Water for My Soul When it Gets Thirsty
In looking back at my submissions, I realize that I haven't posted once about music. I consider music to be the most satisfying and personal of any form of art and entertainment. Unfortunately, I am just about the only one without musical talent in my immediate and extended family.
Regardless, I am emphatic to the point of pretentiousness about music I like, as are most people. I think that I have a relatively wide range of musical genres that I listen to, but there are certainly a lot of genres that I don't often include in playlists. I enjoy alternative, rock, classical, instrumental, hip hop, and combinations of some of the aforementioned (alternrock, etc.). Excluded from that list is jazz, country, emo, for some. While my feelings do not go so far as to dislike each one of those, I just don't have enough interest to listen to them consistently.
What I really appreciate in music is that it stimulates the imagination. When music can be tied to memory is when it really establishes its value. That is also how it becomes personal. And when music can be beautifully interlaced with the flowing narrative of a music video or movie scene, the visual and aural moments are indelibly etched into memory together. For example in my own case, when I was in Australia I heard the song "Don't Phunk With My Heart" by the Black Eyed Peas for the first time. Normally, this is not a song that I would have much interest in. But since hearing it causes me to associate it with the sights, accents, and experiences that I had in Australia, it is a mental trigger for me to reminisce. In a similar vein, many people that had "the song" with an ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend in the past, which they now can not stand to listen to.
Music is innately tied to memory, even more so than any other art form. That's why I think that it is important to either pursue an interest in learning to play music or at least establishing your own palate for what you like and dislike, and why. There really is no more valuable and powerful an art form in existence. Music is the essence of culture, a priceless commodity, and we are all blessed with what it gives to each one of us on a personal, intimate basis.
Regardless, I am emphatic to the point of pretentiousness about music I like, as are most people. I think that I have a relatively wide range of musical genres that I listen to, but there are certainly a lot of genres that I don't often include in playlists. I enjoy alternative, rock, classical, instrumental, hip hop, and combinations of some of the aforementioned (alternrock, etc.). Excluded from that list is jazz, country, emo, for some. While my feelings do not go so far as to dislike each one of those, I just don't have enough interest to listen to them consistently.
What I really appreciate in music is that it stimulates the imagination. When music can be tied to memory is when it really establishes its value. That is also how it becomes personal. And when music can be beautifully interlaced with the flowing narrative of a music video or movie scene, the visual and aural moments are indelibly etched into memory together. For example in my own case, when I was in Australia I heard the song "Don't Phunk With My Heart" by the Black Eyed Peas for the first time. Normally, this is not a song that I would have much interest in. But since hearing it causes me to associate it with the sights, accents, and experiences that I had in Australia, it is a mental trigger for me to reminisce. In a similar vein, many people that had "the song" with an ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend in the past, which they now can not stand to listen to.
Music is innately tied to memory, even more so than any other art form. That's why I think that it is important to either pursue an interest in learning to play music or at least establishing your own palate for what you like and dislike, and why. There really is no more valuable and powerful an art form in existence. Music is the essence of culture, a priceless commodity, and we are all blessed with what it gives to each one of us on a personal, intimate basis.
posted by Brian Doty at 9:32 PM
1 Comments:
Music is why I can remember at least about one thing from every Christmas for the past 15 years.
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