Why I like music, playing music rather.

Today I asked myself whilst driving home, what was it about making music that made me love it so much?

As I started to dissect the reasons, I applied some of what I was teaching in tutorials today - about how images dominate and shape much of our perceptions. We live in a society that is fueled by visual communication.

Music on the other hand, involves listening and hearing, not looking and seeing. Playing music is beautiful because by and large, we can do it with our eyes closed (after some manner of instrumental proficiency, of course). We communicate through sounds. It is so beautiful jamming away with a band, big or small. Imagine a hundred people contributing to this symphony of sounds we cannot see, but can hear, and thus feel.

The truth is, aural communication, the lack of it, and understanding of it, is nowhere as purposefully designed as the visual world. The aural world takes a back seat and is a consequence of what is happening visually. What if, sounds shaped the world instead? How amazing would that possibly be?

Studies in acoustic ecology have developed a nifty new way to design the sounds around us, to better keep us at peace (yes, control too, but I trust it will not turn that way). Limited usage of it exists in Muzak, museums, installation art, and some buildings. It is a growing awareness, and one I am most glad to be a part of.

So, this is it. A short capture of my thoughts as I was driving home in my car, and into the driveway, and trying my best to remember to immortalize these thoughts, into words in this virtual reality.