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Thread: The Joy of Music

  1. #26
    Really nice post. I always love hearing people talk about the importance of music to them.

  2. #27
    Member Plasmatopia's Avatar
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    Music has definitely brought me many hours of joy over the years. Somehow I think my relationship to music is a bit more complicated though. When I think about it, I suppose the not-so-great aspects of music all come down to my efforts and frustrations about being a musician. In that sense it's a love-hate relationship sometimes.

    Sometimes it's hard to listen to some virtuoso guitarist or whatever and not have some of that "I'll never be able to play like that guy" feeling creep in. I try to keep that in perspective. I long ago made a decision NOT to make a career in music anyway, so that helps me keep things in perspective...there just aren't enough hours in the day and I don't think I have enough "natural ability" or whatever anyway...being a virtuoso was never in the cards.

    And then sometimes I just get busy with various things and I don't even have time to listen to music...maybe I even convince myself that I don't need to listen to it. The mental state required for listening is completely incompatible (for me) with lots of other things I do (like work) so it's like I become completely disconnected from that entire "listening" state of mind.

    But then when I DO have the chance to listen I'm rewarded. And when I have a chance to play music with other people I invariably come away with a smile on my face. I can't think of too many other things that are that much of a sure path to a sense of well-being.
    <sig out of order>

  3. #28
    Member rcarlberg's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bob_32_116 View Post
    From time to time one hears anecdotes of how the family cat seems to love listening to Brahms or some other composer when the human owner puts the music on.
    When I was growing up Georgie, our cat, would run to lay on top of the piano whenever anyone played.

    But I think it was all about the vibrations, she didn't seem to care what kind of music was played.

  4. #29
    Member rcarlberg's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Einstein View Post
    “I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. ”
    Anybody else here dream music? I often wake up with complete songs or melodies in my head.

    Alas, by the time I pee and put in my contacts they're usually gone.

  5. #30
    Member Lopez's Avatar
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    Wonderful post. If I recall correctly, Mr. Jimi once said, "God, I can't make it without my music." Our thoughts exactly.
    Lou

    Looking forward to my day in court.

  6. #31
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    Quote Originally Posted by rcarlberg View Post
    Anybody else here dream music? I often wake up with complete songs or melodies in my head.
    I very rarely have musical dreams, but I do recall one vivid dream in which I was listening to - presumably - Elton John, performing Curtains, the closing track from the Captain Fantastic album. I already love that song, but in the dream it seemed far richer than on the record, especially as it progressed towards the end. There were extra notes between the existing notes, and later on even more squeezed in between those, giving an odd syncopation-within-syncopation effect, yet it did not sound at all forced.

    I sometimes wonder if that was how Elton heard the song in his head before it was recorded.

  7. #32
    Very nice to see such a positive start to a thread, and to have that spirit persist in all the subsequent comments.

    Music is really one of the great joys one can experience in life.

  8. #33
    Member No Pride's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Plasmatopia View Post
    Music has definitely brought me many hours of joy over the years. Somehow I think my relationship to music is a bit more complicated though. When I think about it, I suppose the not-so-great aspects of music all come down to my efforts and frustrations about being a musician. In that sense it's a love-hate relationship sometimes.

    Sometimes it's hard to listen to some virtuoso guitarist or whatever and not have some of that "I'll never be able to play like that guy" feeling creep in.
    Somewhat early on in my development as a musician, I went through a (thankfully brief) dark period where I not only felt deep despair about anybody that I felt I'd never be as good as, I also had a low opinion about anybody that I deemed to be not as good as I was. That didn't leave me with much to enjoy and I began to question the whole idea about me playing music. Fortunately, I came to my senses and realized that it's not all about me. Brilliant composers and musicians are there for us to appreciate and savor and ideally, draw inspiration to better ourselves from. Not only that, but there's sometimes raw beauty to be found in artists who might not have as much musical knowledge or chops as we do; there's such thing as undisciplined talent and it can sometimes shine brightly.

    The sole reason for playing music is to have fun and express our thoughts and emotions... and if there's a strong enough will to get to the point where we're able to do that adequately enough to please ourselves, the rest is just icing on a cake that's already tasty. I stopped envying great musicians a long time ago; listening to them is pure pleasure for me now, thank God! And I've learned to appreciate some raw, undisciplined talent too. Neither extreme has any bearing on where I stand as a musician; I've put that in a separate compartment.

