In which we’ll find inspiration by listening for pleasure.
Music is everywhere: piping through speakers overhead at the supermarket, throbbing from the open windows of passing cars, bouncing away in the backgrounds of commercials, and—if you like—delivered in a constant intravenous stream via your cell phone or MP3 player.
Given how relentless music is in our daily lives, it’s little wonder that we’ve developed a talent for tuning it out. As songwriters, though, if we banish music to the background of our lives—as a kind of soundtrack to whatever else we’re doing—we rob ourselves of much pleasure, insight, and knowledge.
For a songwriter, listening is one of the most vital inspirations. It’s as necessary as a daily vitamin.
Musical Meditation
In Section Two we practiced focusing on the breath. Then refocusing. And refocusing again. Now I’d like to invite you to try centering your attention on a piece of music in the same way.
Here are a few tips to get you started:
- If you’ve got kids, get someone to watch them—or wake up earlier than they do. Or stay up later.
- Listening isn’t a replacement for the breath meditation or for practice—it is its own thing.
- Before you sit down to listen, decide how long you’re going to spend listening. I suggest ten minutes or so to start with.
- Take a seat. Get comfortable. Cue up the music. Close your eyes.
- Listen.
As you’re listening, you can safely expect that your mind will wander. As you’ve done in the breath exercise already, just notice when it’s wandered and draw your focus back to the music. Try to stay with the sounds. Other thoughts, for now, are distractions. Let them pass, and let the music fill in the space where those other thoughts were. Allow yourself to bob your head, tap your foot, or otherwise move to the music’s pulse.
As you discovered when trying to focus on your breath, our minds will naturally chatter and wander when they’re given nothing to fixate on—so stay alert and concentrate on the sensations of the music washing over you. When you notice you’ve slipped, refocus.
Now and then you’ll feel an urge to stand up, pull out your phone, check email, check for texts, watch TV, do chores, or do any number of other things. Just notice these impulses; allow yourself to calmly have the urges without acting on them. They’ll pass. Settle back into the music until your time is up.
I find many listeners nowadays feel tempted to do the musical equivalent of channel surfing, too. You may feel an urge to skip tracks or to switch to a different album after just a few minutes of one particular song. Notice that urge, too, and let it pass. Hear this piece of music out to the end, just as you set out to do. Let yourself settle into it.
Listening is the wellspring
For any songwriter, listening to great music is a vital source of pleasure and inspiration. Hearing a great instrumentalist do what she does best can be enough to keep your practice sessions passionate and devoted for a week. Discovering the work of a certain composer or performer could mark the beginning of a whole new chapter in your life.
Listening becomes even more enjoyable when you have some understanding of the form of music you’re listening to. So if you listen to jazz, I suggest researching jazz a little to orient yourself. Likewise with classical. Learning the histories and the schools of thought behind these forms of music will really help you enjoy what once might have seemed confusing or boring.
Bear in mind that you’ll enjoy none of these benefits unless you clear time and space for this subtle enjoyment. So, even if it’s just for a few minutes: Turn off the television. Unplug your internet connection. Plug in your headphones. Close your eyes. Let distractions pass by. And give yourself over to the music.
Musical pleasure doesn’t get any more pure than this.