Music Is A World Within Itself...

...Literally it is! Today I went to Taboo Band (check them out at http://www.tabooband.com/) practice with my dad and was amazed at how different and unique each band member is. They may be in different age brackets, different walks of life, different upbringings, etc. but as soon as they are all in a room together, instruments in hand, music is the only commonality and that's enough. They may all live different life styles, have different ideas on who should be the next president, different opinions on what song should or shouldn't be played or how it should be played but in that moment all that matters is that they all have a love for music. Period. And that's enough. There was no underlying competition. Just a group of music lovers that all have respect for each other simply because they love music enough to master their craft. In my opinion each member has the talent to be egotistical and full of themselves but not a single one of them had any type of "holier-than-thou" attitude. If only this kind of respect could be found in everyday life...

...In a Language We All (well maybe not "all") Understand...

So as I'm sitting there watching all these incredibly talented individuals play song after song seemingly effortlessly, I noticed something that I've noticed in observing musicians before. If you've spent any time at all around musicians in rehearsal you may have picked up on this too...and that is how no matter how great or not so great a communicator you are if you're a gifted musician you understand the lingo. And, no, not the lingo that's taught if you study music in a class room...at least that can be deciphered to an untrained ear at some point. No, I'm talking about how some of the most intelligent and talented people communicating in "ba pa da da ba" understand each other. I feel like I would sooner understand my nephew with goo goo's and gaa gaa's. What is so amazing though is that one of them will make a suggestion in this "music-ese" and the other will not only understand what it means...but will then proceed to translate it into their instrument and play it!! This is beyond me. A music professor once said during a lecture that music is "genetically encoded" in our DNA and I guess that's the explanation for this "da da da pa pa" turning into real, live, audible, music. I'm pretty sure this "language" can't be taught but rather is encoded in the really gifted musicians. I don't know. I am still blown away at how people could witness a phenomenon like that (well I think its a phenomenon you may disagree) or hear an amazing composition that could move them to tears and still stand up and say there is no God. Second to a new life, music is one of the most powerfully "tangible" things that without a doubt is God-inspired and God-breathed. And the truth is that it is God-inspired and God-breathed whether you believe in it or not...that brings the phrase "its not about you" to mind. Anyway, I had a blast watching these guys play and look forward to many more opportunities. For your enjoyment, here is one of their videos...



until next time...