The Necessity of Music
As anyone who spends five minutes on this blog can probably tell, I love music. I’ve played guitar for around 15 years, and I’m twice a music major. I was in band from 6th through 12th grade, and I played in the high school Jazz Ensemble. I listen to different kinds of music, from rock to classical. The artists I listen to are also quite varied, ranging from Harry Connick, Jr., to Queen.
Music has been an escape from troubles, while, at the same time, being my way of confronting the issues in my life. When I was going through the initial thrust of my brother’s drug addiction, I played the blues a lot. I would drown in the music, but also use it as a way of wringing beauty out of an otherwise achingly sorrowful heart. I’m sure my dad would rather me have turned down the stereo and the amplifier, but he seemed to understand, himself being a musician. I spent so much time playing blues music back then that, to this day, I’m bound to play at least one blues riff whenever I pick up an electric guitar. I know the time playing them enabled me to lay down my pain and weep, scream, moan, and wail through the instrument that I love so dearly. I honestly can’t imagine having survived that period any other way.
But, most often, music is a scrapbook to me. A single song can open up several pages of my life, some bleeding from one to another, others being discrete memories specific to a particular time, place, and group of people. For years, I’ve been opening this book and flipping through the different sections, often smiling at the past moments of my short life. Though, some don’t bring smiles. Some bring sadness, confusion, disdain, bitterness, joy, humor, peace…you name it. It’s all there amidst the melodies, beats, and lyrics that contribute to the contents of each page.
Probably the era that gets the most attention in this regard is the music from the mid-to-late 90’s. I can listen to nearly anything that was decently popular from 1995-2000, from Gin Blossoms, Natalie Merchant, and Hootie and the Blowfish to Vertical Horizon, Creed, and *NSYNC. Yes, I said *NSYNC. And, more often than not, I’ll sing along. My girlfriend Tiffany says that I sing as if my life depends on it. And, in a way, it does.
In these songs, I revisit those things which have shaped me. By singing along, I not only share in the memory it brings to mind, but I also contribute (for better or for worse) to the artistic effort. I raise my own voice to say whatever it is the singer is trying to get across in his or her vocals. This enables me to own them at the root level and adds even more meaning to the songs themselves.
Samuel Pepys said “Musick is the thing of the world that I love most.” I would definitely have to agree, but it goes well beyond simply enjoying an art form. It provides a ladder out of the deep holes of life’s sadnesses and a way of remembering and viewing past events, and even current events. It’s more than just the tune playing in the background: music is one of the most important things in my life.
Leave a Reply