| | | Hey Friend,
Why do musicians create music?
Is it for the fame? The fortune? The chicks?
No, it goes quite a bit deeper than that...
Musicians are translators. We're storytellers.
We take various sound frequencies and bring them together into cohesive combinations that can stir the basest emotions, everything from love to rage.
We can weave together a string of words that create the most vivid scenes in the minds of our listeners.
We transform sounds and words into an entity that guides, moves and mesmerizes souls. Used improperly, we could create monsters...
Music is connection. It helps to capture and seal a memory in our minds.
We hear songs on the radio playing during different events and times in our lives and these songs become a part of those memories.
Think back to a time in your life where there is a strong memory. I'll bet there's a song that can instantly take you back to that time. Music can trigger memories of details you hadn't thought about in years, even decades.
Just yesterday I found myself literally tearing up listening to The Carpenters. I began to wonder why these particular songs were having such an effect on me. I never had any of their music on album or tape when I was younger. I know I heard their music on the radio, and I was struck by Karen's voice, but I don't remember there being any significant events in my life then, unless you count growing into my teen years.
I don't even remember being shook up when Karen died in 1983. I guess I was too busy in my 18 year old life to get slowed down by news of her passing.
But over the years I can say that now, every time I hear certain songs, I feel those emotions bubble to the top. It's nearly immediate, triggered by a combination of the words, melody and arrangement of the chords. Or maybe it's the purity of her voice.
Yes, I know, I'm a weepy sap... get over it!
There are very specific combinations of notes and chords you can use to cause whatever emotional result you want.
The best songwriters know how to crack the code to create timeless songs, songs that endure and find raving fans in every generation.
Look at the works of Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, Mahler, Tchaikovsky, Handel and many others. This music has endured and is regularly performed, recorded, referenced and reinterpreted.
I'll argue that it is because these composers either learned or had an innate ability to create a masterpiece out of thin air, as if the melody was a stirring of a breath felt only briefly on the nape of their neck.
I can't say I've ever been moved to tears by a Classical piece of music, but I have been energized by them. One of my favorite compositions is "Sheherazade" by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Something about the way the the symphonies carry my imagination. I suppose we would all have different experiences to pull memories from, but I always imagine an epic journey reminiscent of the times of Sinbad and Alibaba.
Getting back to The Carpenters, I believe Richard Carpenter's ability to arrange a song in a way that allowed Karen's voice to nail it came from his training in Classical music and Jazz. The underlying chords he played while Karen hit certain notes are genius in how they grab you.
Another thing to keep in mind is the timbre of the instruments that are used, including the voice. Timbre (pronounced 'tamber') is the combination of unique qualities of an instrument that make it sound like that instrument.
A fairly obvious example is the difference between how a guitar and a saxophone sound. Timbre is determined not only by how an instrument is played, but by the materials it's made from and the physical properties of the instrument. A snare and a timpani are both drums, but they sound entirely different. That's timbre.
I'm sure there are artists today that have learned how to tap into the "magic" that creates those incredible sound combinations. Sadly, most of them go unheard because there is so much noise distracting listeners.
For the most part, we're not hunter/gatherers anymore. We don't have to be craftier than our food to make sure we eat - it's pretty easy to go down to the grocery or market and get it. No struggle.
We get spoon fed much of our music today as well. If you want to find music that starts working on your soul rather than just filling your stomach, you have to do some digging. You can't just listen to the stuff that's easily available.
This isn't a commentary on popular artists today - they very well could be writing strong music that touches the very core of your being, but you're not going to hear it on the radio. This is stuff you have to go hunting for.
If you like an artist, buy the albums and listen to them. There are always hidden gems, much better music than what makes it to the radio.
It's like a treasure hunt. Musicians want to affect you with the music they write. They want to share what they're experiencing and guide you to a place of understanding, but it's probably not commercial enough for you to find it on your favorite radio station.
It's all about creating a painting of feelings with sound, the sounds drawing out the emotions. In the end this is all we're trying to do as musicians. Chew on that for a while - see if it makes sense to you...
Have a great weekend!
Peace~
Dave
P.S. Power chords might not be the most emotionally mature sounds available to you, but they most certainly can lay down a base to work from when you craft your song. Learn more about 'em with Easy Power Chords right here!
|
| | |
|
