Tuesday Morning, 8:30 AM: My alarm blasts When I'm Gone by Wiz Khalifa waking me up. It's going to be a slow, meaningful, at peace day.
Thursday Morning, 8:30 AM: My alarm blasts Crank It Up by David Guetta and Ashkon waking me up. It's going to be a hyper, upbeat type of day.
I have no control over my music, whether it is the shuffle button on Spotify or a random radio station...music controls my tempo. One day I could be like that runner who starts his run with some Motley Crue raging on pure adrenaline and just burns out when the next song on shuffle is a slower but classier Frank Sinatra. Other days, I'll feel like a car could bounce right off me as Busta Rhymes comes on shuttle spitting his lyrics. Shuffle controls my life.
In a world where people are moving at 100 miles per hour and everything else is moving at 110 miles per hour, music is no longer that moment where you gather round the campfire with that one guy trying to play Kumbaya on his guitar. Today music represents multi-tasking. We listen to music when were driving, walking, doing work, and eating. Music is like advertisements, we see thousands of them a day but in terms of conflict we only notice it until something stands out.
I played classical music on piano from the third grade through my senior year of high school and I loved it. Piano was a way for me to just escape from the world, but as I grew older I wanted to become innovative. Bach, Mozart, and Chopan's music is beautiful and all, but I wanted to be an artist not an imitator. I would sit on the piano when I was bored for hours sometimes, and just start messing around with chords and melodies...I didn't get anywhere. Creating music became my conflict with music. Going off to college, I simply did not have the time to keep up with piano so now I consider myself a recreational player. If there is a keyboard, give me a seat and I will turn into that guy around the fire pit poorly playing Kumbaya.
In terms of conflict and Jerusalem, I feel that music can really do no harm. We've seen wars start over science and sports before but never (at least I think) have we seen blood drawn over music (unless we are talking in terms of copyrights, which is a whole other story). In my opinion though, the main problem with music is the emphasis on beat. I could honestly go through a whole rap song and the lyrics could consist of insulting my family and religion with derogatory terms and names, but if the song had a catchy beat, I wouldn't even notice.
How about the crazy idea of a Jerusalem (Jews and Palestinians alike) John Lennon Imagine type of song? That could have some impact. For me music somewhat can control my emotions, actions, and mood. Maybe, some kind of musical movement could create something special in Jerusalem. When I was down my mother always told me Sticks and Stones will break your bones, but words will never hurt. If this is true (and my mom happens to be that Jewish mother who is always right), we might as well give it a shot.
You make an interesting point how your music is always on shuffle and controls your mood...I feel the same way. I think that even though you're listening, you really aren't paying that much attention to it when it is playing in the background as you said. It is so weird thinking about it but the sound of any kind of music really changes things whether is it socially, emotionally, or even politically as we are seeing in the conflict.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your article because the way you described your relationship with music is so similar to mine. I almost always rely on shuffle while I am listening to music and every time a new song comes on my mood could take a turn in absolutely any direction. I rely heavily on music to wake up in the morning with upbeat productivity inducing music, whereas when I am attempting to fall asleep I will throw on Explosions in the Sky or something else.
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