The power of music (particularly now)

       I never stop wondering what it is that makes us love music. I’m sure brain scientists have delved way into the subject, but here are the thoughts of a layperson, who happens also to be a musician.

      There’s something about sounds—a.k.a. music—that to us (“us” depending on one’s culture in this case) are more compelling than mere speech. They captivate us and grab our hearts. Trying to figure out what it is about those sounds that captivates us is an intriguing rabbit hole in which to dive. 

      And those sounds could not have a more important role than they do in these troubling times. I'm a skeptic when it comes to the value of talk therapy, but music therapy? Unquestionably beneficial. And if you want to inspire yourself to struggle against the forces creating the trouble, little helps more than protest music.

      Which melodies, cadences and instrumentations we find most compelling, and which turn us off, have, of course, much to do with the culture we've been raised in. Don't kid yourself that American music is objectively superior to, say, Zambian music.

      I’m picky about my taste in melodies. That doesn’t mean I don’t like any that you might find schmaltzy—in fact, I’m a sucker for heart-wrenching melodies. But I’m finicky about which ones I find compelling and which I find pedestrian.

      Obviously, the definitions of compelling and pedestrian are subjective, but the ones I place in the former category stir me deeply, while those in the second I find eye-rolling. My suckerdom for tunes I find pretty is illustrated, despite my deep love for melodic R&B/soul, by my turn-off-ed-ness by rap/hip-hop.

      Some of the lyrics in those genres could pass for poetry, but, given the delivery, they don’t move me emotionally. As proof of my ability to more than tolerate non-mainstream melodies, I’ll note that my category of greatest musical geniuses, in addition to that German guy J.S. Bach, consists of Miles Davis, Thelonius Monk and John Coltrane.

      Beatwise, it must be said that there are none whose folders of tunes loved by me are empty. Keywise, in case it doesn’t go without saying, my preference is for those most comfortable for my singing voice. That can vary a lot based on the song in question and its range.

      Now, remember, do not miss your music therapy sessions!