  9. #34
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    Great way to start the day, and nice thread EP, nice to read how others have become fans of this niche, regardless how much arguing goes on, we have to admit, our music is not for everyone. My own background is somewhat similar, born in 59, youngest of 3 bros and 1 sis. All heavily into the music of the day. My Dad co owned a local jazz club called the Mendota Emporium of Jazz, and actually owned a HiFi stereo!!! Which considering the era 60's-70's, was pretty unique for a WW II vet. He was a big Swing, Classical, Crooner fan, and had the music blaring around the house quite a bit, my oldest bro, a VV vet, got into hifi early also, built a Dynakit amp, a suspended from the ceiling Thorens turntable, and Altec voice of the theater speakers, all in a blacklight enhanced artroom. when he was away, I would sift through his records and listen to Hendrix, It's a Beautiful Day, Cat Stevens, Procal Harum, Mothers of Invention, Yes, Tull, ELP, GGiant, etal.


    He actually bought me a few records as XMas gifts that would have a profound effect one me. Zappa-Apostrophe, Mahavishnu Orchestra - Birds of Fire, I was about 10 or 11 at the time IIRC. I also got an old acoustic guitar around the same time, learning riffs from Sabbath, Iron Butterfly, Deep Purple, James Gang, Zepplen and some of my Dads music also. All the while I loved some of the pop of the day, Beatles, Monkeys, Yardbirds, it was radio songs like Frankenstein, Roundabout, Free Ride, Aqualung, Lucky man, 21st Century Schizoid Man, that really got my attention. By the time I was in high school, my friends and I discovered a radio station that we could only listen to at 11:00 pm central (we are in Minn.) Beeker Street out of little rock Arkansas, that is where I would be hearing bands like Ambrosia, Budgie, England, Gryphon, National Health, etc. etc. These shows would send me on wild goose chases to record stores all over the twin cities, and I would spend hours, scrounging for these elusive artists, and I would take a lot of chances on albums simple because of the covers.

    My how things have changed.
    Last edited by MJBrady; 05-30-2014 at 10:27 PM.

  10. #35
    facetious maximus Yves's Avatar
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    I'll have to look into this "music" thing you guys are all raving about....
    "Corn Flakes pissed in. You ranted. Mission accomplished. Thread closed."

    -Cozy 3:16-

  11. #36
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    Nice post and I agree music has been, and still is a huge part of my life. I have not touched an instrument in about 30 years (used to play a little piano and French Horn during my school years), but still love to listen to it. I can’t imagine not exploring new music or attending live shows. I remember thinking when I was in my mid-20’s that I could probably get away with seeing rock concerts for a few more years before I was too old. Times have changed a lot since then and today in my 50’s I attend more live shows than I did back then. My favorite thing to do when I was 16 years old was to drink a few beers and attend a good rock n roll show. My favorite thing to do today is still the same thing. The only difference is my musical tastes have expanded and I can afford good micro-brews instead of that crap Busch Light that I drank back in the day. I still buy music all the time discovering new bands and sometimes discovering old ones. I too am perplexed by people who are not moved by some kind of music, but there are a lot of them out there for which it is either just background noise or of no interest at all.

  12. #37
    Member rcarlberg's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Plasmatopia View Post
    Sometimes it's hard to listen to some virtuoso guitarist or whatever and not have some of that "I'll never be able to play like that guy" feeling creep in.
    I have noticed that the music that moves me most -- emotionally -- is the simple stuff. Lotsa fantastic polyrhythmic 23-minute tone-rows engage the mind, but they don't have the emotional wallop of, say, Barber's "Adagio for Strings" or Camel's "The Snow Goose" (title track).

  13. #38
    Member Plasmatopia's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by No Pride View Post
    Somewhat early on in my development as a musician, I went through a (thankfully brief) dark period where I not only felt deep despair about anybody that I felt I'd never be as good as, I also had a low opinion about anybody that I deemed to be not as good as I was. That didn't leave me with much to enjoy and I began to question the whole idea about me playing music. Fortunately, I came to my senses and realized that it's not all about me. Brilliant composers and musicians are there for us to appreciate and savor and ideally, draw inspiration to better ourselves from. Not only that, but there's sometimes raw beauty to be found in artists who might not have as much musical knowledge or chops as we do; there's such thing as undisciplined talent and it can sometimes shine brightly.

    The sole reason for playing music is to have fun and express our thoughts and emotions... and if there's a strong enough will to get to the point where we're able to do that adequately enough to please ourselves, the rest is just icing on a cake that's already tasty. I stopped envying great musicians a long time ago; listening to them is pure pleasure for me now, thank God! And I've learned to appreciate some raw, undisciplined talent too. Neither extreme has any bearing on where I stand as a musician; I've put that in a separate compartment.
    That comes very close to describing how I look at things now. There are lots of musicians better than me and lots who are worse than me. And I can appreciate both kinds (when jamming together) for the unique things they bring to the situation. I appreciate the rough/raw approach and the tendency to keep things on the simple side when jamming (although to a lesser extent when listening to studio output from professional bands).

