Music, the brain, and spirituality?

onacruse

So, every now and again, I get into a mood where I just want to go out into my "man cave" (read garage), and crank up my stereo and listen to some good hard loud r&b.

Tonight, as I was in one of those interludes, a couple of things struck me:

1) How music makes the brain go "quiet." I mean, it's almost impossible to think about things when you're listening to whatever music 'strikes a chord' in you;

2) How music seems to be one of those 'languages' to which everyone can relate. Even if the chord structure and nuances of the melodies are unfamiliar, it seems like, with fairly little effort, almost everyone can find some degree of common ground when listening to music.

Of course, I've made several generalizations here, and they most probably bear justifiable correction.

But, if you will, an extrapolation to add: Perhaps there is something "spiritual" about music? I mean, after all, why would an aborigine want to waste his time stringing catgut on a limb, just so he could pull the twine and make a different series of sounds? Did that put meat in his belly? Or make his children live longer?

Maybe that's why so many religions virtually require melodious accompaniment as an integral part of their social construct?

Just a thought...as my eyes look up toward the Pleaides.

purplesofa

You said something about bikerchics cows and got sent to the garage, right!!!!

j/k

I was thinking how many times lately I have heard that when people get depressed they have stopped hearing music.

But then how music helped them out of depression....just an observation....

I listen to tons of music.....and it is very emotional for me. yes even spiritual

purps

journey-on

I agree. My family was always musically inclined. My mother was a wonderful pianist and always said understanding music made you smarter.

There is geometry in the humming of the strings...there is music in the spacing of the spheres..........

Pythagoras........ http://www.dartmouth.edu/~matc/math5.geometry/unit3/unit3.html

Satanus

I agree. Music often has it's source from the same spiritual, music created out of nothing. Shamans use those hand held drums to go into a trance.

S

blueviceroy

I listen to music to heighten my spiritual experience when I am at home , In nature the sound of the animals an the wind and water is good enough to be considered music ,

Sometimes if I am sufficiently private outside I will sing a song to the earth and all the life around me , music is part of me.

nvrgnbk

Music can save your life.

Who are ya listening to, ona?

Share the love.

One of my favorite performers had this to say about music, Rock, specifically...

Jeff Tweedy Plays Messiah College

When Wilco singer Jeff Tweedy performed a solo acoustic set at Messiah College, the apparent irony of the occasion didn't go unmentioned:

"Actually, I'm honored that you would invite me to your campus. I think a lot of Christians would consider me a blasphemer," Tweedy said before deadpanning, "I have a checkered past."

After playing a few of his more spiritual-themed songs such as "Airline to Heaven", "Sunken Treasure", and "Theologians", Tweedy offered some great insight on faith and rock:

"I think one of the things that's really beautiful about rock music is that it's one of the rare places that people go in their lives where they join together with a bunch of people and raise their voices and sing along with somebody and transcend themselves, to find themselves as a part of humanity as opposed to being apart from humanity. I think that that's a beautiful thing ... Unfortunately there's been a lot of times where I think a lot of people have missed that experience in church and they found it in other places without knowing that's what they were finding."