The Real Power of Music

The Real Power of Music
Almost 99% of the human body is composed of oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium, and
phosphorus. I remember in school when they broke these down into different components like
match sticks, etc. They also gave the net worth of the items. At the time, it was worth something
like $1.57. (It's a good thing George Bailey had a life insurance policy, huh.) Musicians, especially
guitarists, spend most of our time chasing down this $1.57 worth of items.
Figuratively speaking, we spend 99% of our time chasing match sticks. We get the match sticks and
put them under a microscope. We run them through a spectral analyzer. We learn all the scales,
chords, and modes we can. We spend a fortune on lessons, books, and DVD's. However, in the end,
we are just left with carbon, hydrogen, etc. The human being (music) eludes us.
I think I can shed some light on why that is. I want to talk about the real power of music. Paul
McCartney knows all about the power of music. That's why some estimates put his net worth at
over one billion dollars. The real power of music isn't about playing faster, or mastering more
playing techniques, or filling your head full of more musical knowledge than anybody else. The real
power of music is about learning how to tap into the power that lies buried within music itself.
Okay, at this point, you are probably extremely curious and maybe scratching your head at the
same time. We should do a little preparatory work. I suggest a session in a hyperbaric oxygen
chamber and playing about 100 games of Sudoku. Read this next quote. Think about it, and try to
connect it to my illustration about music and the human body.
Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, And I shall move the world. Archimedes
Hopefully some of you have already seen it. Many of you are probably now scratching your head
with both hands. The reason that our musical practice time is not more fruitful is because we don't
practice our material in a good musical context. Every lever needs a fulcrum. A 'D' note is not just a
'D' note. It depends on what context it is being played in. What come before it? What comes after
it? What scale is it being played in? What chord is it being played over? Where is being played at in
the measure? How is the note being emphasized? Is it being played loud? Is it being held for a long
time? These are just some questions you could ask. You can extend this line of thinking and apply it
to any musical element. You can apply this to chords, scales, arpeggios, cross picking, you name it.
How many of you are football fans? It doesn't matter. The success rate for college quarterbacks
going into the National Football League is not all that great. These players often had stellar college
careers. However, the pro game is different. For one thing, the game is much faster. Once a play
begins, a quarterback has literally seconds to scan the entire playing field and process a lot of
information on fast changing situations, and the various choices he can make with the football. It's
dynamic. It's fluid. It's now. It's also something that has to be learned by doing (I'm sounding like Ed
Harris doing a home store commercial).
In those characteristics, music is very similar. (Thank goodness, when I'm practicing my guitar I don't
have to worry about some monstrous gym rat running at me full speed trying (easily succeeding) to
pulverize me out of my chair.) Music is ethereal. It occurs in time and space. It is dynamic. It is fluid.
It is now. It must be created, or recreated, in order to be experienced.
Okay, let me close by giving you some application suggestions. There is nothing wrong with musical
exercises and musical knowledge. In fact, you should try to learn as much as you can. Just
remember the primary focus. The primary focus isn't to lift weights in the training room. The focus
is to lift weights in the training room (learn scales, practice chords, etc.) so you can score
touchdowns (make music) on the field. Any time you are working on something in your musical
practice time, try to quickly use these elements, or apply these elements in a musical setting.