The Power of Music

I think I got burned out on music. It was my life for so many years, once I finally got away from it all, it's not a constant force. I listen to various things at home occassionally, but it's no longer a daily habit.

Lisa, I prefer *live* music over recorded, to the point where that's always the first thing I say (like now.)

But, when I read your article, you got me to remember back farther, to before I could play an instrument, and I used to listen to my mother singing *all* the time: singing along with the radio, along with her record albums, or just singing all by herself while ironing or washing dishes.

The radio was always playing in our house, when I was a kid, and the radio was always on in the car. I like the way you reminded me of all that, and I agree: music can make all the difference, between a bad time and a good time, and between a good time and a great time.

I gave up television when I started writing and always kept music playing in the background. I listen to anything but hip hop. I wanted to learn to play an instrument but lacked the patience. Whoa, there's my neighbor with the chicken. Bye.

Rob, I can understand that from whence you came.

Dannielle. I too love to see it live. I've been to so many concerts of all types in my life and still do. Most recently I saw Bruce Hornsby in a small venue here. He played his newer stuff and he was GREAT!

Yes, interesting that we have it all around us and don't even know it. My daughter was raised with it around her and she played sax for about 5 years and she also loves music of all genres.

I'm glad you had a nice memory of your Mom.

Thanks for your comments!

I don't like too much hip hop either, Ron. When I'm working on my artwork, I have music on in the background too. I'm in the process of hooking up the whole house, including the basement :) through the receiver to my computer where all the music is stored. I have speakers in the basement, outside, in the living room and in this room. Once it's all hooked up I'll be able to control it better wherever I am or if I'm having a party.

Lisa, I used to have a huge album collection (gave it to my son.) I then collected hundreds of cassettes. With the greatest reluctance I've bought about 50CDs but most of the music I listen to, I've downloaded with Lime Wire.

I collect records. I love music. I have been known to break into spontaneous song. THere is a song for every occasion.

I still have a lot of my old albums. I was a holdout too. Now I have tons of cd's and also did a lot of downloading. I haven't downloaded anything in several years and I get upset about that whole subject.

The greed of the recording industry is amazing. We've had so many changes in music over the years, in my lifetime. I had 45's and albums. Then 8 track. Then cassettes. Now cds. So many changes and we have kept with it because we have to in order to have music. But just how many times do I have to purchase "Pink Floyd-Dark Side of the Moon" before it's really mine?

YAY Melissa! Sing!!! It's good for the soul!

Simon, I know what you mean. I don't care for hip hop and I'm not too much into country either. And they can keep rap. Other than that, I've got a pretty eclectic collection and taste for music.

Having a teenager in the house who loves music helped me to find some pretty cool current bands. I love Guster and my daughter turned me on to them. She's in college now and if she hears something she likes that she thinks I will too, she lets me know about it. That way I don't have to wade through the crap on the radio to get to the stuff I might like. I don't think I'd listen for that long.

Good music is good music, regardless of category. I grew up on classic country (Hank Williams, Patsy Cline) and bluegrass, and enjoy everything from rap to trance to klezmer. You miss out on so much by dismissing an entire type of music...
I introduce my almost 20 son to music.

Grew up listening to the oldies (50's and 60's) and country, like Patsy Cline, Tom T. Hall, Charlie Pride.

I got a love and appreciation for music from my parents. They have music going 24/7 and so do I and my siblings. The only kind of music I don't really care for is classic rock.

Thank you J. Golden. I don't think I dismiss any genre in total, it's just the majority of it I may not care for and I have a few pieces I might like. I love bluegrass and there are some country artists I like. LOVE Patsy!

Hi Shannon! I think it's great when there is music in the house. It's a lot better than the noise of the television all day and night. I find that when I'm listening to music I'm more motivated if I'm doing something where I need to be. Today I was dancing around the basement while I cleaned it. The dog thought I was nuts but then again, I'm sure it's not the first clue he had :D

Music is the soul and heart of America, I love music, singing, yodeling, playing piano, hearing others play, singing and hearing sung karaoke, and listening to music daily at home, or in the car. At church Music is a big part of my life.

