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“After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music.” -Aldous Huxley
What do you think? How do you feel when you hear your FAVORITE song of all time? When you hear the song that played during the final dance at your homecoming, prom, wedding, breakup? For most people, it makes you feel different. Maybe not better, maybe sad, maybe angry, but the sounds of the voice and the notes and the rhythm, for most of us, there is something. Now wouldn't it make sense to try and capture that in a more controlled manner? Kind of like taking an anti-depressant pill? There is evidence that this works. It's not strong evidence and mostly in tough cases like autism and dementia, but benefit has been shown for certain types of music to reduce heart rate, blood pressure and improve "well-being".
You can exercise to it, dance to it, do your housecleaning, and lots of other things. You could listen to the pumping, energizing beats of techno, house or pop - or relax and do yoga to ambient, new age, or classical. You can wallow in the blues and frenetic jazz, and become uplifted by souring arena voices like Maria Callas, Celine, or Christina. You could be transformed by Funkadelic, Zappa or Radiohead and reformed by Pink Floyd, Vagner or NWA. Now, you could even be reincarnated by Snoop and Dr. Dre.
Besides the professional musicians who amaze me with their technical and creative ability, I am fortunate enough to have friend close to me who are incredible, stupendous musicians. Whenever they are playing anywhere - and I can get to the show, I go. The music they make changes my world for a few hours, and emotionally I fall in love for that period of time. I laugh, and cry and hug them, and it is another special exchange between me and my friend in a way that's just a little bit deeper than sitting at a restaurant for dinner.
Music can have amazing effects when you listen to it, and even more amazing effects when you play it. Do you play any instruments? Piano, guitar, drums? Triangle, kazoo, harmonica, thumb piano, jawharp? You can, and you certainly should if you want to experience anything from a little fun to hours of immersion in another dimension. Some of my best and most proud memories are playing music with a group of my friends, in some weird corner of a living room for a party or a soccer stadium in Toronto. And I am no musician. Technically, I suck. Creatively, I am passable. I just did it. Part of how I felt I could was growing up in DC when bands were coming out of the ether and everyone had a label or was involved with Dischord. Even the socially maladjusted and less than talented could take their chutzpah and make and perform something. And we did. Another friend of mine who was in a band called, Staplegun, once said to me, "99% of the game is attitude," and boy, was he right. Believe it and you can do it. Or - just do it.
And keep doing it. My friends from Hydraulic Clownhead have been playing together for probably 30 years now, and without much financial reimbursement for it. We all know guitar players who can play anything, but never leave their living room. Or maybe you just drown yourself in a drum circle, because even if you have no sense of rhythm, when you blend into a drum circle, it's all good.
So just like we tell you to exercise, eat right and drink water...try playing some music, some rhythm, some sounds. Tap a buddhist prayer bowl or a kundalini gong and feel the sound waves. Take lessons or scream at the top of a hill the next time you hike. Sing, sing along, play air guitar or drum on the dashboard. You will be changed. You will be delivered, and it will sustain you when no one else is around.
“Without music, life would be a mistake.” Friedrich Nietzsche |
Hey folks-