Music has always been my large part of my life. As a listener, I am able to empathize with emotion and artistic expressions to further understand and connect my own emotions. However, it wasn’t until I received my first guitar that I uncovered the transcendental, transformative, and magical idiosyncrasies of music. These qualities have been seamlessly spent with endless hours of unrelenting practice mixed with boundless creativity. Music has a way of capturing not only my emotions, but also my imagination. The effort and time I have invested into it has allowed me to create compositions and improvisations that alleviate my anxieties while daily enriching my life.
Despite this devout passion for music, my first experiences with a guitar strapped over my shoulder were almost torture. My hands were clumsy on the fret board and to my disappointment I lacked the requisite strength in my hands and fingers. To make matters worse, I did not have access to instructors or more specifically the Internet. At that time, Youtube was not as well established as it is today and it was not filled with the online instructors and simple lessons it provides today. I remember very vividly struggling to learn my first song, Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit." I couldn't arrange my fingers into the proper chord shapes and when I did, my sense of rhythm made my strumming sound atrocious. For months afterward I fought off frustration because I was not seeing any improvement from my daily practice. I was embarrassed to call myself as a musician because I struggled to play intermediate level songs and everywhere the other musicians I met had more natural talent than I did. Or so it seemed to me. In spite of this start, I kept a positive and optimisti...
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...l bane that exists in the minds of musicians. Often fantastic composers become satisfied with money or fame from one or two decent records or demos. It's a demoralizing sight to see a musician’s or a group’s quality of work decline as a result of wealth. Therefore each and every single day, I strive to become better and learn more. I am fully aware that I will never be the perfect guitar player nor will every listener enjoy my work. It's an ongoing devotion that will never be completely satisfied, yet just a few moments of excellence can make months so very satisfying. There is no right or wrong in art and when I write a piece that I am proud of, I am ecstatic. It is one of my greatest joys and no one can diminish for me because it is my art and to me, that is all that matters. Music is my escape into a world that is my euphoria, my rapture, and elemental to my life.
In my paper, I argue that artists capture important insight in their personal experiences through music. In particular, I assert tha...
To understand a musician’s work, one might need to understand their personal journey. While delving into the effects of musical therapy, I had a chance to interview Matt Jennings a songwriter/musician who plays piano in a worship band at Bear Creek Community Church in Merced, California. On Saturday, February 19, I sat down with Matt ...
Everyday I wake up, a tune exits my mouth unconsciously before I even enter the shower. I sing everywhere I go, hence my nickname "Walking Jukebox". Music plays a bigger part in our lives than we let on. Music holds a purpose to enhance the emotions that we are already feeling, but it also represents cultures and passions. It's odd looking back on my younger years and seeing how much my passion for music has molded my character. It has given me understanding on emotions that I have and have not experienced in a more vulnerable way.
I began exploring the musical world in second grade, when I begrudgingly started piano lessons following in my older sister’s footsteps. What began as a struggle turned out to be an ongoing experience I find in both my exploration of piano and viola (started in 5th grade). I am not a prodigal player, and whether I am a talented composer remains to be seen, but I find unexpected yet comforting roots among the musical world. With each day I learn more about various composers and get to know them and their styles. From Mozart’s pure melodies, Beethoven’s harmonies, to Chopin’s ability to seamlessly modulate from key to key I find finesse, detail and ease. I am fascinated by their abilities to pull a melody out of thin air and embellish it. I feel that I am not the only one gripped by the music composers create; the whole human race enjoys listening to music, whether it is classical, jazz, rap or one of the many other forms of music the world has to offer today.
This time around I noticed something that I had never really noticed before, which is how much music can mean to someone. I understand that music can mean a lot to some individuals, however seeing that spark in someone eyes or in their facial expression is a whole other story. It is a story that is truly incredible to witness. It is difficult to describe what exactly this facial expression looks like because it is different for every person. You know it when you see it, it is almost as if they are in a whole other world. I did not notice this spark in any of the members of the Wilmington Orchestra, rather I
The movie the hobbit is explains a journey story the way that like because it shows all four parts in order. First comes the crossing. Then the encounter. Next the conquest . Finally the celebration and they all have perfect examples of them in the movie. The movie the hobbit really explains a journey story because it covers the crossing, the encounter, the conquest and the celebration.
