Why Make Music?

 

It's pretty easy to list aspects of music. It is ephemeral - you can't touch it. It only exists when it is heard by listeners. While it has no mass, it can profoundly alter the way we view the universe and our place in it. It can change the way we view ourselves and everything outside of ourselves. It can trigger powerful emotions - love, grief, joy, anger and more. Music unites large groups of people - a single anthem can be sung by millions of a nation's citizens and create a sense of connection and shared purpose.

Music is powerful stuff. I have never been clear as to why humans make it, though. It doesn't seem necessary to our survival. I have speculated that it was a subset of our communication skills, or that it began as an imitation of natural sounds. Birds sing, frogs croak, wolves howl, humans copy the noises.

The oldest musical instruments (flutes made of bone and mammoth ivory) discovered by archeologists are 40,000 years old.  By studying fossils and human physiology, scientists have determined that when humans developed the horseshoe-shaped hyoid bone in the throat in a similar position to modern humans, they would have developed the ability to sing as we do today. The fossil record indicates that this occurred around 530,000 years ago.

There must be some evolutionary advantage for humans to be attuned to pitch and tempo. Dopamine is released when we hear pitches that harmonize well together in a mathematical sense - a major triad, for example.

For many generations, music was not a profession. It was an activity that happened in the natural flow of life. In the past few centuries, the concept of music as a "job" developed. Some of the original motivation for creating music has been obscured by careerist striving - make money, compete with other musicians, get famous, become a treasured person in society. These things aren't necessarily bad, but it can lead to a disconnect - music becomes a means to an end rather than an end in itself.

Bob Dylan said " Songs, to me, were more important than just light entertainment. They were my preceptor and guide into some altered consciouness of reality." 

Some people are obsessed by music, others barely notice it. I remember what Edward Elgar said - "My idea is that there is music in the air, music all around us; the world is full of it and you simply take as much as you require."

As I pick up my trombone again or honk on my collection of harmonicas, I try to remember that I am making music only for myself. I feel a deep need to do it and I don't know why this is so. Other people may like it or they may hate it. I'm trying not to care about the opinion of others.

Musical Ditch-Digging: Potbelly at Adams and Wacker, Chicago IL

The ultimate musical ditch-digging gig in Chicago is playing at a Potbelly restaurant. Potbelly is a chain of sub shops with a cutesy decor and "quasi-cool" demeanor. One of the touches - live music in most stores, usually a singer-guitar banger. Most of the folks that take these gigs are young, mediocre wannabees. For the past few months, I have been buying my lunch at the Potbelly shop at Adams and Wacker. It is a 2 story joint, and the musican's nook is on the second floor balcony. When I came in for my turkey sandwich today, I was startled - I heard good music from pouring out of the poor soul that was in that tiny nook on the balcony!!

Imagine this - you have a passion for music. You are a young, attractive female. You have a lovely voice, somewhere in the alto/soprano range. You are a decent acoustic guitar player and do a great job of backing up your own vocals. You have been breaking your ass writing songs and hoping to get attention from somebody, anybody. And you are playing a 3 hour solo gig for peanuts on the second floor of a sandwich shop and NO ONE is listening!!! Yes, my friends, this is called Musical Ditch Digging.

The artist at my local Potbelly was Starina Catchatoorian. I heard her play a few tunes, including a very emotional and sincere cover of the Beatles tune, "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away." This is a talented musician. She said that she was a bit tired because she was up until 3AM last night recording songs.

So if you like female singer-songwriters, check out Starina. Here is a link to some of her music. Think good thoughts about this striving, talented person.

Two Great Guitarists Cross Over - Too Soon

Obsessive obituary readers (like me) often notice that some deaths seem connected. Of course, this isn't true - unless your talking about folks who die with a bunch of people in an auto wreck or something. But the news today was quite eerie - Hiram Bullock and Joe Beck both died in the past week.

Hiram Bullock was an amazing player and a flamboyant individual. He was a very adaptable musician, but his music came from the pop/rock/funk side. He was best known for playing in the original band for "Late Night with David Letterman" (On Monday night, Letterman did a special tribute to Hiram). It is a shame that he is gone -- Hiram was only 52. Here is a link to his obituary in the New York Times.

Last week, Joe Beck died. He was almost 63 years old - still young . Like Hiram, Joe could play with everyone, but his music came from the jazz side. He collaborated with a wide range of artists - from Miles Davis to Frank Sinatra to James Brown. Here is a link to Joe's obituary from his hometown newspaper.

Hiram and Joe both played with David Sanborn (the great jazz fusion alto saxophonist). They also both collaborated with Gil Evans, the great jazz composer and arranger. These two fanatastic guitarists moved in the same circles, and left the scene together.

Yeah, its a coincidence, but still eerie.