We need magic, and bliss, and power, myth, and celebration and religion in our lives, and music is a good way to encapsulate a lot of it. - Jerry Garcia
I can still remember the sense of wonder with which I would glare at Eddie Van Halen or Paco De Lucia's fingers wondering "how did they do that?"
By age 16, after countless hours of decrypting their playing and a plethora of expeditions to the uncharted depths of the fretboard, I thought I finally had a handle on the guitar. Little did I know that Jazz as the next discovery on the docket. I remember the first time I heard "A Night in Tunisia" being mesmerized by Dizzy Gillespie, not understanding why the chords kept changing and why one scale didn't work over all the chords LOL!!!
Then came the mind blowing /ego crushing discovery of Allan Holdsworth and again that sense of wonder was there begging the question how in the world is this even possible?
Then came the mind blowing /ego crushing discovery of Allan Holdsworth and again that sense of wonder was there begging the question how in the world is this even possible?
So again I explored a little deeper, immersing myself in the world of Jazz and Fusion. Now, 30 years into my musical journey I have been behind the curtain quite a bit and know what's in the hat sorta speak (not a rabbit). Yet I still get a thrill from the Magic that is Music. Every time I hear a riveting performance, on or off stage, its draws me in like it did when I was just a kid and had no idea how it was done. There is a deep emotional and spiritual connection to music that is powerful, necessary and transcends conventional understanding in that it can communicate with sound yet no words. It is universal and has no restriction to language, age, gender or culture.
Not to sound elitist, because if there's one thing I'm not it is elitist, but we as musicians have great power, and to quote Spiderman (who borrowed it from Voltaire) "With great power comes great responsibility". We are responsible for the keeping that sense of wonder alive. For penning our thoughts into magical songs that will inspire and influence generations to come. For helping create memories that will last beyond eternity.
If you think about the ratio of musicans to non-musicians we are definitely in the minority. Yet we influence the majority through our art and can boldly go to that magical place on the drop of a dime where as the rest of humanity has to turn to us for access to that special realm. This led me to thinking, we as musicians tend to run in packs, primarily socializing and naturally working with other musicians. Therefore, we are constantly exposed to this magic. It becomes our native language, to the point that it is for some the best way we communicate with one another. I think we might get desensitized and loose perspective of the effect on the average listener. I urge to consider the beauty and privilege we get to share next time you perform whether its Carnegie Hall or even if its in your living room for your own family.
So no I am not comparing musicians to magicians in terms of vocation, rather I am just wanting to point out the importance of what we do, how rare/lucky it is to be one of us and to help remind us how much influence we have so we don't take it for granted. I hope if anything this blog reminds us that Musicians (and/or Mugicians lol) really are gifted to go where very few can go, that space between the the stark silence that is reality and the sonic bliss that is the voice of the imagination ( Insert Prince "this is what it sounds like when doves cry..." joke here).
Blog #2 by Ash Jangda
Blog #2 by Ash Jangda