I'd hate to live on a planet that didn't have music. Started playing blues guitar in 1959, and hated Classical at the time. Loved rock n roll for 40 or more years, reggae for 20 years, but when they started putting rap on my favorite rock, blues, and reggae stations, I switched to the one place I was sure I wouldn't have to that ugliness...classical! Now, 18th Century chamber music is my rock and roll.

Jennine- you are so right. I don't do karaoke but I love to hear others who do and love to sing. When I was growing up, my entire family sang. We were all in the church choir at some point. We used to have a family vacation where we'd rent a cottage for a week up north with my siblings and their families and my grandmother and my aunt & uncle and my cousins and their spouses. We'd have a campfire every night and we'd sing. Every range of voice was represented and sometimes we'd get applause from across the lake. It was so much fun.

Maywood, thanks for stopping by!! And thank you!!

Gerald- I love most classical. My most favorite genre though, is blues. I love it and I have tons of it in my collection. Give me a good blues band to listen to and a cocktail and I'm happy for the rest of the night!

Lisa, I am like you. I am amazed when people don't enjoy music as much as I do. I listen to many genres. I am not partial to much of the modern country, but there are songs that catch my interest. I can't stand most hip hop. After living in Africa as a child, anything with an African flavor to it sings to my soul. It is my feel good music, I guess. I have xm radio and listen to the Broadway channel alot. My son listens to black metal and even some of it is good to me. Not much, but some. I just love music. I was given my first transister radio when I was in the 3rd grade. Kept a radio with me from then on. Many of my memories are triggered by songs.

Hi Rhonda! Do you listen to Cusco? I picked up the Cusco 2000 cd several years ago and I LOVE IT. My daughter loves it too, which is why it was missing for a while. We found it in her room! And yes, so many songs are anchors to memories. I've found that most of them are good ones.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Ok, I am stumped. I am not sure what Cusco is, sorry. Tell me more! Thanks.

Cusco is a German group. New age kind of stuff. Their "Cusco 2000" cd has a lot of african sounds.
If you follow this link and go to amazon, you can scroll down and listen to clips of some of the songs. Listen to "Rhythm of the Wilderness"

http://www.amazon.com/Cusco-2000/dp/B000003YZQ

It's a great stress relieving cd with orchestra, fusion and all kinds of other songs.

Here is their website:

http://www.cuscomusic.com/bio.html

sounds, not songs. Geez, I can't type today

My taste in music is tame compared to my 16 year old daughter. She can go from Swing (1940s type) to Hard Rock to Gospel to Classical to Techno and really enjoy it all.

Hi Dale! Good for your daughter! A wide range of interest is a very good thing when it comes to music. My daughter is the same way.

Hi Mitch! Thanks for stopping by! I'll have to check out your link. sounds like a great radio station!

Lisa...I love music and I live for it. Problem is that I've all but lost my passion for playing the guitar because I just can't seem to find other people who are into playing the SRV, Hendrix, Robin Trower and Kenny Wayne Shephard style of blues.

That really sucks Timothy. I love the blues. It's my favorite genre. And I love Robin Trower. When I started replacing my albums with cds, "Bridge of Sighs" and "Robin Trower Live" were two of my first purchases.

BTW- "This Blue Love" is an awesome Trower song!

Grrrr, I wanted to give a listen to Cusco, as this sounds like the kind of music I enjoy, but we got a new computer and Matt hasn't installed media players yet. I am not allowed to download anything..... :(

Get on him Shannon! I think you'll like it. It's pretty new age stuff and I like that genre at times. Let me know what you think when you get a chance to hear them!

Tim...

Sheeiit dude! I play all that stuff! I would jam with you if you weren't so durned far away!

Wow- very cool! What do you play H.G.? Guitar?

Lisa...H.G. plays the guitar, and from what he has told me, he has a pretty nice collection of six-strings.

Very cool Timothy! Do you think we can get him to play at our wedding? :D

Music has always been an integral part of my life. I grew up listening to "oldies" (50's & 60's) that my parents listened to (Beach Boys, Beatles, Elvis, Simon & Garfunkle, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, etc.) and then I got turned on to the rock & roll scene (Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, AC/DC, Ozzy Osbourne) and I was hooked. Then my tastes evolved into heavy metal and I couldn't stop buying more and more! (Pantera, Megadeth, Metallica, Fear Factory, Slayer.) Along the way I got interested in blues, jazz, classical, drum & bugle corps, hip-hop/R&B, a little rap now and again, even opera (every time a production of Phantom of the Opera is playing in Minneapolis/St. Paul my mother and I attend.) I love just about every genre except country, just couldn't get into it.

