Music is the Answer

This week’s topic came to me on a recent beautiful day during a drive while listening to music at high volume - windows and sunroof open. My thoughts drifted to Neil Peart’s book “Traveling Music” in which he writes about the music he is listening to on a long road trip while telling stream of consciousness stories surfaced by the CD or song playing. My traveling music depends on my trip and my mood. I’ve got over 37,000 songs but I go back to only a fraction of them repeatedly. The rest only make appearances once-in-a-while when I want something different or want to be transported back to specific memories.

Music can set the mood or be chosen to match or change our mood. For setting the mood, think about movie music. In scary movies the music always builds to that moment of the big scare. Would that scene be so scary if light-hearted music was playing? Probably not. The other big one is the romantic setting. Same idea, the music is chosen specifically to set the mood desired by the filmmaker to guide the audience as they watch and listen.

Once in a while the action and music are not in synch. A recent example came from an old “Emergency” re-run in which soft classical-esque music provided the backround while the paramedics climbed a tower to reach an injured person. Once they were all safely back on the ground, and the tension over, the music changed to be much more dramatic and driving. Someone missed their mark on that one as the music was completely out of line with what the viewer watched. It was amusing though.

There are certain notes and chord progressions that can elicit specific reactions in listeners (and viewers). These are used masterfully to get the audience to where the artist wants them to be. Mostly used in films and other video media to match what is happening on screen and heighten the overall experience. For audio-only, think about how an album’s songs are arranged (Any young’ens reading this, ask your parents what an “album” is. And those of you who don’t regularly listen to a whole album, in order, are missing the artist’s intent). The artists want to convey something with their music and they use the order of the songs to do that – start with a hard-driving tune or build up from slow to rocking, then maybe back to a slower finish. Same for live concerts. The song choices and order are designed to maximize audience energy and, in many cases, participation.

People often argue about bands and music, usually confusing personal taste with a judgement about the talent of the artist. I once got a college roommate very angry at me for saying a I preferred to listen to a jazz-fusion guitarist over one of the best blues-rock guitarists on the planet. Nothing I could say would get him away from accusing me of saying the jazz-fusion guy was better. Jump ahead 30 years and Neil Peart put it perfectly in a line from the aforementioned book, “Just because I like it doesn’t mean it’s great and just because it’s great doesn’t mean I have to like it”. That sums up very simply how music appreciation is about personal taste – and tastes can change with time and even mood.

No matter what kind of music you are into, next time you are listening to a song, think about how it makes you feel. If you chose the song(s), why did you choose them at that particular time? Music is magic in its ability to convey ideas, set the mood, bring back memories, bring people together or provide an escape. Life is better with music so sit back and let it transport you.

www.RetiredandInspiredat55.com 8-01-2022