Music: One Word, Many Meanings

There’s no denying music is a unique universal language all its own. It is ubiquitous. It is influential. It is powerful. At times, it is mindless. At other times, thought provoking. It can unite. Conversely, it can divide.

It is a gift that is a part of almost every human’s experience in some way. It is personal. It is complex, yet simple. It takes on many varied forms and expressions whether instrumental or vocal. It is as vividly diverse in nature as the humans that create it. And yet, sometimes humans have no part in it whatsoever. Case in point, have you ever enjoyed the captivating melody of a bird carelessly chirping away outside your window? That’s music.

Still, in principle it is very much subjective. It is the cry of a baby. It is the roar of a locomotive speeding on iron rails to its intended destination. It is the sound of raindrops falling randomly in seemingly timed rhythmic patterns on a windowpane. For what may be considered music to one individual may simply be nothing more than purposeless noise to another.

It predates modern culture. It is ritualistic. Whether a part of formal worship, ceremony, celebration, tribute or recreational fanfare, music has its distinct place in our lives. Intangible and invisible, but it’s very much there and very much alive. It’s in our cars, homes, iPods, computers, milk crates, shelves, memories, and our heads at 3 a.m. when we can’t sleep because of it. But most importantly, it's in our hearts.

Some say that specific songs comprise the soundtrack to their lives. Ever hear a familiar song that instantaneously warps you back to a specific moment or time in your life? It’s almost like an ID point on a CD. Perhaps it was a nursery rhyme you learned as a child? Or could it be a song that beckons recollections of a simpler time in life? Maybe it was a song that perfectly depicted your feelings about triumph, defeat, love or heartbreak? It’s therapeutic and healing. It runs the gamut.

It has the ability to take our own thoughts and feelings to another level as we live vicariously through its movement, feeling or lyrics. It makes us dance, cry, laugh, think, react, respond, dream, forget, aspire, bop, nod, be silly or do whatever else feels appropriate as music enters your ear canals and triggers responses in thought and feeling. It makes us fearless imitators in the shower where there exists perfect reverb. It is all of these things and yet the surface of what music is and what it represents to each of us as individuals hasn’t even been remotely scratched.

From a business standpoint, music has taken its hits much like many other industries in today’s uncertain economic times. Some see major problems with the content in much of today’s music and as a result are tuning out. Others see nothing wrong with it at all. Some feel the creativity is dying and hopelessly floundering in search of some much needed resuscitation. In addition, technology has affected how music is created, how we view it and also how we receive it. Theories abound and the discussions are fully underway.

That being said, in the coming weeks this column will touch on different aspects of music from various perspectives. Whether you’re a participator or an appreciator, we will try to examine things of interest beyond merely critiquing a CD or a performance. This is where you come in to play. I have topics already lined up. But if there is something of interest to you about music in general, the state of it, or anything else piquing your curiosity, drop me a line and I just may incorporate it into the discussion. I look forward to hearing from you!