A deep question for you all - Why music fills our soul?

[jazz_pilgrim]

In my recent e-mails with Blax, Sammy and the Z-man (Zeca) I asked them a certain question, and Zeca thought it would be a great topic to debate on the Board. So here goes....

The question I asked was (after a few Beck's beers :lol:)

I OFTEN WONDER - HAVE YOU EVER ASKED YOURSELF - WHY IT THAT A HUMAN BEING CAN RESPOND TO MUSIC? WHY CAN IT FILL OUR SOULS SO MUCH??

For example - If I listen to the bass on Brick House, or Donna Summer's sultry sexy voice in Love To Love You Baby or the FANTABULOUS [copyright MARKY] sax in Shame, I get a chill down my spine every time and I feel really good! What is it about music that makes us humans respond in such a way?. If I played Cocomotion to next door's cat, I don't suppose it would feel a thing! How come?

Zeca suggested "great question, I don't know how to anwer it properly. As a good cartesian, I judge others from myself - for me, music is so strong because it works on many levels - pre-rational and rational, instincts and reazon, guts and brains, all levels of our constituency responds to music."

I guess it must be a chemical reaction in our brains that sends a message through our bodies. But how does it get to our SOUL?? And to our BUTT??

Any suggestions from any of you guys? Are there any scientists or brain surgeons reading this?? Blax??

:)

[QUINNY]

JAZZ: NOT BEING TOO PICKY, but I thought it was moi who first used the word FANTABULOUS, which was subsequently (subconciously?) used by Marky the next day in a thread and applauded by Steely. I HATE to disappoint you guys. :lol: [/b]

[Graham_Start]

Hate to disappoint you, Quinnykins, but "fantabulous" has been part of the gay/camp/palare dictionary since before Judy Garland fell off the stage.

Anyway, back to the matter at hand: to me, music is the expression of the human soul. As it (ideally) transcends language, it is truly universal. This is a very primal and spiritual thing; if you study the behaviour of numerous birds, mammals, and even insects, you will see how certain sound patterns and rhythms are used in the place of spoken language. When we hear music, it reaches us on a very fundamental level. Language is a relatively recent invention in the course of evolution, but music has been there from the beginning. So, to toss out a rather cheesy but valid cliché -- music isn't just what you hear; it's what you are.

Those who do not truly listen to or cannot appreciate music are denying themselves a fundamental piece of their own existence. I view it as being akin to denying oneself the ability to love (which is also what a lot of people do, but I digress).

[markydefad]

Yeah, I did use the word "fantabulous" in some post to discodisk, I think...BUT I wasn't aware it had a copyright attached to it. Just gay lingo, I thought!!! :lol:

[QUINNY]

MARKY: I BOW TO YOUR SUPERIOR KNOWLEDGE as to the gay parlance.
BTW:When did J G fall off the stage?

[Bernie]

I'm with Graham when he says:

music is the expression of the human soul. As it (ideally) transcends language, it is truly universal.

While I will tune out or get annoyed when I hear people speak a foreign language that I don't understand, it's not so with music. Listening to music from around the world is facsinating for me.

There is something very primal about music regardless of where it's from especially if it has emphasis on percussion. Take a listen to something such as Mahmoud Fadl and the Drummers of the Nile, Indian music or early Tito Puente to see what I mean. I guess it's all psycho-acoustical baby!

[NickNack]

Well, Jazz, I'm sure I could never explain what happens deep down in me when music is around. Graham's 'primal' description is excellent. Man has been pounding out rhythms on one thing or another since he learned to stand upright... maybe before. I always take it as the greatest gift He or She ever gave us. Something that touches each and every human being on the planet. From the red-necks to the tack-heads, EVERYBODY has some music in them.

Anita Baker sings about the Rhythm of Love and Oleta Adams sings about the Rhythm of Life. You get the feeling that maybe we know music is basic to us, even though a lot of us listen without hearing or feeling.

I don't want to do a 'psychobabble-rap' because I'll just dig a deeper hole for myself. For me, music just is. I have breakfast, lunch, dinner and music for my daily survival on the planet. And there may be days I can skip a few meals, but take away my music and you have one evil SOB.

[Nano]

Two things (two cents):
-Someone mentioned a cat. Didn't you try putting your stereo at full volume in front of your cat/dog? And it acts like there's absolutely nothing out of normal! But they DO hear: they hear us calling them, etc. Why is that? Big mystery to me.
-About languages: for me in most cases if you don't understand the lyrics it's even better. I remember hearing Spanish versions of pop or even disco songs, made by the artists themselves (ABBA, Kool & The Gang's "Celebremos", Madonna...), and they SUCKED!!! The lyrics sounded so simple and ridiculous! So I guess we guys which have English as a second language have some advantage... :)

[QUINNY]

Some things just don't translate very well. I remember well that the Stevie Wonder track 'Boogie On Reggae Woman' was translated as something like 'Boogie On a Ragged Woman' for the sleeve of the Spanish release.

[jazz_pilgrim]

Yeah, I think Graham summed it up best - primal.

I also liked the point that music has been around longer than language. If I listen to some Latin music, which will invariably be in Spanish or Portugese, I can still dig the music despite not understanding a single word! So that would tend to show that music can transcend language ....

[QUINNY]

I just have to say that I think too much creedence is given to music. Sure, I love music, but it's in a little compartment that I can open and close. It's rather sad that buyers of music can quite often be much more precious about it than many of the musicians themselves. I myself, have been guilty of this, but I like to think that I've somewhat 'grown up'.
Personally, I feel it's much more healthy to have a more pragmatic view of it. As for being primaeval, please don't kid yourselves on that. It took ancient man thousands of years to start to make music. Could you play it, or even appreciate it, if you weren't exposed to it from an early age? For all but a few of us, I very much doubt it.
Music can transcend language barriers it's true, but you can still hate a certain type of music whether it's in English, Japanese or whatever; so music itself is a language that talks to you first, the nationality of the musicians a second minor consideration to enjoyment, or is it? I'm going to listen to music with English as a preference, 'cos I'm an English speaker.
Jazz: You'd probably enjoy the latin music a hell of a lot more if you were Spanish speaking, no?
For me music has to have 4 things to enjoy it.
a) it must swing. This applies to any type of music, not just jazz which is my favourite.
b) have a memorable hook, chorus or verse
c) not be too pretentious. Too many jazzers are guilty of this.
d) be played with recognisable feeling/passion. Live music is the best experience. You can see the emotion, feel the tension, share the joy.
As the Musician's Union says:-
KEEP MUSIC LIVE

[jazz_pilgrim]

Originally Posted by QUINNY

Jazz: You'd probably enjoy the latin music a hell of a lot more if you were Spanish speaking, no?

Maybe I would. I am not sure.

But what I can say is that when my friends and I used to go to Latin Nights at the Sol y Sombre and A Night In Havana in London back in the Eighties, I don't think the language problem stopped us from having one hell of a good time! :lol:

[SandraDee]

[quote="QUINNY"] Live music is the best experience. You can see the emotion, feel the tension, share the joy.

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I totally disagree Quimmy. I think live performances are always disappointing from a musical perspective. Its much better to experience music recorded in a 48 track studio with brilliant production & mixing techniques employed IMO. I dont care if I never see live music ever again. Give me my lovely record collection anytime!