In Case of Emergency, just press Play…
by @RockSoulLife
Subtlety is the language of the soul. In our journey to discover our true self, messages are conveyed and acknowledged by exerting a graceful nudge of finesse. A common misconception prevails in pairing the requirement for a light touch with an underlying perception of fragility. Nothing could be further from the truth. Demonstrating mindful execution is an exercise in precision, not lack of strength. If you believe the soul to be a fragile estate, simply remember that no matter what, it is bound to outnumber your days. The soul has the capacity to produce a stronger reaction than your body ever could, hence an accurate steering of it’s energy will always be the smartest course of action.
Doesn’t sound too Rock N’ Roll ? The art of tuning our physical self to our emotional being is a process that requires immense intuition, insight and awareness. Knowing what we need and when we need it is not always a linear or logical progression. Slayer has the power to heal when it is responding to the right cue, at the right time for the right person. By the same principle, Philip Glass’ minimalist violin possesses such force in it’s beauty that it can will me head first into the abyss. Happy song does not equal happy place. Broken heart ? love lost songs are rarely the answer. Why is this then so common and has made so many immensely rich ? Because most people are not willing to dig beyond the surface. They will not spend 5 minutes of their day listening to the requests of their soul and will cater only to the immediate and the superficial. I don’t presume to be better than anybody or know more about what others need more accurately than they do themselves. My only logical argument is that you are your best investment. Being in tune with what you need and doing as much as you can to procure your well being must surely be a better alternative to turning a deaf ear to yourself and blasting some dentist waiting area music on the other one.
I clicked on this story because a flying pig told me to come here if the shit hit the fan and by god it is raining ! Fair point, here’s the deal: there’s an entire process and an overall philosophy that requires profound introspection, immersing yourself in music, being brutally honest with yourself, tossing baggage out the window and opening your mind to all you might have dismissed or neglected in the past. This will not happen overnight and it’s not a case of listen to these 10 songs for the next two weeks and you will come out of it becoming a viral meme for most awesome human ever. Think about it, the way this process naturally occurs is through conversation, sharing experiences and turning one another into previously unexplored areas within music that we would otherwise overlook. My intention is to create this environment through these posts, but I did promise a first aid kit for the broken soul…
When in doubt, go with the floyd…
Nothing about this highly personal and unique relationship is one size fits all, but if there is to be a common starting point for anybody that enjoys rock and roll and a willingness to explore the deepest trenches of their soul, it most definitely will be Pink Floyd.
Forget about labels, personal preferences, instrumentals or anything that you might associate with your musical identity and what you know or don’t know about this band. Approach this initial step from a very simple perspective: Pink Floyd offers an incredibly rich musical palette with a perfect balance of emotion, intelligence, mindfulness, power and a most critical element: space. Why are these such important characteristics and why can’t I just start by listening to something I know I truly enjoy ? The answer is actually the first element of my overall philosophy: ‘Identify’. We will go through this in much more detail in a future post, but for now the pressing issue is to recognize that the goal is to listen to the current pulse within your soul, for that will lead you to what you “need” in that particular instance and not necessarily what you want. For the most part, we are all quite adept at fulfilling our wants, it is in recognizing what we need and driving down that path that we tend to lack a sense of direction. Every single day, before commencing the process of providing for our soul’s sustainability, we must assess the current state within our self. This goes beyond labelling your front-end emotional state, the real change is in accepting that you don’t and won’t know unless you ask. And ask we will.
If you are starting to feel a bit confused, then I’m delighted to inform you that you are perfectly primed to take the first step. How does one ask his soul if it had a good night’s sleep and is ready for the daily grind ? What’s the most appropriate question ? Will I like the answer ? Remember subtlety ? Here is where it comes into play. The soul will communicate with you by responding to the input that you provide it with. You gauge the current state of your soul by feeding it with a subtle stimuli that is rich in sonic & emotional diversity but gentle enough so that no single element overpowers the experience. The response will be a guide, not a solution. There will always be at least one element that stimulates you just a bit more, that phenomenon that we have grown accustomed in describing as “hitting the spot”. In doing this, you will understand what nuance from within the musical package you are tuned to at that particular instance. It doesn’t mean that any particular song is what you should be listening to, it’s learning to distinguish the clues that lead you in the direction of fulfillment. This is why Pink Floyd is a phenomenal launch pad.
