Background music should be the bane of every musician's existence. It really gets under my skin, but then I'm guilty of it. I have this compulsion, every time I get in the car, to turn up the music ALL. THE. WAY. So that everyone can appreciate punk/ska and videogame remixes. You're welcome.
At home, too. I turn on a YouTube playlist to do just about anything. ALL. THE. WAY.
Sometimes, I am actively listening.
Not all the time, though.
Music should not be something we are trained to tune out, but that's what background music does to us. There's music playing, but you're focused on the ad, or what someone's trying to converse with you about, or...
What is it about silence that disturbs us so much?
Someone recently reminded me of that fundamental understanding, that music is given its weight by silence. A cacophony of sound does not equal music, necessarily. We need silent times and quiet times.
And I expand that into my life, because like the overly loud Streetlight Manifesto, I, too, live loudly with too many actions and too many commitments. The busyness has become a soothing buzz and now I have somewhat forgotten how to relax and lean into the cradle of silence.
How can notes have significance without silence to surround them?
How can my actions have significance if I only do them to do them? Because I don't know how to stop doing? To make a splash of noise in a noisy world?
Shhhhhhhh.
And forgive this random plot of thoughts. Hope you enjoyed them.
I think music is often taken for granted. Like when we have background music playing, we may not consciously process it, but the second it's gone, we notice that. A lot of people underestimate the power and importance of music, and I challenge them to watch a movie without a soundtrack. Though of course, movies don't have music throughout. There does need to be that balance.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking for myself, I know I often can't stand silence. I find it more deafening than any music could be. I'll turn on the clock radio at night when I'm trying to fall asleep, or if I'm alone I'll have the TV on if I don't have music playing. I guess it lets me know that I'm still part of the world. Silence freaks me out. I think if I ever went deaf, the sense of isolation would be unbearable to me.
That's all:)