Noise turned Music
“It is not music, just a few crackpots making all kinds of noises, and you think it is music.” (http://notimetoswear.blogspot.com/2013/02/osho-quotes-on-music.html)
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When was that first time music really became MUSIC to you? Do you remember? Was it a certain song? A certain artist? Did you stumble upon it yourself? Or were you introduced?
Think about it…
In the meantime, I’ll share my first MUSIC experience with you. Maybe, you’ll find something in my experience that resonates with yours.
When I was growing up, I was always surrounded by music. My father, before he became a software engineer, always dreamed of becoming a musician (go figure) and would whip out his guitar anytime he could. His guitar playing was impressive, but I would always only hear fragments of songs or echos of a more sophisticated work. In my mind, these fragments were like little pieces of a puzzle and I, unfortunately, could never solve this puzzle. I couldn’t see the big picture. I couldn’t appreciate the works as a whole.
So, I went through my childhood like this. I listened to my father’s puzzle pieces. I heard remnants of static filled songs on the radio. Music, to be frank, just added to the ambient noise around me.
It wasn’t until I was eleven that these puzzle pieces started putting themselves together in front of my eyes.
A friend had given me files containing the following artists: Paramore, Green Day, and Linkin Park. I had no idea what to expect, but I knew my friend was going to ask for my thoughts. So, I put on my earphones.
By random, I decided to load “Numb” by Linkin Park. (I’ll link it here so you can give it a listen.)
As soon as the song started, I was already caught off guard. The first couple of seconds sounded almost like a whisper, but it didn’t sound like noise. It sounded like it was part of something greater. Then, the beat dropped, and I remember feeling like my eardrums were being assaulted. (Maybe I was wrong about the “part of something greater” thing.) But then, something quite unusual happened…
What initially felt like an assaulted on my eardrums morphed into an energy — an energy that was now surging up and down my body. I could feel my legs tingling, my breath quickening…I felt powerful, pained, invigorated…What on Earth was going on?
The energy finally made itself resident in my chest, and my heart was thumping, thumping, thumping…
Then, it started beating to the rhythm of the song…
The song was speaking to me, and my body, without my conscious knowledge, was receiving it or, more fittingly, becoming one with it. It was from this point that I truly understood what MUSIC was.
MUSIC was something that pulled at my instincts — my body, my feelings. It was a way to get in touch with my inner state. It was a way for me to understand another part of myself — a part I didn’t know much about.
MUSIC. It’s a big deal, isn’t it?
The first time that inner state makes itself known is a eye-opening experience. Rather than simply being a passenger in your conscious mind, it takes a dominant and commanding role, playing with your system in the most exhilarating ways.
Therefore, MUSIC, within this context, becomes a catalyst for self-discovery, evoking sensations that may not have so easily surfaced otherwise. With MUSIC, you’ve not only gotten a glimpse, but actually experienced how complex the human body is — mind and soul.
There’s something beautiful in that, isn’t there?
With this newfound ability to understand yourself, you’ve reached a new level of awareness — an awareness that ultimately allows you to have a new perspective on who you are as a human being.
The world of your inner existence has taken on a completely new meaning.
There’s something very “coming of age” about that isn’t there?
Welcome to another coming of age marker.
So, what did this for you?
Until next time,
Alli D.
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“The greatest music in the world is nothing but an echo of the inner music…” (http://notimetoswear.blogspot.com/2013/02/osho-quotes-on-music.html)