Let’s choose a song and play out the mechanics of it. We will go with “Time” from Dark Side of the Moon. Be mindful, at this moment, you are not a metal head, you are not a school teacher, you are not a kid looking to fit in, you are not a parent of two with bills to pay. You are listening to the beating of your soul.
Ok. Let’s try and single out “something” within the song that made you connect to it in a way that made you feel something that wasn’t present prior to pressing play. Did you feel anxiety with the clocks or bass click ? Did you enjoy the dischord or felt threatened by it ? What about those far away high pitch drums ? That initial organ hit ? Did you feel the tension build up with the guitar single notes ? Any excitement with the drum fill letting you know the vocals are on their way ? Did your heart change it’s tone when the vocals switch to Richard Wright singing ? Did you feel a subtle adrenalin rush as David Gilmour’s guitar takes center stage with that mesmerizing solo ? Did you find yourself smiling everytime you heard the amazing backup singers using their voices as the finest of instruments ? Were you pondering the simple and yet thought provoking lyrics about getting life started ? I’ll tell you what does it for me 9 times out of 10. It’s the tempo and key change at 5:39 where the song goes into the “Breathe” reprise (earlier song in the album).
What does this all mean ? It means that you have made a connection to an element that moves you in the direction that your emotional being longs for. That tempo change gets me every time because it is a signal that my soul needs a change of pace. In practical terms, that is a good example of being stuck in an emotional rut. It needs to take a moment, go out to the balcony and take a breath of fresh air, only then will it be in a position to drive and fulfill. That song, that passage, is a “tool” I use to understand if I need to change the rhythm of my heart. This will lead you to subsequently follow another musical direction with a different song & energy that will provide you with further clues as to what will offer equilibrium. Before you know it, you’ve been transversing a musical path that has cleansed, balanced and nurtured you to feeling more connected with yourself. There rarely is a finish line, the journey is the goal.
If you are an analytical nut case like myself, you might be wondering the value of listening to this song frequently if I’ve already identified what moves me. Again, the key is detaching every time, there is tremendous enjoyment and growth to be had by allowing yourself to listen to music as if it were the first time every time. If you do this in an objective and pure manner, you will feel liberated by relinquishing control and will undoubtedly find newer connections in the process. There are instances where what moves me is buried deeper within the song. I absolutely love the nuances in David Gilmour’s voice as he starts and finishes the verses. You can hear his voice getting coarser and displaying a tamed sense of aggression. I’ve listened to many live versions of this song and it over-drives my soul to experience how the live versions have a more aggressive vocal style to it, which is a direct response from the energy of a live performance with an audience that is reciprocating a massive amount of energy. A powerful experience indeed. From a methodical perspective, when I respond stronger to this cue rather than the slowing tempo, it usually means my soul needs a slightly stronger power push, there is a bit of build-up awaiting release. That’s when you know you might want to take it up a notch with your ensuing musical selection. The moral of the story is that just because I know I enjoy the heavy stuff, doesn’t mean that’s what I need at any given moment to satisfy and balance my emotional being. Heavy and strong come in many fascinating & surprising forms. When you naturally gravitate towards something, you will usually be up-to-date with that requirement. It’s more important to systematically query what else you might be lacking to complement your emotional toolbox.
Explore the catalog of the Floyd, it’s no coincidence that Pink Floyd is one of the highest selling artists in the history of recorded music. The first reason is universal appeal, there truly is something for every rock fan within their music. The second is that you never stop discovering fascinating elements within their music. Dark Side of the Moon has moved over 40 million records and continues to sell millions of copies 42 years after it’s release because people keep finding meaningful connections to it’s lyrical, aesthetic and musical delivery. In the simplest of terms, it will awaken your soul.
The final note is in the element I described as critical: space. Regardless of the musical journey you embark upon and the choices you make to cradle your soul, you will always need space. Transformation can not occur within a vacuum, your music needs to cater for a realm which will transition from emptiness to mindfulness to revelation. The genius of Pink Floyd has always been the subtle mastery of knowing when not to play. It is in this space, that your soul will whisper bliss…
Rock N’ Roll Will Save Your Soul,
@RockSoulLife
If you enjoyed this story, please share, follow and/or recommend so others can accompany us in this journey I call Rock Soul Therapy. Thanks for reading…
