resonance
res·o·nate/ˈrezəˌnāt/Verb
1. Produce or be filled with a deep, full, reverberating sound.
2. Evoke or suggest images, memories, and emotions.
This is a particularly timely subject for me. One that I think about often. I’ve spent the morning throwing my own proclivities out the window to listen...and I mean really listen...to what resonates with others. A simple exercise that tells you so much about another person; probably more than you could ever extract with a simple conversation.
I have a tendency to ask my friends and family members what kind of music they’re listening to in any given time period of interaction. They say the “eyes are the windows to the soul”; and I would agree with that. But listening to someone else’s playlist is like opening a gateway into their essence. What drives them. How they’re feeling. I’ve spent some time making multiple playlists this past week – based on moods, preferences, styles of music. Basically, a set of music to soothe my soul and to suit every conceivable state of mind I might be in during any given work day.
There’s so much going on underneath the surface with myself and everyone I know, and my main outlet is listening to music. Always has been, always will be. Often, it’s not about the lyrics at all; rather the tone set by a progressive set of chords, the overwhelming simplicity of a single guitar line, or merely just the sound of a voice brimming with emotion. There’s something there that resonates, consoles or inspires. Like you have an accomplice, or someone/something to secretly commiserate your emotions. Someone singing to you and you alone right in your ear, a clandestine secret in your office cubicle while everyone else is working around you.
I occasionally review my own playlists (part of that whole self-awareness thing) to cull a bit of insight into what’s lying underneath the preoccupied thoughts roaming around in my head. It’s amazing what you learn about yourself and others (secret desires, personal issues, suppressed feelings, etc) through musical choices. Mine seem to change hourly, but I know my leanings in any given day are fairly transparent when I look back on what I’ve listened to and identified with.
Listening to someone else’s playlists may seem like a simple exercise, but I’ve learned so much about my friends and family; just another way to find out what resonates and unites us in our differences. I always feel privileged when someone invites me into this part of their world; musical choices are very personal. When I extend this part of my personality to someone, it means I want them to get to know me much better. Sometimes it’s just a catchy tune; but more often it tells the world what my innermost thoughts are without having to speak the words. Music triggers memories, offers a safe haven, evokes nostalgia, soothes heartbreak, celebrates successes and places mistakes in perspective. Music is what moves me...and probably you.
"Music is a higher revelation than philosophy." - Ludwig van Beethoven
"Music and rhythm find their way into the secret places of the soul" -Plato
1. Produce or be filled with a deep, full, reverberating sound.
2. Evoke or suggest images, memories, and emotions.
This is a particularly timely subject for me. One that I think about often. I’ve spent the morning throwing my own proclivities out the window to listen...and I mean really listen...to what resonates with others. A simple exercise that tells you so much about another person; probably more than you could ever extract with a simple conversation.
I have a tendency to ask my friends and family members what kind of music they’re listening to in any given time period of interaction. They say the “eyes are the windows to the soul”; and I would agree with that. But listening to someone else’s playlist is like opening a gateway into their essence. What drives them. How they’re feeling. I’ve spent some time making multiple playlists this past week – based on moods, preferences, styles of music. Basically, a set of music to soothe my soul and to suit every conceivable state of mind I might be in during any given work day.
There’s so much going on underneath the surface with myself and everyone I know, and my main outlet is listening to music. Always has been, always will be. Often, it’s not about the lyrics at all; rather the tone set by a progressive set of chords, the overwhelming simplicity of a single guitar line, or merely just the sound of a voice brimming with emotion. There’s something there that resonates, consoles or inspires. Like you have an accomplice, or someone/something to secretly commiserate your emotions. Someone singing to you and you alone right in your ear, a clandestine secret in your office cubicle while everyone else is working around you.
I occasionally review my own playlists (part of that whole self-awareness thing) to cull a bit of insight into what’s lying underneath the preoccupied thoughts roaming around in my head. It’s amazing what you learn about yourself and others (secret desires, personal issues, suppressed feelings, etc) through musical choices. Mine seem to change hourly, but I know my leanings in any given day are fairly transparent when I look back on what I’ve listened to and identified with.
Listening to someone else’s playlists may seem like a simple exercise, but I’ve learned so much about my friends and family; just another way to find out what resonates and unites us in our differences. I always feel privileged when someone invites me into this part of their world; musical choices are very personal. When I extend this part of my personality to someone, it means I want them to get to know me much better. Sometimes it’s just a catchy tune; but more often it tells the world what my innermost thoughts are without having to speak the words. Music triggers memories, offers a safe haven, evokes nostalgia, soothes heartbreak, celebrates successes and places mistakes in perspective. Music is what moves me...and probably you.
"Music is a higher revelation than philosophy." - Ludwig van Beethoven
"Music and rhythm find their way into the secret places of the soul" -Plato
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