Day 8 — The Power of Music

I talked about this quite briefly in a previous post but let’s elaborate it further. One of the most important things you need to know about me is that I cannot function as a human being without music. If I was interviewed for a YouTube video for GQ on the 10 things I can’t live without, an iPod, earphones, and a piano/keyboard would definitely be on that list.

I have so many playlists on Spotify to suit my needs because my emotions can change depending on the type of music I’m listening to. I think I’m quite eclectic when it comes to music tastes, so it’s easy for me to appreciate different music styles and genres. I have a habit of searching for new music on Spotify. Usually I start with the Discover Weekly section and branch from there. I also have several YouTube channels I go to (Sofar Sounds, NPR Music, AudioTree, Fancy Melancholic). That comes with its downsides as well because it’s becomes hard for me to relate to mainstream music, which I personally think is crap. But who cares, I listen to music for my own enjoyment.

Now, playing music is a love-hate relationship for me. I was classically trained in piano from the age of 6 and switched to contemporary music (Jazz, Jazz-fusion) when I was 19. That’s when I started learning to play the keyboards too. As a kid I hated playing and practicing classical music, I didn’t see the art in it. Playing jazz is a different story because I love listening to jazz albums. Even though I find it frustrating at times to create my own voicing and solos, I like to mess around on the piano just noodling over chords. The feeling of modifying progressions and finding crunchy voicings is just amazing. I once had what Dr. Dre referred to as a “flow state” when I was soloing. Everything that I played just seemed to naturally fall into place. I’m honestly quite hard on myself when I’m practicing but at that moment I thought I played quite well. That practice session really lifted my spirits. I tend to practice when I’ve heard a really good lick or song. Some practice sessions aren’t really that productive but most of the time it just boosts my mood when I need it.