Music In Our Lives

The venerable Amin wrote a blog post in which he posed the question (paraphrased) “does listening to a large volume of music devalue it?” For better or worse, this started the rocks in my head to knock together and trigger some thoughts, which clearly hurt enough for me to eventually be able to get them out onto a page.

What is music?

music [ myoo-zik ] noun - an art of sound in time that expresses ideas and emotions in significant forms through the elements of rhythm, melody, harmony, and color.¹

Music has been a large piece of my being for as long as I can remember - from banging on pots and pans as a toddler, to performing in front of various sized audiences professionally and for fun throughout my adult life. In my early years, I never gave much thought to defining music - it simply was at the core of existence as the string connecting things, or the pattern of life. As time and age progressed, I learned about many technical aspects of music - the language and codes we use to describe harmony and rhythm, the math that describes the magic of sound waves, and even some of the physics that seek to explain and understand how sound energy reacts in changing physical spaces (all fascinating areas of study in their own right, for the record, if a bit dry unless you’re a nerd like me). Given more worldliness, I even came to realize the ability of music to help curate experience and energy.

But does any of that truly explain what music is? From a technical and practical standpoint - probably. As a creature in this world however, most people are aware, even if only subconsciously, that music is much more than simply a code on a page to decipher, or formulae to describe the ratio of the amount of air being moved by a voice in a room. Music can bring life to a party, nostalgic memories to the forefront of our minds, tenderness to an intimate moment, or ease the pain of a tortured soul. While revolutionary, Pythagoras’ theorem on triangles or Newton’s Laws of Motion certainly don’t stir the same response as a well-composed love song. Paintings, photographs, and movies can capture the essence of a moment, but without a score feel like a lifeless version of what they are representing. Even the written word, with all it’s power of imagery and imagination, doesn’t have the same ability to evoke emotion or move the soul.

A painter paints his pictures on canvas. But musicians paint their pictures on silence.²

Then what is music? Even while writing this I have struggled to put into words what I see and think and feel. The closest I’ve come so far is to believe music is the soul of the universe put out for all creation to experience. It can be found in the mindless humming of a familiar tune, the bubbling of a fountain, the rumble of traffic through the city square, the distant growl of thunder rolling across the hills, or the engulfing pulse of a nightclub DJ. It is everywhere, in all things, striving to bring everything in its reach into resonance with its energy.

What we consume with intent has value

Without music, life would be a mistake. ³

Which brings me back to the thoughts rattling around in my head after reading Amin’s question - if we are constantly surrounded by music and consuming it with all our waking hours, are we devaluing it’s creation, or lessening the importance to the world?

In a word - no.

If the world as we know it no longer existed, and civilization ceased to be, would the song of the birds have no more meaning? Would the complex layering of the sound of rain splashing into a pond with the rustling of the leaves in the wind in their ever-changing pattern cease to be impactful? Of course not - for those who would choose to listen.

Instead, what is being lost is our desire to listen and experience and feel with intent. We choose to let the emotions and thoughts of the creators surrounding us wash over us, feeling their energy and unconsciously allowing ourselves to follow their ebbs and flows without truly acknowledging the why. It becomes easy to detach our minds from the energy surrounding us, while our bodies and souls are caught in the rivers it is creating.

How do we find music?

After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music. ⁴

When the anchor to the music around us is lost, we don’t always recognize it - but it can be felt as a discord with the world around us. Music fades away; we no longer notice the energy of the environment around us - or worse, feel as though it is constantly fighting us. Thankfully, there is an easy remedy for that - begin again to listen with intent.

Step one - put away everything else. Things of value demand our attention, and we’ve decided that music has value - we should allow it the time it deserves. That doesn’t mean we have to 100% of the time devote 100% of our focus to music, nor that we will never have elevator music again. It’s simply an acknowledgement that this energy and creation and feeling are deserving of our attention for this period of time. The music will never stop, and our attention will often be elsewhere, but we can re-ground ourselves in it occasionally.

Second, find the music and patterns that surround you. This might be a pair of headphones and a streaming service, or a trip to the local venue, or a walk outside surrounded by the sounds of the environment. See above - music is everywhere, in all things, just waiting for us to discover it and follow its paths. The goal isn’t to choose the perfect song, or match feelings to a Pinterest board - it is to take the time to join with the energy of another soul.

Once you have chosen, spend time focusing on the rhythms and emotional energy, and try to understand the being creating it. What are they trying to have you join them in feeling? What journey or story is being told? What memories do those emotions bring to you? Close your eyes and allow yourself to be transported into the emotions and story of the music around you, and simply be.

A few months ago I started trying Music Monday - sadly, my energy is not one of routine and consistency, so blogging about it has fallen by the wayside. However, it did remind me to allow time for intentionality and purpose to things - culture around us may deride that as “a waste of time” or you might feel unproductive, but it truly is not. When we reconnect with the patterns and music of the universe, it becomes a cumulative exercise and rewards us with more than we give.

So, to that end, thanks @Amin for stirring the thought process and reminding me that it’s no good having thoughts if they never leave my brain.