It’s hard to believe that it took until my 4th installment in the sound of series to get to music. A profound impact on my life, music has had, does have, and will always have. Do you remember the first time you were moved by a song, or piece of music? Yes? Me too.
First, a cool quote about music.
“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything.” – Plato
What I played music on
Reel-to-Real Players
I’m old enough to remember reel-to-reel players. I was very young, and I remember my dad playing music on the one we had. I couldn’t have been more than 5 or 6, maybe 7 years old at the time. What a contraption. Large and bulky, yet from what I can remember, the sound was pretty good.
The one in the above photo looks very similar to the one we had. I’ve always loved music. Even at a young age. I’ve always been moved by it, and moved towards it. I remember listening to endless amounts of music as a child, endless. There really wasn’t, and isn’t. enough to fill me up.
The chills you get when a certain piece is played, moving your emotions and entire physiology. Creating within you a space of wonder, which is only ever really filled with another piece of music.
Record Players
I’m not sure how many record players we had, or I had – there were many. I LOVE the sound of music coming from a record player. A completely different experience. It is textual, in a way. The raspiness of the record doing its revolutions around the player, music pouring out of the tiny speaker, love that sound. Irreplaceable, and uncomparable.
The Walkman
When I was probably 10, maybe, not sure, the sony walkman came out. WOW. What a game changer. Now, you could have your music on the go, without carrying a boombox, or some other transistor radio. Changed my life.
I was a rather mobile youth, as I’ve mentioned in other posts; skateboarding being a large part of my mobility, and youthhood growing up in Los Angeles. With the advent of the walkman, I could take my favourite music with me everywhere, and it was just for me. I didn’t have to play it for anyone else. I could sit with my music, skate with my music, do anything, really, with my music. LOVE.
The Cassette
And, of course, how could there be a post on music without writing about the tape cassette. Funny, how many of those I owned. Probably hundreds. I remember buying them, trading them, even making them. Buying the blank cassettes from the store, and compiling my favorite song mixes – WAY before the advent of Spotify, and Pandora.
I even remember creating pseudo broadcasts with friends, pretending to be DJ’s. Playing music, creating hot topics, and generally having a grand time. All the while recording the sessions, on what, you ask? Well, of course recorded to, and played back from cassettes, of course. Old school if there ever was such a thing.
Two of my favorite musical contexts
Concerts and Musicals
How about your first, what I call a show, typically called a concert. Do you remember how that made you feel? Music louder than you’ve ever heard music played. And, even better, the actual physical experience of feeling the music. First experiencing that was such a rush. I will never forget having that feeling for the first time.
Nor, will I forget, after many years of not going to concerts, of going to one about three years ago. Having that physiological experience again. It is hard to put into language how exciting, and what a total mind-body experience that is.
Since that time, I’ve been to many more, and, once we are able to gather again like that, will do so again.
How about the first time you ever saw a musical. I LOVE musicals. The first musical I ever went to was Les Miserables, in Los Angeles. I will never forget the power of the music, and how the music combined with the performance, and story, to create an even profounder mind-body experience.
I’ve not been to a musical in some time, however, as I write this, I am listening to Les Miserables. I also look forward to the day, hopefully soon, where I can once again sit in the audience, and take in all the beauty of the sets and costumes; and, hear the wonderful orchestra combined so beautifully with fantastic performances. A joy.
Music. Profound, life changing, and ever present in my life; and, I for one, am very grateful to have it there. And, now, there are SO many more ways to listen, interact with, and be with music. Yet, that is for a different post; so, let me simply leave you with one more quote about music that I quite like.
“Life seems to go on without effort when I am filled with music.” – George Eliot
Develop. Inspire. Transform. 