A great article on what music means

[Krystian]

I was looking around on the boxfiveforum, and I found this article, and I thought I would share it with you guys. [img]smileys/smiley4.gif[/img]


It's written by Trey Gunn, and can be found at http://www.treygunn.com/word/oncemore.html


Once More With Meaning

What does music mean?

One of the Big Questions and nearly a ridiculous one, I am well aware. A question that has been asked, and the answer attempted, by extremely brilliant people throughout the ages. I have never come across a satisfying response, and so I find myself, this afternoon, sitting in front of this Big Question again. Why it can’t just leave me alone to play my guitar in peace, I an unsure. And so, I open up its folds.


Perhaps, knowing that this is a huge and, possibly, unanswerable question I’ll choose to slightly alter it. Or perhaps, unconsciously, I know it is unapproachable in a magazine article. The attempt would leave me feeling like a pretentious chump, and unsatisfied. Like playing a gig where not one single note connects, but you keep spilling them out regardless.


Either way, I find this Big Question shifting towards something more manageable: Why does music have meaning? Or even more specific: Why do certain pieces of music have meaning for me, and others lack any meaning whatsoever?


Of course, I already know part of my answer. But first, I should clarify something for myself. I don’t refer to ‘meaning’ like, “this piece of music means this particular thing to me.” I use the word to point to the shades of our experience that is more subtle, but very real, to all of us who play and listen to music with a deep conviction. The part that lives inside why we love certain pieces of music.


For me, a piece of music has meaning because it is really f***ing good, AND I have some kind of deep connection to it. Clearly, I am aware that whether a piece is particularly well written, or well recorded, or well played, holds no secret to its meaning. There is an abundance well delivered music in this world that doesn’t connect to make something powerful for me. And there is, also, music of the not-so-well-executed variety that does. I won’t cite any of my personal examples, for you can fill in your own and that would have more meaning for you.

Aha! Perhaps we are on to something with that. Perhaps music is just an empty shell that we put our own meaning into. That this is where its power lives. We have experienced certain pieces of music at certain moments of our lives, under specific conditions, and filled them with those powerful experiences -- falling in love, the breakup of a relationship, a death, or a birth... And from that point on, this piece carried those impressions for us.

I am sure that that must be part of the equation, but I think there is something else, as well. And this something else comes from the musician. Or more specifically, the musician’s relationship to the music. When we hear a piece of music we are hearing, along with the sounds, the meaning of the music for the musician playing it. If the music contains a powerful experience for the musician, then we touch that. If the music is a vehicle for the musician to puff himself up in front of others, then we hear that. If the music means nothing to the player, then that is what we feel -- nothing. If the music is a means for the musician to give us something real of their experience, then we receive it.

From this angle, the power of music is very nearly terrifying. To sit in front of a master musician at work would give us something of their realationship to music. (I have experienced this only once in my life.) And in contrast, to open one’s ears to a performer who is highly trained, but completely self-involved and manipulative, is asking for trouble. (I’ll take two, on this one.)

Is there a lesson in all of this? Some powerful message that one experienced musician could pass on to others? That would radically, and forever, change their playing and their relationship to their art form?!? Or at least some bit of wisdom that would help every musician become hugely successful and rich?!?!? Hmmm... I think I’ll pass on the last one. But I’ve started this diatribe and now I must take a stab at the first.


Don’t play music that isn’t important to you. It poisons your relationship to music. It tells other musicians that playing music isn’t worth very much. And it gives audiences nothing but a sense of emptiness.

Instead, find what has meaning for you and put that into your playing and work. Experiment to see how meaningful a piece of music you can create. Meaningful for you -- no other. Then when you perform that piece, even if people don’t connect to the style, they WILL connect to the meaning. Meaning that you put there.


This is the kind of world that I want to live in.
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[lucyoliver]

I love what Gary Oldman said as Beethoven to Schindler in the critically acclaimed film Immortal Beloved.


Beethoven says, "Music is a dreadful thing. What is it? I don't understand it. What does it do?" Shindler says, "it exalts the soul."Beethoven says, "Utter nonsense. If you hear a marching band, is your soul exalted? No, you march. If you hear a waltz, you dance. If you hear a mass, you take communion.It is the power of the music to carry one directly into the mental state of the composer. The listener has no choice. It is like hypnotism. So, now what was in my mind when I wrote this? A man is trying to reach his lover. His carriage has broken down in the rain. The wheels stuck in the mud. She will only wait so long. This is the sound of his agitation. This is how it is. The music is saying. Not how you are used to being. Not how you are used to thinking. but like this."


They are speaking of Beethoven Sonata, The Kreutzer.


lucy


It is the most beautiful, "what is music" answer that I have ever heard. [img]smileys/smiley19.gif[/img]

[Krystian]

That is lovely [img]smileys/smiley32.gif[/img]

[lucyoliver]

have you seen the movie? [img]smileys/smiley4.gif[/img]lucy

[Krystian]

no I have not, but now I am compelled to [img]smileys/smiley4.gif[/img]

[Tink]

Aww what an answer[img]smileys/smiley32.gif[/img]

[lucyoliver]

Anyone who loves music needs to see Immortal Beloved. If you seen it tell us what you think?


lucy

[Krystian]

well looks like I am making a trip to the video store today [img]smileys/smiley1.gif[/img]

[mestonf]

yep i shall be too!

[mestonf]

i love that answer somehting i always ask myself

[Krystian]

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[lucyoliver]

After you see this film I bet all of you will be in love with Gary Oldman. He is my favorite actor...we are both Pisces Aries cusps and born in the year of the dog. Check out Bram Stoker's Dracula, the ultimate love story! He is such a chameleon and he is so brilliant, he is never the same character twice! In some roles you don’t even know it is Gary because his body changes, such as in Tiptoes and as Mason Verger in Hannibal. Please check out Giso’s site The Dark Side of Gary Oldman. http://home.worldonline.nl/~giso/oldman.htm Yeah let me know what all of you think! Lucy


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[Krystian]

I've already seen Bram Stoker's Dracla that movie is the best!