    Lately I'm practicing my bass parts for an upcoming gig with my steel drum band. Good lord do we play some corny tunes! But I still have a blast playing with those guys (I have huge respect for the talent in this band) and, as corny as it is, I think anyone would have to be nearly dead not to come away with a smile on their face after playing this stuff. It's the polar opposite of "pretentious" and "serious" prog music, lol.
    <sig out of order>

  14. #39
    I don't know, rcarlberg, about the species boundary. I know a mink that likes Shostakovich better than most everything. Well, he's also slightly fond of Bartók.

  15. #40
    Member Phlakaton's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by SteveSly View Post
    Nice post and I agree music has been, and still is a huge part of my life. I have not touched an instrument in about 30 years (used to play a little piano and French Horn during my school years), but still love to listen to it. I can’t imagine not exploring new music or attending live shows. I remember thinking when I was in my mid-20’s that I could probably get away with seeing rock concerts for a few more years before I was too old. Times have changed a lot since then and today in my 50’s I attend more live shows than I did back then. My favorite thing to do when I was 16 years old was to drink a few beers and attend a good rock n roll show. My favorite thing to do today is still the same thing. The only difference is my musical tastes have expanded and I can afford good micro-brews instead of that crap Busch Light that I drank back in the day. I still buy music all the time discovering new bands and sometimes discovering old ones. I too am perplexed by people who are not moved by some kind of music, but there are a lot of them out there for which it is either just background noise or of no interest at all.
    I'm 41 now and had a great time moshing at a Primus show recently. I only lasted about 20 mins but damn it was fun - Trans Am show tomorrow might prove fun like that too!

  16. #41
    Member rcarlberg's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by inhortte View Post
    I know a mink that likes Shostakovich better than most everything. Well, he's also slightly fond of Bartók.
    Bartok is more ferret music.

  17. #42
    Member Phlakaton's Avatar
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    Bartok is hot.

  18. #43
    Member Jerjo's Avatar
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    I don't know what I would do without music. When I spent a couple decades as a cubicle slave it was a constant for me, blocking out distractions and keeping me sane. The majority of my friends are music fanatics. Even now, working at home, I'm either playing the stereo in my office or the living room while on the laptop. Last night I did the dishes and as usual I docked the iPad and cranked some classic Kansas. My taste is always changing and evolving (same with books and movies), I'm always looking for the next thing. It's been a joyous obsession and I wouldn't have it any other way.
    I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart

  19. #44
    Member rcarlberg's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jerjo View Post
    Last night I [...] docked the iPad and cranked some classic Kansas. [...] I'm always looking for the next thing.
    ????

  20. #45
    Member Jerjo's Avatar
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    Well yeah, when you paraphrase it like that. But my last CD purchases was Lost in the Dream by The War on Drugs.
    I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart

  21. #46
    Music is what pushed me to play the guitar(s).
    It's his fault.

  22. #47
    Great thread. As Paddy McAloon said, "Music is a princess, I'm just a boy in rags. I'll gladly spend my life carrying her bags..." (something like that)

    I used to like darker, heavier, sombre stuff, and though I still do, over the last few years I've grown to really like a warm, positive vibe-Yes and Camel were always really good at this, bringing joy and positive feelings. A lot of fusion is full of joy as well. More recently, I hear the plug for a love of music and life in the new Cirrus Bay, "The Search For Joy", a very meaningful album for me personally right now, and Prefab Sprout's "Lets Change The World With Music". I like it when artists incorporate love for music into their music. Of course its May, and the sun is shining in sunny California, so come late fall I may be back to darker music. But its all wonderful. Symph, fusion, classical, blues, rock. All an incredible gift. Even Abba said it, "thank you for the music...."

  23. #48
    Member eporter66's Avatar
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    Thanks for the positive responses, and for sharing your thoughts and experiences with music. I enjoyed reading all the posts. Music is truly an amazing gift, and I am thankful every day that it plays such an important part in my life.

  24. #49
    For me, there is nothing that transcends mysic. I love my wife more than anyone, and I value my friendships more than I could probably ever say.....but music is the the thing that will always be with me .... Even if I were to go deaf, I have so much music in my head that I could easily "play" it for decades without getting tired of it.

    That I've been fortunate enough to turn it from an all consuming passion to something that, well, ain't exactly a living but is heading in the right direction makes me feel lucky beyond belief. That I've come to know some of my musical heroes ...some transcending professional acquaintances and now entering the realm of actual friends...is an even greater blessing, as I've come to understand things about music I never knew were there let alone thought possible.

    I can imagine living without many things. Music is not one of them. It's just that important.

  25. #50
    It's changed the way my brain functions.

    Exposure to non-standard thinking in music and literature at an early age changed me.

    Hopefully for the better.
    I want to dynamite your mind with love tonight.

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