Scott Free Thinking

For over 5 years, I have been working in the background on becoming a better musician. I started playing the drums when I was 10 years old, taking after my older brother. I learned quickly when I got into guitars and singing that the biggest problem I face in music is that issue of subjectivity. What sounds like heaven to one person’s ears will sound like complete trash to another. I have also noticed that the overall sensitivity others have to music differs drastically. For some people, music is overall a very pleasurable experience and one that often resonates with them in a particular kinesthetic sort of way, while others are completely indifferent - it is the simple background noise on their car stereo that they’ve just merely gotten used to on their way to work every morning.

For musicians, music is looked at in a totally different way that what you might consider the listener to view music as. But there are two main appeals as to where the interest of music stems from. The first is fame, and girls. The second is the creative sublimation of emotions. Sublimation is a term that refers to taking negative psychological energy, or negative emotions, and converting that energy into a form that is beneficial to society in some way. So when we think of the bulk of the entertainment industry, much of it likely is, or originally was, in the form of one’s own sublimation. Virtually all music and a huge chunk of the rock stars in existence got into what they did for having a way to cope with their emotions.

I have personally used music as an emotionally expressive tool through my music, Eternal Exhaust, but it was only recently that I really began to focus on improving the musical end of the process. Perhaps one problem from an external point of view in using music as an expressive tool is that aspect of the external opinion itself. If no one likes your music when it is being used as an emotionally expressive tool there is a probable chance that the music’s emotional benefit will be limited to you, as you will feel just as alone or isolated as you did before writing the song.

But what a powerful thrill it is to see music succeed. In thinking about the nature of what music is, its ability to entertain and fascinate is perplexing and confusing. All it seems to be is a set of auditory patterns played in a compiled structure that we would call a composition. Also, as far as we can tell, human beings are probably the only species to really interact with music in the way that they do. Daniel J. Levitin, author of This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession, is likely one of the first authors to take a true scientific look at what music is in the perspective of our human experience, and how it interacts with the brain. For some reason, the human brain has a particular knack for latching onto rhythm, frequency, and pitch. Levitin describes:

“The neural basis for this striking accuracy is probably in the cerebellum, which is believed to contain a system of timekeepers for our daily lives and to synchronize to the music we are hearing. This means that somehow, the cerebellum is able to remember the ’settings’ it uses for synchronizing to music as we hear it, and it can recall those settings when we want to sing a song from memory. It allows us to synchronize our singing with a memory of the last time we sang.”

Levitin’s extrapolation of this aspect of the mind’s time keeping method is interesting and also seemingly spot on. The brain has a method for memorizing and reproducing both the exact frequency of rhythms, but as well as the way that certain beats and notes are grouped together. A common concept in both general psychology and neuro-linguistic programming is “chunking,” which is the process by which the mind groups together pieces of information, like phone numbers, into individual grouped pieces. This is part of how the entire song memorization process works and could partially explain why we prefer to hear songs that are shorter in length. For a song to be “radio worthy,” it must have certain elements that qualify it as a single, and often most singles follow something of a mainstream formula that is preferred by the masses. Hardly any singles in any of musical history have been under 3 minutes in length or over 5 minutes. Often the place where the song reaches its “hook,” or the main chorus portion that repeats over and over most often is right around 30 seconds into the song, on average.

You can immediately guess that the record companies have gotten music down to its real science. If you’re in a band, or writing music, and looking for a record deal - it would be wise to take a look at these scientific aspects of how the brain interprets music to produce more appealing songs. But again, it is always subjective. Some people do not listen to the radio - they can’t stand the mainstream formula and mainstream pattern.

As an emotional outlet, music can have an incredible therapeutic effect. While many are pointing their finger at music for causing suicide, most stories you hear about music point to music being a very large suicide preventer. My favorite band for years, Korn, has an incredibly loyal fanbase, largely because of the emotional difference Korn has made in listener’s lives. The lead singer, Jonathan Davis, has talked about the hundreds of letters and e-mails they have received telling them that “Korn saved my life.” A band often known for creating the late 90’s nu-metal grind, Korn’s music and lyrics often center around deep, dark depths of negative feelings, but the benefit many get from hearing it is the knowing they’re not alone in what they face. The overall perception for how music can capture emotion and how well that can be done makes a dramatic difference in its emotional impact.

But there is a downside to music. While many can gain tremendous benefit from its emotional release concepts, the real problem with music, and why so many attack music with a seemingly negative or depressing message is its ability to amplify and also to trigger emotions by association. Like any other activity, music can become an addiction, believe it or not! I believe that while it might be beneficial for one to listen to an angry song when they’re angry, I do not recommend they listen to that same song all the time just because they like the song. Music and what is listened to should often reflect mood, unless the proper mindset is given to the listening session. If you are sad, listen to a sad song. If you are happy, listening to something uplifting or inspiring. Learn to gain a musical outlook that is filled with variety and is vast in scope.

Someone I know went through a tough period with music, during a period of depression. During the time that they were depressed, the music was something to grip onto, something to uplift them and celebrate where they were more than dread it. After a while, though, it began to wain on their conscience, and they even claimed it was beginning to become painful to listen to the music when it no longer reflected who they were. So it was put to a stop, and the taste changed. This same person(I can’t mention by name) now listens to more uplifting music.

At the end of it all, I think that it is important we all learn how to cope and control our associations. Just because a song calls up a painful past experience does not mean that we must view that painful experience as any longer. Music brings you either an opportunity for emotional perspective confrontation or it brings you an unnecessarily uncontrollable recall of painful associations. But always remember that you determine your own perspective and your own view on your music, and your associated experiences.