Philosophy of Music?

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Philosophy of Music?

Message Board > Music Chitchat - General ( Indie, Jazz, World, Electronic etc.) > Philosophy of Music?

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Josh
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Ok, so we all know that music can make us feel happy or sad or horny or full of righteous fury. Good times. But what about those songs that really mean something to you? Obviously some songs are just about something that you've experienced, and you identify with them, and that's great. But there are also times when you hear something and despite having no previous attachment to the song, and no connection to the subject matter, the music makes you feel something. Sometimes music alone can harken you back to some feeling from way back, in the same way a familiar smell brings you back to the things you associate with it. A particular configuration of notes, despite being entirely new to you, goes straight to your heart and stays there.
My question, for anyone who knows what I'm talking about, is this: Do you think it`s possible to replicate this feeling intentionally? Can you sit down and write a song that makes a whole bunch of people feel something really meaningful? Can you deliberately tap into the subconscious and draw out the real person? And if you think it could be done, how do you think you would go about it?
Cheers,
Josh - Sun, 30 Sep 2007 11:36am

Sati
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I'm not sure exactly what you mean, but there are a couple of songs from my childhood which resonated and felt like the writers knew me and kinda writ my life story. To this day I connect strongly to those songs, and they ground me. There's also been a lot of music, or even just riffs, which have drawn me to a certain place, to certain musicians & fans, and important periods in my life in way too many ways to be purely coincidental.
Its always been the music I got into that actually charted my course in life.

As far as intentionally creating that sort of thing, I think those rare songs are the ones that flow through musicians, seemingly out of nowhere, in midst of tons and tons of writing. It has to be pure & honest and its probably too magical to reduce into a formula. - Sun, 30 Sep 2007 12:13pm Edited: Sun, 30 Sep 2007 12:14pm

Josh
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I think you got the meaning fine. Sorry if it wasn't clear though, I am a bit out of it today.
I think what you said has a lot of merit, and it's certainly the conventional wisdom. I kind of have a problem with just leaving it up to luck, though.
To expand a bit more, I'll explain my thoughts on the subject. I think that somewhere in all of us is a place that assigns meaning to things. Much of the time that meaning seems quite logical (Food is associated with eating, beds are associated with sleeping and sex, etc). But since we aren't assigning meaning consciously, it sometimes gets attached to things without our knowing it. The mind can also form chains of attachments, and you can end up with this whole invisible web of meanings where if you pull on one seemingly innocuous thread (but one that connects to something big) you can get an explosion of meaning seemingly out of nowhere.
I think that when you get that feeling of something "flowing through you" out of nowhere, the place it is coming from is that place that assigns meaning to things. Since we can't control it directly, the trick is to get it active so that we have subconscious access to that whole web of mental connections. Obviously since none of this is conscious, you can't apply a formula to it. But I think you can identify a state of mind that you need to be in, and try to be in that state of mind as much as possible. I think furthermore that you can train your mind to enter that associative mode whenever you try to create, making it entirely possible to accomplish that feeling of meaning-out-of-nowhere on a regular basis. (And I know of a couple bands who do just that, at least for me)
I realise I haven't provided evidence for any of this. It's just sort of my gut feeling on the subject. Also I'm not sure how clear it is, mostly me just rambling, so if anybody wants an explanation just ask. Also feel free to point out how I'm talking out of my arse. I don't mind, although I might disagree. - Sun, 30 Sep 2007 1:35pm Edited: Sun, 30 Sep 2007 1:37pm

DTjackson
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It's definitely possible in the same sense of how TV and film does it. It's a very Hollywood thing to do to tell someone how to feel. I think people who do soundtracks definitely keep this in mind. This is the "sad" part. This is the end where everything is okay now. As for music, I definitely feel a pull whether it is from lyrics, notes or overall tone. If an artist sat down and decided he wanted to promote an emotion to their work...hmmm, I'm not sure that's how music should work. I feel art is open to interpretation, personally. I don't want to be forced to feel something. I do put on CDs knowing it's an emotional rollercoster. Some CDs are like that but I strongly disagree with planning how a song is going to make someone feel instead of just letting something unknown grow. - Sun, 30 Sep 2007 2:53pm

trevor corey
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When I'm stuck in afternoon traffic, listening to CBC keeps me calm.
I think the only proven method to reaching that "state of mind" is with music. Maybe the music shows you where that place is, and therefor makes it possible to achieve by other methods. Once youve been there it is easier to make your way back. As far as re-creating , maybe it's a bit of luck, maybe it's a "formula", or maybe it's just a good jam session with people on a similiar brain wave.
This song got me the first time I heard it-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtaOyo3YaqI - Sun, 30 Sep 2007 5:44pm

trevor corey
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Hmmmm....I don't know if that made sense.
I've experienced health issues, and music has been like medicine to me. When I couldn't even move, a song could make me tap my fingers or gently rock to the rhythm. The only way to get that is to listen to music. I can't recreate it or access the same any other way. - Sun, 30 Sep 2007 5:57pm

Andrew
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paul mcartney and elton john do that for me. lol. - Sun, 30 Sep 2007 10:25pm

Andrew
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lennon too but he gets old - Sun, 30 Sep 2007 10:36pm

Josh
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Just out of curiosity, which McCartney songs are we talking about here? - Sun, 30 Sep 2007 11:08pm

jeff
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2 words for you guys

ADAM GREEN - Sun, 30 Sep 2007 11:33pm

Josh
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Adam Green is brilliant. Moldy Peaches are among my top five favourite bands of all time. - Sun, 30 Sep 2007 11:42pm

Andrew
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like hey jude, let it be, stuff like that. There's just something about the songs. - Mon, 1 Oct 2007 12:31am

Josh
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Interesting. Because, see, I would say the same thing about McCartney, but I tend toward his acoustic songs. I think he's at his best when he's just messing around on his own, un-supported. - Mon, 1 Oct 2007 12:50pm

DTjackson
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Radiohead gets to me and Johnny Cash in the American years. Jeff Buckley too. - Mon, 1 Oct 2007 11:54pm

Sati
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I'm embarassed to say this, but I saw clips of that beatles movie and it made me happy. I really want to see it.

I figured I could hide that confession pretty safely in this section of the board.. ssssshhh. I have a feeling I'd see Curmudgeon Rocker at the theatre though, ha!
he likes pugs - Wed, 3 Oct 2007 10:57pm Edited: Wed, 3 Oct 2007 10:58pm

dooker
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"Rock and Roll was created so guys like me could get laid"
Gene Simmons - Fri, 5 Oct 2007 10:38am

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