MUSIC – are we really listening?

We are surrounded by music through radio, TV, in the office, at home, at the mall, any kind of mobile music player, riding elevators and in planes & automobiles; just to name a few. We listen to music when we exercise, sleep, work, party and so forth. We are constantly bombarded with these organized sounds that we call music. But are we really listening?

Music is an art-form consisting of sounds and silence. The pitch controls melody and harmony, we add tempo and rhythm as well as some dynamic and sonic qualities of timbre and texture – yeah, whatever…

Of course music is from the Greek mousike, which means art of the muses. I found that we do not really have a solid understandable definition of music, so I’ll give you my rendition: I see  music as a massive quantity of sounds, organized and executed in a way that is pleasing to me and my many senses.

I do not believe in the term noise, because to me, noise is sound; at times, a rather irritating one, but still a sound - so take that. Most music is very organized; some music is improvisational and then we have some that rolls into aleatonic forms, meaning some elements in the composition is left to chance – and that’s when we get up, cover our ears, roll our eyes, turn it off and/or leave the room. But when we listen to music, do we really listen?

For the most part music goes in one ear and out the other; it’s just part of the wall of sounds we are constantly surrounded by. And at times we crank up the iPod and concentrate a bit more in the listening department, as She Loves You (that would be The Beatles) is carving its way into our heads and activates our senses.

I was lucky enough to grow up with The Beatles (1963 and forward); She Loves You is a song I have listened to approximately 65 trillion times - at least. It is a simple composition consisting of vocals, bass guitar, rhythm guitar, single guitar and drums; the band set-up at that time. To me it’s as powerful a song today as it was back then – no matter or because of, how simple it is - really.

Now, you listen to the song, you snap some fingers, tap a few toes and otherwise go with the tune and the simplistic beat. But you can also listen to the song in a much more concentrated manner, which I really find fascinating, and it will change your attitude towards music.

With headphones or ear-buds in place, the volume up to the breaking-your-hearing point, you play one of your favorites. Listen to the piece as you normally listen and enjoy. Now play it again and try to pull in the drums. All of a sudden you realize how well it’s played (or not), but the point is that you can do this separation of anything you are listening to. While concentrating on the drums you find that the vocals and anything else is pushed into the background. So why do this? To me it enhances my listening pleasure (and in a few cases not).

Another thing you will experience is a much bigger appreciation of the music that you already like. Oh and that brings me to this: What is good music? Any music you like – plain and simple.

We take music for granted, which is understandable as we have been listening to it for a few years. The first instruments were flutes, as far as we know; they go way back to pre-historic times, which is some 40,000 years ago. But when we really listen to today’s music or what Beethoven did back around 1800 (HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LUDWIG – he would have been something like 242 yesterday (12/16)), we find a terrific and exciting world of WOW; and here is why…

I believe that music-wise, we are spoiled. We take all these songs and pieces of music for granted – we get a bit ignorant in the process, as our expectation level soars high as a kite; yes, including me – no, not me being high as a kite; duh.

You can pretty much take any music and really listen and appreciate. K.D. Lang sings I Want it All which is a driving song that is basically simple in composition, but when you really listen, the bass run, drums, and all the rest is produced in a fascinating and superb way. To some the song is not much, but when you really listen to all those utterly fascinating layers of sounds, the perfection of execution, to me, that is music, real music at its best.

Beethoven’s last (full) symphony, the Ninth, is so complex. But the second we turn both ears to the deep layers of what this dude composed, it is amazing how he did it; and he was totally deaf the last half of his life. All these multitudes of instruments put together in a firework of wonderful and exciting sounds, cannot be more awesome – no way. Even if your taste is not the classics, you must give yourself a chance and listen – really listen.

Too often we forget the artistry of the performers. Though I’m not fully sold on Metallica (heavy metal rock), I am utterly enthralled with the quality of the production of their songs, their perfection in execution and especially the totally awesome drum/percussion work by Lars Ulrich (a fellow Dane); absolutely one of the best in the business.

Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston and so many other singers, with their perfectly attuned voices, becoming another instrument played so well. Sure they do take after take to get it right, but we are listening to the end product and that’s how we judge, how we enjoy – tapping toes and snapping fingers, going WOW.

The fast moving fingers of piano players like Oscar Peterson and Arthur Rubenstein, so fast it literally makes you dizzy, as you cannot fathom how the heck they can do it – and trust me, I have tried so many times and I’m not even close.

The superb guitar work of Eric Clapton, Segovia, George Harrison and so many more; the 20-piece big band hitting the notes to perfection. Music is a fascinating world – it really is.

When I was a kid, my Mother and I used to listen to classical music together. Our favorites were the 1812 Overture by Tchaikovsky and Finlandia by Finnish composer Sibelius. We both got into the stories we each saw in these pieces – and every time we ended up with tears running. When we really listen, that can happen – again and again.

Music is for all kinds of moods; when we are sad, happy, pissed or just because. We react to music by smiling, crying, dancing – music can direct our emotions, if we want it or not. It also makes us break out doing silly things.

At times I play the air-guitar to Rudy Rotta & Brian Auger’s BOOM BOOM, in front of the mirror, dressed only in underwear. It’s a rocker that rocks so fantastic. When I’m depressed, or in a nasty mood, music is the medication that will clear all that out; but when doing the underwear-air-guitar thing in front of the mirror, our pets run down into the basement in horror. I know they must be utterly desperate, because we don’t have a basement.

I like my kind of music loud and full. I’ll eventually lose some of my hearing, but it will be worth it all – BOOM BOOM, Beatles, Beethoven and so many other – (now where did I put that air-guitar?)

Till next Monday - Listen to the music, please...