Music

Can you imagine what life would be like without music? Yeah, it'd be pretty quiet. And boring. Personally, I feel music is very much a part of our lives. It is necessary. It may even be in some way responsible for giving us 'life'. And I really thank God for creating music.

They say music is the universal language and I agree. Music has this power to transcend beyond the borders of gender, race, nationality or however you want to differentiate the people of the world. It conveys feelings, thoughts and emotions, for example, by inspiring us, cheering us up or making us feel happy - or sad. It is solace for the soul. It sets the mood, whether it be the pride and pomp of a National Anthem being played during an Olympic Medal Ceremony, the laid-back tropical tunes of Bossa Nova on a lazy afternoon, or the mega-uber-bass-killing Trance beats at a club. We all understand it and it bonds people together.

Scientifically, music is the product of varying frequencies of sound at different timings brought together to create a combination of melody, rhythm and harmony. This combination is picked up by our ears and transmitted to our brain where it is eventually interpreted as music. These varying frequencies of sound are more appropriately known to us as the notes used in music (A to G). For example, middle C has a frequency of 250Hz.

When I was in Primary 5, my mum, after seeing me efficiently using my time to play and laze around, decided to enrol me at Yamaha Music School in the electone course. For those of you who don't know what an electone is, it's a modernised version of the organ. Details aside and fast-forwarding to the future, I've never regretted taking that course (or more like I've never regretted mum signing me up for the course). Thanks mum! Being able to play the electone has given me another avenue to connect to music. It is a medium which allows me to musically convey my innermost feelings, my reflections on life, or my joy, sadness or whatever mood I'm in. Ok, that's a bit farfetched - I'm not really at a level where I can play and sweep people off their feet or make them start crying; only true musicians can do that. But frankly, playing music on my electone does give me joy and it helps me to de-stress. It is the practical side of enjoying music as compared to the aural side. Recently, I've also picked up the violin and that is one hard instrument to learn! I'm enjoying that lots but the usual screechings do not always ensure the joy haha...

I'm pretty sure most of us listen to music, no matter what the genre is. Whatever it is, just remember that it's that companion that rallies everybody together at a rock concert, or brings in the mood during Christmas, or keeps you company during those late nights.

Fine