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What is music, an MLT answer
<div>On Day 17 of the Advent Calendar 2022, I recall in the comments we got into a fascinating discussion about what music is that I enjoyed very much. There was some really insightful and profound explanations pointed out by different Club Members on the subject. Obviously an endlessly interesting and deep topic. </div>
I came across this while surfing some of the old Forum posts, and Lisa basically wrote an essay answering the question what music means to her so eloquently and with so much profound insight. It’s amazing as she points out how vibrations with out words or lyrics can express so much. Also like the point about animals/people being drawn to the sense of order in harmony and pattern that music has. Some golden profound insight from someone with amazing gifted musical talent who has devoted ones life to music.
Love Lisa’s insightful explanation to “what is music to you”.
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Administrator
14/11/2018 at 21:30
What an endlessly fascinating subject. Reading everyone else’s answers here I think is the best proof of how we all experience what music does to us in a slightly different way. I’d say the majority of people would agree that it is something so essential to the human experience that it almost takes on a mystical and philosophical element that is hard to put into concrete words. Like what is love or what does it mean to experience.
I never tried to formulate my thoughts around that subject but this is how I would currently do it, (though I’m sure people much cleverer than I have dug a lot deeper and worded it a lot more eloquently ;-)) :
In its most basic form I would say I consider art to be some kind of a short-cut way of communication. But in a terribly profound way. There is no setup needed, no explanation, often no words or even the need to understand the language. Some of the music that has moved me the deepest was long before I knew English well enough to understand the song’s lyrical meaning.
It transports feelings, thoughts, a state of mind, sometimes lyrics and ideas, memories, even physical sensations through nothing than some soundwaves hitting your eardrums. If you think about that for a while it becomes so mind-boggling that you can’t help but think music is some sort of weird unexplainable witch craft :-).
But next to watching a really captivating movie (which without music would still be dull as hell ) it’s probably the closest thing we have to travelling in time or space without physically moving.
I think people also enjoy and want music in their lives so much because, even in its most primitive forms, it always speaks to the part in us that looks for the comfort of harmony and patterns, of things coming together to form something coherent. Instruments, a beat, melody etc. turning into one.For creatures who very much dislike chaos and disarray I guess music is the easiest way of finding something that speaks to our need of having things play together in harmony. Again, in its most basic form. I believe that the most exciting and meaningful music then takes this concept and pushes the boundaries, shakes it up a little, leaves you with just the right amount of ease and unease to keep your attention.
Then there is a whole cultural aspect, the poetry/storytelling aspect, the way people use music as a way to identify and to belong, etc. The different purposes of music. To motivate, to regulate emotions, to relax or to heighten one’s alertness, get out anger etc. I mean, what music can do to one’s brain is simply insane. We tie memories and times of our lives so strongly to music. The kind of music we grow up with gets engraved pretty involuntarily into who and what we become in the future.
And then there is the whole aspect of creating music yourself. Learning and mastering an instrument, the repetitive and disciplinary aspect of that. The physical aspect of getting your body to produce what your mind wants to hear.
And then when it gets to the actual songwriting: Where does inspiration actually come from? What exactly is an idea and how can one influence one’s own ideas? How does one really produce ideas? What can someone do to build a foundation that’s going to allow good or even great ideas to be born? It’s all those weird, slightly abstract questions that once you start thinking about turns into such a huge subject that it hurts my head
I’m sure people have written books about subjects like that, and I understand why – because a forum post is not going to cut it even in the slightest. Music, or art in general, is such a universally accepted concept and phenomenon taken for granted, but once you start looking into it more it becomes this unfathomably complex thing that so much of our reality is built upon.
To be able to partake in an artform this wonderful and strangely mysterious with the potential of bringing joy to a large number of people is amazing ♥
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4 Replies
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Right after I joined the MLT club, I went back and read pretty much all the old forum posts, and that one amazed me to no end. How many musicians (or anyone else, for that matter) have you ever heard express such a deep, insightful, comprehensive opinion of what music is? Just pure genius.
As I said a while back, I think Lisa and Mona would be very successful as authors, quite apart from their tremendous musical and artistic skills. They are extraordinary multidimensional entertainers, and yet in ordinary conversation they come across as humble, silly, and just plain likeable. I’ve never encountered anyone like them in my life, and hence my addiction to this club!
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Hi David. Well said, I couldn’t agree with you more. Mona and Lisa are not just amazing gifted musical artist powerhouses, but great thinkers too with amazing perspective on things. That is why WHY? is such an artistic masterpiece. Such insightful and meaningful expression in amazing music. They are artists with profound meaning and insight in their music expressed so beautifully and powerfully. As Lisa demonstrates in her words, they grasp the intangible multidimensional concepts of what music and art is. They are amazing artists first and foremost.
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I too am going back as a new member and catching up with it all. I just read Lisa’s ideas of what music/art are and agree wholeheartedly that there probably isn’t a better take on it anywhere else in this universe. I played music for many years but wisely decided to pursue other ways of making a living. I was in the music business for 16 years..Practice,Practice, Practice!! Never had the disapline so playing/creating music has always been 2nd or 3rd to just being involved and listening and supporting music constantly. It’s comforting to have a few guitars and an amp around but I listen to others 95% of the time. From 10 year old prodigies to the old reliables there is so much to take in. There is talent everywhere and wonderful gems sprinkled in. The MLT’s are one of the gems!!!
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Hi Dave, yeah Lisa nailed it with her explanation on all the different facets of music and art. I’ve never read a more complete and thorough description of it.
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