I began piano lessons just before kindergarten and played through elementary school when I switched to drums/percussion. Music, either performing or listening to it, was my entire reason for existence for a large part of my life. I still have music playing at least as background noise no matter what I'm doing and right now I'm listening to Infectious Grooves. When my girlfriend leaves the house without me, I'm usually cranking up the BOSE system with some band or another loud enough to wake the dead. (Cleaning the house is always easier with the help of James Brown...lol)

I even try to bring my love for music into some of what I do on Gather, as some of the participants of this article have played some of my musically-themed games in my Musical Chairs group. (I believe that other people who also publish music related games love it when I post answers because I get a little "overzealous" during the process, but it racks up plenty of points for them!) No matter what I'm doing I'm cranking some kind of music or another. I could honestly say that music was my first love, with reading a close second. (Unless my girlfriend asks, then of course it's her...hehehe.)

PS Lisa ~ I too have seen hundreds of bands in concert (some more than once and a couple about a dozen times) live in concert. There's nothing quite like the thrill of hearing live bands play, especially when they start doing material that isn't on any of their albums. I especially love it when bands do cover songs and put their own spin on other great works. It sometimes amazes me how some of these bands arrange songs to fit their genre that come from an entirely different genre. I don't remember who did the cover, but I once heard a heavy metal remake of "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix-A-Lot. It was one of the best covers I had ever heard by making it a heavy metal song, without losing the hip-hop roots of the original artist.

"(Cleaning the house is always easier with the help of James Brown...lol) "

LOL! You got that right! Or Pink Floyd! I did that last Saturday. I was having a real case of drop ass and I needed to get some stuff done. I had a couple of cups of coffee and turned on the music and cleaned the basement and did 4 loads of laundry. (I even folded it all and put it away.) Felt pretty good and I had a good time listening the whole while.

I took piano lessons for a while when I was in 6th grade. My Mom played and she bought a piano and all 3 kids took lessons. The bad part about it is that she left it up to us whether we continued and I HATED practicing. Now I wish I had kept up with it and could play.

Thanks for your input DS! I was hoping you'd bring your love of music around!

I hear ya DS! Nothing like seeing it live. One band I wish would tour again is Supertramp. I saw them back in the day and it was fabulous. And they had such a talent!

Lisa....Be careful. Sandy will get jealous if you keep talking like that !! lol

Awww...you were hoping for little ol' me to comment? hehehe

Timothy- I'll have to ask her permission then, eh? :D

Yes, DS, I know you like music!

Lisa...

"...What do you play H.G.? Guitar?"

Yeah, guitar is mainly what I play but I can play just about anything. I have a small studio in my basement with a multi-track recorder. I have to play all the intruments on seperate tracks, i.e. drums, guitars, keyboard etc., then I usually add the vocal parts at the end. Paul Mcartney did this on his first album after the Beatles.

Neat article Lisa. Music has always been a passion of mine. I grew up with Merle Haggard, Hank Williams, Sr., Johnny Cash, The Carpenters, Emmylou Harris, Willie, Waylon, Kristofferson. I studied music theory in school and wound up with a deep appreciation for baroque and classical music. While tending bar years ago, some friends of mine introduced me to old jazz and blues, like Dinah Washington and Billie Holiday. I went through the eightees listening to Ozzy, Iron Maiden and the like and later in my life turned towards Dylan, The Dead, James Taylor, etc. Most recently it has been flamenco and celtic music. I love music of all kinds, I can even be heard listening to Eminem or 50 if the mood strikes. I hope I'm able to instill the same passion for music diversity that I've developed. I hope they take it farther and actually learn how to play an instrument as daddy still loves to sing.

Hi Walter. Sorry I didn't see this sooner!

Sounds like you have a very eclectic taste in music. Me too! Flamenco? LOVE IT. I have a lot in my collection-particularily Spanish guitar. If you want some good listening- check out Jesse Cook, Ottmar Liebert and Jose Luis Encinas to name a few. Beautiful music.