Posted by David on January 14, 2002 at 15:53:18:
In Reply to: Power of Music posted by LoverOfMusic on January 14, 2002 at 14:47:05:
We, used generically, tend to have the "love" of music trained out of us in college. We are so immersed in the classics (all eras of music and art) that we forget that music is so much more. Just because the chord structure of country and western, or rock, or jazz, or dixieland, or german, or klezmer, or whatever, is not as complex, we tend to over analyze and less appreciate. How many times through the years have I gone away from a performance disappointed with what I heard? I can't count the number of times, until...I made a decision to stop analyzing and start listening. It made all the difference in the world.
It is very convenient to blame someone else for 'teaching' us this. A life lesson to be learned is to take responsibility for one's own actions. If you want to appreciate music in all its' forms, then listen and enjoy. A moving high school performance is still a moving high school performance or any other genre you choose.
I spent so much time learning the mechanics that I forgot that that is not what music or art is all about. Music is about playing, listening, enjoying oneself. If you spend your time (and I've done this) trying to figure this out, you waste the time that could have been spent enjoying the music. Make sense?