Every now and then the muse overtakes me and I have to write down ideas I think are important, or interesting. I'd like to share some of these thoughts if you'd like to explore.
Feel free to point out errors, or to add something you find interesting.
Music lessons
3. Lastly you're taught to read music. The visual representation of sound. Little dots and lines on more lines. What does this have to do with music? The list of great musicians who don't/didn't read is impressive. Even some great songwriters didn't read. So why waste your time? The reason is that reading is like a road map. You get an immediate overview of where you're going. You can see relationships at a glance that perhaps you may have never noticed by relying on your ear. Imagine you're a pirate burying treasure, you want to remember how to get back don't you? Reading provides a clear picture of what you're trying to do with sound.
At your first music lesson, maybe sometime in the distant past, or near future; three things happened or will happen. Three endeavors, three disciplines, that on one level are all connected, but on a deeper level are separate and distinct.
1.You are taught to “play” the instrument. It is a lifelong relationship between your animated body and an inanimate musical instrument. You are introduced to the names and parts, the mechanics of how sound is produced. How to clean, tune and otherwise handle and care for your instrument. Next you're shown where to put your fingers. You're taught how to sit, hold your arms, position your hands etc. If it's a wind instrument you're taught how to shape your lips; spot light attention is brought to your breathing. You're taught stretching exercises to isolate muscles you need to use in the most economical and effective manner.
A bird can be trained to pick out a melody on a piano. In a very real sense the bird is playing the piano, but is it music? That brings you to the next field of study.
2. Music. Almost as a byproduct of the physical work, and the physics of the instrument, you will be inadvertently introduced to the theory of music - meter, melody, rhythm, crescendo, diminuendo, tempo, pitch and so on. A tuba player, a guitarist, and a harmonica player all share the theory of music. The dominant and sub-dominant behaves the same way for all. Meter has the same importance. Music is in the mind, and the mind tells the body what to do.