Music

I think I've done postings like this before. I know that I've talked about my own musical journey a bit, how important I think music is, and how polarizing music can be.

That being said, I think that everyone has a bit of music within themselves (even if they don't know exactly how to express it).  That expression can take so many different forms, from just the simple taping of a finger on your thigh, to a tapping of your foot, to air guitar/drums, to full on singing. I find myself doing any one of those things whenever music is playing, and really enjoy watching people out and about doing the same.

I know that I'm not alone with that enjoyment.

When I was traveling back from Hungary, I was standing in line to get my boarding pass at 5AM after being up for the last 24 hours. Of course I had my earphones in and was listening to music in an attempt to keep awake. One of the other people in line turned to me and smiled saying "You're a musician aren't you? I can tell because musicians can never keep still when listening to music." It's true though. As musicians we're trained to feel the music as it's being performed. We're taught to let the music be a living thing that moves and breathes like anything else. It's only logical that we'd continue to do that while we listen music, as well as when we perform it.

Everyone has music that moves them in some way, shape, or form, and just like personalities, no two people will have the same taste in music. What moves me might just be completely dead to somebody else. The important thing is the fact that there is something that moves you. Something that grabs you and makes it so you can't sit still. Something that makes your day better, no matter how good or bad it was before that.

That's my challenge to everyone and anyone that reads this. Find that music. Find that something that moves you, that grabs you, that makes you smile no matter what. When you do that, do me a favor: listen to it and just go with what you feel. Don't feel inhibited or shy about what you want to do. If you want to sing, sing! If you want to drum on a table top like an idiot (as I do so often) do it!

Don't let your own mind get in the way of you enjoying the music as much as you can.

Music

Music has an interesting place in our society. It's something that unifies people from many different ways of life and gives them a common ground to bond over. It can also be very polarizing for those same people.

I like to think that I have a very open mind when it comes to music, and that the music that I listen to on a regular basis is fairly eclectic. My iPod, when on shuffle, is almost as likely to go from "Chop Suey" (System of a Down) to "Landed" (Ben Folds) as it is from "Kids" (MGMT) to Mahler's 3rd Symphony.

A while ago I posted a link on my Facebook to a song by Mumford and Sons called "Little Lion Man" (seen below). I just found it to be an amusing song with a unique style to it. It's by no means on the same artistic level as songs like Parker's "Anthropology" or Monk's "Round Midnight", it still fills a spot for me in my music listening needs.

I don't need to constantly be thinking at a high level about my music. Sometimes I just want something simple that is going to be relaxing and easy to listen to.  I have the ability to analyze magnificent symphonies, dissect critiques, and talk intelligently on the choices of using a secondary dominant as a pivot point to shift to a new key (yes this all sounds very stuck up I know).  This doesn't mean that I don't enjoy the strumming of a banjo and the sounds of an Englishman singing folk music.

Music is not exclusive.  It isn't something where you can only be a fan of one genre.  In my opinion music listening would get far too boring if that were the case.

In any case, music is personal preferences.  While I may find a song fantastic and something I could listen to over and over again, another person might think it's the worst bit of aural drivel ever created by mankind.  Awesome.  I'm glad to hear you have a strong viewpoint on this, but don't come crying to me when I call your whiny repetitive Justin Bieber song utter crap.  It's just my opinion, and I'm allowed to have it.