Music Gives Voice to Deeper Meanings

Resonance across time

Photo by Caleb Jack on Unsplash

I grew up singing.

I grew up in exuberance and joy of voice set to crackling fire and dancing light shared with others and filling the night.

I grew up more ‘til gradually singing became a trickle, a whisper and an attachment to radio or record. My singing voice gave way to that important voice of things to be done in the wider world. I ran after the bigger life of change and justice and fairness and hope.

Running and singing are a difficult combination to sustain.

But music never left. It waited in the edges and shadows. It shaped memories of moments of pain and comfort and sharing and losing and giving and hope.

It began to grow again as the shine fell away from the Big Things of the World and the exquisite things of breath and ‘ here and now’ and together again reflected the shining faces of shared music and crackling light.

My partner’s musical love grew us back into that place of music shared with others. Bluegrass circles, however, require an instrument voice before a human one. And simply listening was not going to be enough for me.

Learning the stand-up Bass became my 50th Year adventure and taught me back to my own musical voice. Playing together now for 18 years with an ever-widening circle of musical genres and proficiencies, the joys of shared music made by hand, and the crackling warmth of friends and love and light.

Music gives voice to the deepest meanings of life and the powerful resonance of being human across time and space and culture and race.

Photo by Chang Duong on Unsplash

I sing I play I dance I sway.

I am rhythm and beat,

tone and nuance,

I am pause between notes

And the resonating meaning

in the crackling light

of life.

Thank you for reading my piece. I hope you heard my voice.