I believe in music. It is the thing that makes kids jump, salivate, and hit one another in a violent orgy known as a mosh pit. It is the thing that makes people in elevators nervous, although it is known as easy listening. It is the thing that made people walk around nude at Woodstock. It is oftentimes calm and tranquil. It is a universal language that knows no barriers and causes all nations to unite. Music has been present since the earliest existence of mankind; the cavemen hit objects with animal bones and sticks; the British played their fifes; the Americans created jazz, a freeform art whereby the artists can play any note of the chromatic scale and call it right. All kidding aside, music is a means of expression- a way of having a conversation without opening the lips.



I have been involved in instrument circles where one evokes a true smile from another, or heads bob in sync with one another, or inquisitive looks are shot from one musician to another, without ever having to utter a word. The truth is that music profoundly affects most people in this world. Have you never gotten goose bumps after hearing a particular phrase or progression? Why do horror movies have such dissonant, dynamic, and cacophonic soundtracks? Their music builds suspense. Without it, the film would be dull and make the viewer chuckle rather than feel fear. It urges the viewer to pull his face off.

There are no protocols or boundaries in music; no one can say, “oh you did not play that correctly.” Whatever sounds euphonious to the ears of that musician is correct. This is the means by which rock and roll came about and how jazz was invented. These artists diverged from the common trail to create a new, different type of tune. Their inhibitions never held them back from their dreams. It is interesting and highly uncommon to hear folk instruments intertwine melodies with metal guitar. Well, that is precisely what happened this past weekend. I played my banjo amidst the swirling, distortion ridden sounds of two electric guitars. This innovative type of music was inspiring to all partaking in the jam, as evidenced by the tapping of feet and lengthy nature of it.



Music has the effect of evoking any number of feelings in the human body. For example, it has been proven that heavy metal makes a driver travel faster than normal in a vehicle, while classical music has the opposite effect. The new music will constantly continue to have an effect on its generation. As Roger Daltrey of The Who said, “talking to my generation.”