Tuesday 14 April 2020 / 21 Days Lock Down Reflection
Music
Tones of Value
I’ve been thinking about things in life I truly value. What is life without music?
Leaning into that discussion of some imminent disaster about to wipe out everything you own in an instant, like a fire or a tsunami, it gives rise to some interesting thought. Have you ever put into context the value of the things you own? In a short moment, you get given a small window of opportunity to save just a few items. You have no time to think about it, you have just a small window to grab what’s important to you.
Of course family, loved ones, pets and so forth always come first, but it’s a hypothetical scenario to evaluate something physical of value, which of course gives indication to something much deeper that you value as a person.
My Cherished Guitar
The one thing I would gravitate to would be my Epiphone Gibson acoustic guitar. Looking back at this photo, she has been my companion for over 30 years. She is still in excellent condition and in fact sounds better with time.
Acoustic guitars have proven to the ears of many players to sound better as they age. The theory that best explains this is that as the wood in the body ages, it becomes lighter, more responsive and more resonant. The vibration of the strings alone produce very little sound.
The Timeless Gift of Music
What makes my guitar even more unique is the way she came to me. You see I never bought this beautiful instrument, she was gifted to me. I was in my early twenties when someone recognized the music in me that needed to be expressed; and so out if the blue I was given something of great value, my Gibson guitar. The value has not only in the physical item, but value in the many hours of resonating vibrations that has since been released through the years.
So I might not be a rock star, but I have enjoyed many special moments sharing the music with friends. She has been my companion in times of loneliness, she has been my outlet in moments of inspiration. She gave me the opportunity to share the gift of music with my son … now he’s a rock star in the making.
Music Shared
Music is a beautiful gift that resonates inside us all. It connects us, reminds us of moments grand and sad. Music gives rise to greatness inside us, moves us to dance and appreciation of things that are meaningful and powerful.
What is most remarkable to me is that music births itself from nothing, an emptiness, the silence, a void. The gaps of silence in-between the music become just as important as the sound. Together, they make up the whole. My definition of music is something that breaks the silence in an arrangement of sound. The vibration is either pleasing to the soul or just noise.
The power is within the vibration which gives birth to all things.