imo, music is a unique, universal human experience that ties us together through the effects it has upon our minds. those who listen to music purely to admire the beauty it contains (rather than just using music to identify with the image that an artist or band projects) allow the sounds to paint a temporary world in their minds, with the rhythms transforming the perception of time and the tones creating space. this trance-like state of mind that we come to take for granted comes about from what is really no more than organized, vibrating pockets of air.
the effects of music that is sung usually contains more cultural aesthetics than instrumental music, creating similar universal reactions but on a smaller scale. for instance, a westerner and person of a different culture that listen to a bach solo violin piece would share a more similar reaction than if they both listened to a bob dylan song. these shared feelings that music draws from us all help us see that we recognize the same beauty, even if we don't understand how or why.
how significant is music in your life?
Music is far and away the most significant thing to me.
It's become a weird thing, though, more and more, I have too much roiling in this vacuum to have much truck with a lot of music outside my head.
My mind/ear records musical continuity too well sometimes; I have to be selective, very, and either deal with music that is difficult to store in memory - music that puts me in touch with a more ancient memory storehouse, what I think, Jung called genetic memory - or music that provides a release, like dance music or what you might think is a kind of comedy music.
Or, I might just study a lot of stuff that's superior to my own efforts, it's called getting your chops together.
I have a very jaded ear, too.
Life's a beach.
I dont know what I would do if I could never listen to music. Music is a big part of my life I love music!
One upon a time, music WAS my life. It was my blood, my soul. A birth defect took it from me and I cannot listen to guitar without wanting to cry anymore.
i love two things about music...
One, it is one of the few parts of your environment you can control. Music can be chosen and played and unlike any of the other senses, you always hear the same song,
BUT
It is also something that controls you, you can hear new parts in songs, have things click in and out of significance, or live, be projected to a place beyond anything else.
But ultimately, it's just music
Music is and always has been a very important part of my life. It's unique to humans, other than singing that animals do. I am not sure why music has the effect it does, but there is no doubting it's power. Music always inspires me or makes me feel a certain way, depending on what I am listening to. I have played in bands and even to this day, my guitar is on it's stand in the living room with my amp on standby, ready to play whenever the mood strikes me.
There was a time in my life where all I cared about was music. I lived to play music and everything I did had to do with making it in the music business. A very memorable time in my life.
Love always,
Elizabeth
OMG, I would *die* without music. Heck, I'm writing this now with headphones on. I can't stand being without music for more than a few hours... I just start wilting emotionally. I've actually wondered if I'm one of those weird people who's senses got messed up and miswired, cuz I swear I can taste, see and feel music as well as hear it. It has a texture, a flavour to it that gets inside me and infects every cell and pore...
Uhm... I guess I'm trying to say it's rather significant, yes ;)
~Kate~
I ASSURE you that's not miswired, the other thing, where one is limited to this thing or that thing, is due to dysfunctional wires. Which I believe tends to be due to this sad series of misconceptions some like to think of as 'reality'. ^-^
nota
The music we make is life's painting.
That is why we have such a connection to it.
I've spent more money on music than on any other thing in my entire life ('cept the house of course). It is totally worth it. BTW, new speakers are on the way ;)
Cindi
I think music is very important. There are songs that can make me cry. Other music soothes my soul.
Admittedly I have very limited types of music I like to listen to.
Sarah L.
For me, music is as important as food or love. In many ways it's my first language, over the years it's given me an outlet to express aspects of myself before I had words to understand or describe feelings of gender variance. I play music full time, however, even if I didn't do it professionally, it would still be my passion. I've spent way more on instruments and CDs than on anything else except my house.
Zythyra
Very, I listen to Classical and Bluegrass whenever I can. I cant play a note on any instrument, but I am grateful for those who can. If I could not hear, I would be most sad.
I prefer natural music like the heart beat or the rain on the window. Somehow humans just can not get it right.
Playing guitar for so long, i'd lose my mind if i couldn't have music. right now through all of this (m2f), counseling coming up, i have a "life soundtrack" that is MANY volumes. So many influences, types i love.
it's by far the only stable & reliable force in my life, period.
I would say music is pretty significant in my life. I would have less ambition and motivation in life without music. Music helps me to express how I feel if I am lost for words.