Why do we Listen to Music?

It is easy for you to forget that this section of tech-ish.com exists. I called it interesting reads when I had failed to get a proper name after days of intense meditation. And I promised myself, silently, that I would make sure I had a post every weekend. Then I sat down and listed all the posts I wanted to do on my Google Keep. The dream was, and still is, for this category to shine bright, and be the major category people visit when reading my blog.

To date, I have only managed three real posts. I am really lazy, I guess. But there’s school-work and many other happenings in life that I have to deal with. And this current post you’re reading, though it falls in this category, wasn’t in the to-write list. It only but came to me when I was in the shower a few minutes ago, humming to a familiar tune only to later on realise I had never heard that song, but somehow I knew it. Does that make sense?

Have you ever listened to a song play and the music in it (not the words – if that makes sense – or rather the “rhythm” of the song) sounds or feels – some of us feel music – familiar? Or to borrow from Inception (2010), the song feels like something from a half remembered dream. Has that happened to you?

It happens to me a lot. And sometimes I wonder whether it is just me making up stuff, or it is the artist/musician who has ‘sampled’ another artist’s/musician’s work – which is kind of common with popular music.

Anyway, now back to the shower, while I tried to find out where I had first heard the tune, something pricked me in that realm where I am me, and not my body, and posed to my mind a simple question which became the title of this post: Why do we listen to music?

I listen to music. I listen to a lot of music. And it is a wide variety of music. Pause for a minute and think of any artists you really love. I have probably spent some time tasting their work. By the way Afrika is really blessed with very many beautiful, and unique genres of music. And anyone should find time to just sit and sample all these different aspects and approaches to the language of music.

Music is a universal language. Sort of the way laughter is a language of its own. You find someone laughing, wherever you are from you’ll know they’re laughing. Music is fun. Music is sweet. Music is sad. Music is soothing. Music is art. But to any other animal, music can simply be a set of instruments producing different decibels of sound and sometimes accompanied by a human being’s funny voices/noises. So why do we give out time, and attention to instruments and voices?

Have you ever listened to a song and it gave you tingles, made you feel deeply touched, and somewhat blessed? Have you ever listened to a song and it raised your spirits and made you happy and active? Or have you listened to a song and it brought tears – sorrow or joy, alike – to your eyes?

I would really love your random explanations on what music is to you. And why you think it matters, or affects very many human beings.

If you love music, why is it so? What is it about this language that makes people twist their bodies, dance, jump, shiver, laugh, melt and do weird, funny, and beautiful stuff?

Read:

1. The Surprising Science Behind What Music Does To Our Brains – FastCompany
2. What are the ‘tingles’ we feel when listening to music? – BBC iWonder

Well, I know interesting reads should be longer, and interesting. I will try to work on all the posts I have in my Keep. If you have any suggestions, questions, recommendations etc, drop me an email, or comment in the sections below.