Whenever my wife and I have any work done on the car, she insists that I turn off the radio and listen. She wants me to hear the noises of the cars so that I can make an assessment of whether the car is operating better than it was prior to the automotive work performed on the car. I know there are times when she chides me after she has come home from using the car, complaining that I have left the radio on the car turned up to loud. (I have since then learned to reduce the volume of the radio before turning it off.)
When I was going through law school, she had constantly inquired how I could read my textbooks and listen to music at the same time. For her, the music, the noise, was purely distraction and could no other purpose than to lead my thoughts astray from what I really should be focused on. She revealed to me that in order to study, she needed perfect quiet and stillness.
I have always like music that was “noisy”. One of my favorite bands is Meat Beat Manifesto whose music is almost entirely noise.
Likewise, Sigur Ros, although not as noisy as Meat Beat Manifesto, still is noisy in its own way.
What I think people don’t realize is that paradoxically, there is silence and stillness in noise. It is not uncommon for my deepest thoughts to come to me in the midst of loud, noisy music. Within the patterns of music, the parallel beats, the repetition, it is easy for one to look introspectively seeking answers to one’s question.
This is not surprising. I am reminded of meditation techniques used by various spiritual and mystical practitioners. Generally, it involves the repetition of a word or a syllable over and over again, not quiet or stillness. It is not incredible then to give music with its repetitive beats and music should also serve as a gateway to finding one’s deeper self.
Don’t get me wrong. Not all music has a meditative effect. Certainly, pop songs sung by Brittany Spears and Madonna are likely not to create a sense of stillness and peace in the listener. On the other hand, bands like Meat Beat Manifesto and Sigur Ros may be a key for those without peace in their lives to find stillness in the brief moments of the day.
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