Enjoying the silence

I’m just going to stop my music as I write this article today.  Funnily enough this week, in my blog about music I’ve been thinking about the lack of music and of silence in our day to day life.

In some music and especially classical and jazz it is often as much about the silences and space in music as the music itself.  That hold for an extra beat, or that elongated pause between songs is as much a part of the composition as the soaring strings or the frantic jazz drumming.  That silence can allow you to take a breath and feel the force of the music all the more, or create tension before the music releases it.  Quite often these silences or gaps are overlooked and where itunes has separated the individual track from the album/composition this interplay of silence and music can be lost.

This lead on to me thinking about those odd times when I have been unable to listen to music for a period of days.  Whether it be away on retreat, or when taking a holiday, or away on business, there have been times when I haven’t played music for a number of days.  I find that when I come back not only am I desperate to play some music and sit and relax with it, but I also appreciate it more for not having it in my life the past few days.  The silence and time away from music makes me appreciate it’s power and place in my life all the more.

Silence and time for reflection are also important for the soul and where music feeds my soul in numerous ways, I am also nourished by those reflective moments of silence in my life too.  I could be sat on top of a welsh hill gazing out at the lush beauty before me, or sitting quietly with my thoughts centring myself before or at the end of a hectic day, but these silent moments are as important as the soaring, stomach clenching emotion I feel from music.

It helps sometimes to press ‘stop’ on my stereo and listen to the rain outside, or the wind blowing against the house, or to appreciate the extra quietness that comes from a snow storm.  That connection to nature, however brief, helps us find ourselves and then when we go back to our lives and press ‘play’ again, we can feel more in touch with our surroundings and in this instance feel the power of the music all the more.

Anyway, just a few thoughts.  Time to press play and see what music I fancy today.