If one were to look back into the world’s history, one would find that an important and consistent element is the world of music. Music has presented itself in various forms throughout its spread and through our identification of its magical realm, people have been fortunate enough to come across a means of relation. Whether it is blues and reggae or rap and pop rock, there is music out there for everyone. Music can serve as a stabilizer for some, a relaxant to others, and to many a form of inspiration.
Music is an art form that usually combines singing with different instruments and rhythms. Many genres of music aid in interesting different people and different moods, so that everyone can enjoy it. Music does two significant things for us; it increases stimulation in the brain, and assists in coping with difficult situations. It’s hard to ignore the fact that music exists and is constantly evolving because it’s everywhere; from our homes to our cars, our cars to our school, from out school to our jobs, it’s even taught and discussed in schools!
Music is a subject that has united people for generations. Its stylized flow of language provides for a potent form of communication that can build communities around self-expression. It can inspire, generate emotion, relax, and provide the perfect backdrop for a good time. Moreover, certain types of music have had much deeper meanings, as well as much greater impacts.
Music is one of the most fantastical forms of entertainment. Its history stretches all the way from the primitive polyrhythmic drums in Africa to our modern day pop music we listen to on our phones. It has the ability to amaze us, to capture our attention and leave us in awe. It soothes the hearts of billions, and it is so deeply rooted in my life that it has touched my heart as well. Everyday I walk to the beat of the song stuck in my head and hum along to the melody. For me, to listen to music be lifted into the air by the hands of your imagination and float around for a while. You forget about your worries, your troubles and find peace within the sound. Every chapter in my life is attached with a song. Every time I listen to a certain song, thoughts of my past come flooding back
The arts are a dying study in today’s society. The arts allow humans to escape their shells and fully express themselves. In jazz, I find myself altering a piece of music to my liking. The “bleeps and swoops” in my playing depict emotions that I may not be able to convey in person. I feel that I can be rather quiet and reserved, but with a horn in hand, the gates which hold back the seas of emotion open and allow the currents to flow. It is quite magical and many are deprived of this.
The effect that music has on an individual is astonishing. Words all of a sudden have meaning and purpose in one’s life, creating this new sense of reality that manifested out of the thin air. With the words, sounds that when it kisses one’s ears a sense of comfort and calmness surges through their body. The incredible simplicity of a note paired with a lyric soon becomes something that buzzes through one’s mind constantly, periodically, and repeatedly. The application of rhythm, rhyme, simile, imagery, metaphor, tempo, etc. to create a song is beautiful. The perfect amount of ingredients to create a powerful medium that moves one’s
“Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music.” These were the words of Sergei Rachmaninoff, a Russian composer and pianist who was very influential in the twentieth century. Sergei’s perception of music was accurate because he understood the impact and significance music can have. Everybody knows what music is and they all have heard a form of it but most people underestimate the value and power music has in our everyday lives. Whether they know it or not music plays a vital role in the lives of people today. Music is a very efficient tool that influences and assists people, it plays a huge part in today’s society, and it had done so much for me as an individual.
Music, a form of art, made up of unique and special sounds containing elements of pitch and rhythm can powerfully soothe one’s soul. Firstly, there are different types of music, and each has its own features. These sounds and features are what I admire in music because to me it creates a new form of communication to one’s consciousness. It stimulates our mind and gives it a sense of harmony and peace through the hardships that life poses for us. As a kid, I would always listen to music from any genre, deciding which genre would complement me the most as I grew older. In middle school, I remember going on the computer and finding a website/program where I could make my own beats. From that day on, I spent countless of hours each day making sure the tune sounded proper and pleasurable for my ears. At first, it wasn’t good, but eventua...
Through music we are able to comprehend someone’s personality, their views, their culture, and who they are as an overall person. The music you listen to is a reflection of who you are and your own personal thoughts. As I reflect on the music I listen to I came to the conclusion that I gravitate towards songs that depict the emotions we feel through lyrics while being able to relate it to my own personal experiences.