connected.
I make it fairly well known that I love music. I am a self proclaimed music junkie. I love concerts. I love the energy, the vibrancy, the smell in the air, the camaraderie of the crowd, the carefree-ness that comes with letting go and taking in every movement and sound of the band. A concert to me is THE definition of living in the moment. You can't get anymore 'here and now' than being at a concert.
When I am at a concert, I am physically, spiritually, and emotionally present using all of my senses. I am wholly alive, heightened, in sync with the music, the crowd, the vibe. To share the same space with like-minded music fans, and music junkies alike, is powerful. To feel the raw passion and intensity of the band/artist, and see their dizzying conviction for their music, for music in general, is mesmerizing. I am intrigued by everything about music and so awe inspired by those who are musically inclined- whether vocally, or playing an instrument, solo or band.
The life fascinates me, beckons me. When I was a little girl, I so badly wanted to be a rock star. Like Pat Benetar, Ann & Nancy Wilson, Gwen Stefani.
Something else amazing happens when my husband and I go to concerts. We are not Mom & Dad. We are Shain & Heather. Music Lovers. Rockers. Husband & Wife. We are uninhibited. We sing, we rock out, we make friends for a night, we move together, we sway, we nuzzle, we kiss- without the Ewww's and Ugghhh's we get at home. We let loose and validate what and who we are to each other without the chaos of kids and rigors of life- Husband & Wife, and genuine friends. We enter this fierce intimate space and are intertwined for the night. Our souls connect and the music binds us.
My passion for music doesn’t come as a surprise though really. Aren’t writing and music connected? They share so many similarities like, rhythm, motif, theme, repetition. Also timing and phrasing. The phrasing built into both music and writing ebb and flow to carry you along the tune or the story. A great piece of music typically has a structure of an intro, then one or more phrases or movements that build into a climax, and then the ending, or coda. A great piece of writing has an intro- typically and exposition, then a body of sections (or scenes or chapters) that build to a climax, and then the conclusion, or denouement. Music has different rhythms and tempi to elicit feelings, and so does writing.
A great book and a great song have the gripping capacity to provoke emotion. It is exactly this premise that make us want to read a good book more than once, and listen to a favorite song over and over again. We read passages to suit our moods- when we want to succumb to our sadness, or rouse a ‘feel good,” or indulge in a yearning for love, or to motivate us to make a change. Likewise, for music- we have songs we listen to when we are feeling nostalgic, or when we want to give into our blues, or feel like our heartbreak is relate-able. Both writing and music connect people. It is not merely a connection on surface. It connects people on an emotional level. It is about that moment when someone says- “God! That’s exactly how I feel.”
