Music – The Search For Individual Understanding

Music is an illusive and hard to define phenomenon. It is more than just a bunch of sounds strung together, it’s a magic that draws out our emotions and produces a feeling in our hearts. The rousing thing is that one individual’s music, is another individual’s compilation of random noises. The truth is no kind of music is better than another type.

Let us say you’re a high-brow lover of classical music (OK, that may be a stretch, but performance along – you could learn something). You are really into your Bach and Chopin, but you could not appreciate heavy metal or hip hop. To you they may be empty random sounds devoid of meaning. To you the beauty of classical music seems apparent – not like that other stuff.

Nonetheless, the young urban kid feels the same way about their hip hop. To them hip hop is real and relevant. The lyrics are not just words, they convey a meaning that speaks to their fears, plights, and dreams. The music touches them in a individual way – a way that little else in their daily life can.

The fact is that music is an emotional experience that reflects the type of person that we are. What draws us to a certain genre or musical style is in essence the desire for understanding and acceptance. Each of us is a hand in search the glove that will make us feel the emotional aid that we need inside.

For one person they may need to feel normal and understood. They’ll prefer ly search out music that fills this void. They’ll appreciate lyrics that are a reflection of their lives and option s. For another, they may seek out music that makes them feel inspired. Some are drawn to love tunes, while others to the blues.

Each of us needs to feel connected in life, and that’s more necessary now than in any time in the past. Our society moves so fast, and the stability of family and community of yesteryear could not be present in our lives now. Each of us is searching for that musical soul mate that will make us feel completed.

Music is personal. The kind of music we appreciate does not depend on the music itself, but how the music fits us as individuals. No one kind of music is better than another. Each is a unique personal experience that will touch some people in a way that makes them feel whole. All categories of music are valid. You might or might not appreciate a style – in fact, you may be bored by it or even offended. But you might not dismiss any kind of music. Each represents a voice which must be heard in our society.

Since no kind of music is better than another, that very best  ly means that no song is better than another, and thus no musician or singer is better than another. Each performer has something to bring to the table, an individual perspective that is divergent than everybody else’s. Sure all of us all have our preferences, and a particular singer might have better projection or be able to hit a note better. But those are technical elements. Music is an emotional response to a variety of acoustic elements. It is not about how a song sounds, it is about how you hear it, it is about how it fits you.

Do not be narrow in your appreciation of music. Search far and expansive  for tunes that speak to you. Listen to the lyrics, feel the rhythm, let the music envelope you. Music can create understanding across cultural barriers. Stretch beyond your comfort zone. Listen to artists and styles that can seem foreign to you. You can just find a glove that fits your hand better than you ever imagined.