessary. The musician must also familiarize himself with various styles of music, but when the musician sets upon producing a work, he or she must set all these categorizations aside.

For any musician, listening is the best teacher – all and any kind of music – without being partial to any personality or band, and limiting his/ herself to a particular style. The music of those we respect is an amalgam of various sounds that they have creatively combined.

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Playing COVER

This expression has come straight from rock and pop music, although it describes a tendency that our music has always possessed. To cover a music is to take an original song and to refashion it according to taste. For example, in "The Man Who Sold the World," {Curt Cobin} has covered a piece by {David Bowie}. In Iranian music, a song written by a composer like {Aliakbar Sheydai} has been sung by many singers.

It is clear that anyone using a piece written by another musician without naming the source has committed an unethical act (legally and culturally). The other side of intellectual fraud, however, is musical adoption. Adapting the music of others not only does not limit creativity, but, provided that the source of inspiration remains transparent, may lead to interesting compositions.

A musician who copies the work of others to the letter can only flaunt his/ her dexterity. But when we speak of adoption (and not imitation), the musician looks at the elements of the original piece as ingredients for his/ her cuisine. At times this musician directs his/ her attention to rhythm and rhythmic ornamentations, at others to color and harmony or the melody of the original piece. One must add that adoption without mentioning the name of the original musician is also a case of fraud.

Many novice musicians who become enchanted by a piece, try to copy it to the last beat (an this may be one of the definitions of "enchantment" – or pure imitation). For a musician at the beginning of his/ her career, enchantment and imitation is an understandable occurrence. But a mature, creative musician – provided that he/ she is transparent about the sources of his/ her music – will change some of the elements of the original piece (rhythm, orchestration, improvisation) to better reflect his/ her own temperaments. Over time, the musician's work becomes more seasoned and authentic. It goes without saying that playing cover, even in it most imitative form, is an interpretation – or "reading" – and it is not possible to reproduce the essence of a musical piece played by another musician.

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The Steed of EMOTION and the Rein of CRITICAL THINKING

The foundation of alternative music in the West after the 60s is Blues, which has kept its appeal to date. The freshness of Blues is due to:

A/ Concrete and easy to understand rhythms;
B/ Unalloyed lyrical motifs.

Lyrics in Blues is at times as simple as everyday conversation; unlike a prankish and haughty {Roger Waters} or a {Leonard Cohen} who claims universality, Blues is unadulterated and reflects the everyday concerns of its writer. The Blues singer doesn't lips his words but lives them; to put it differently, his singing is a coming-to-terms with spontaneous emotions that are realized through the being of language. The creative musician is open to his/ her surrounding, based on an understanding of which he/ she attempts to play with sounds and words. The artist must at the same time that he/ she rides the steed of his/ her emotions rein it in with critical thinking.

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LYRICS and AUDIENCE

Those who take their music seriously, will one day come upon several fundamental questions: "Am I playing music for myself or for producing something new and lively?" "Who is my listener?" "Does the music that I produce have something to say to the listener?" "What language (musical, lyrical, or narrative) should I use to communicate with my listener?"

Using English lyrics in the music of Iranian musicians is neither an indication of modern-ness nor does it say anything about the degree of the composer's familiarity with the lingua franca. In short, using English lyrics is not enough to make the music innovative. It may be true that the Persian language has shortcoming in some fields (like theoretical and practical sciences), but it has a rich history when it comes to describing the realities of everyday life in a poetic language.

Additionally, for an Iranian the realities of everyday life can only be understood through the Persian language. Those musicians who play cover must especially keep this in mind. Translating the lyrics of the original song into Farsi, or taking inspiration from the original themes in writing Farsi songs are examples of musical adoption.

The Iranian independent musician must make it clear who his/ her audience is and how to communicate with that audience. What seems important is a new understanding of our historical and social situation today.

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REPETITION and PROLONGATION

The creative musician avoids repeating those things that he finds attractive. Using refrains, he/ she can embellish the lyrics and melody, and in this way make his/ her work effective.

ENJOYMENT

Enjoyment is acquired, not instinctual. One can learn to enjoy any kind of music, even the most uneventful songs. Musical scores are freely at the disposal of music lovers around the world. The artist listens to his inner music and not to the cacophony of various sounds outside of him. As {Robert Bersson} put it, subtraction, and not addition, opens up a thousand paths.

On the other hand, the artist has a living relationship with his/ her work. When they perform their music, Iranian musicians must show their listener what in their music is playful and moving.

One Beloved and Many Lovers

A young poet read a poem in her literature classroom, mentioning beforehand that it was written for her beloved. Having listened to it, the professor said: "I am sorry to say that many are after your beloved, since I have heard his description from numerous people."

The creative poet makes use of fresh themes that lead him/ her to a unique and poetic language. The beloved in this poetry belongs only to him/ her and not to a long list of established poets who described her/ him previously.