February 2024 Guitar Newsletter : I Hear Something You Don’t Hear And The Musical Element Is…

Many musicians and mentors I respect speak highly of artists that I never would have appreciated or even given a second listen to.  It has pushed me to think that perhaps I am the one not hearing something and am missing out?

In order to get the gusto out of all kinds of music, adapt to new ways of listening, or better yet, work on being curious again like a child.  Ask any musician who fell in love with music at a young age, and she/he will tell you the same story:  the excitement and enigma of it all was so compelling that you had to immerse yourself in it.  In my teens, I was so infatuated with the guitar that if I entered a record store, I would beg my dad to buy a CD simply because there was a guitar on the album cover!  Indeed, I did receive joy and gain knowledge despite the fact that I had no connection with the artists, their music genre, artistic vision or ideology.  Little did I know that all those recordings and liner notes would amass into something quite useful much further down the road. 

Many moons later I find myself teaching the instrument I fell in love with, and now students bring in songs they want to learn on the guitar.  Since this instrument is found in so many genres, I am confronted with music I never would have sought on my own.  As a teacher and as a musician, I make a conscious effort to be less judgmental about various tastes in music.  Experience has taught me that after repeated, concentrated listening, I walk away with something beneficial. 
Below are songs students brought in last month:

Because I’m receptive to something new, I am able to enjoy, be surprised by, or learn something despite my preconceived notions.  After all, music is comprised of many different elements akin to a field of wild flowers.   All these components blend into a big picture and yet at the same time allow for zooming in.  With practice, you can listen attentively to the melodic, lyric, rhythmic, harmonic and textural parts that are present.  Understanding the historic or social context can also be enlightening and drastically increases the likelihood of gaining something from the performance.

I am by no means advocating embracing all music you come across but making an effort to recognize more aspects in the music will boon your listening experience.  For example, nowadays when I listen to a Taylor Swift song, I shift my mindset and listen to the lyrics and storyline instead waiting for a great guitar solo. Figuring out what to listen for helps finding the gold nuggets in unexpected places. 
Listening to music is a wondrous experience and embracing diversity is the name of the game. Let’s rekindle and strengthen neural pathways responsible for childlike open mindedness and be curious again at the many different ways of human expression. Versatile is what the guitar is, and if you fall in love with this instrument, you will embark on a magnificent journey both locally and around the globe.
May the month of February be filled with rewarding listening experiences thanks to a new mind-set,
Chris