“If You Play Your Music at Home and No One Is There to Hear it; Does It Make Any Noise?”

Been kind of busy lately. Perhaps my experience has not been so different than yours? Or, maybe your life has slowed down to the point that boredom has taken over and you find yourself making a quirky video of your pet doing something funny so you can publish it on Facebook for your friends and family? Or maybe you have been wearing the same sweatpants for three weeks? I hope not.

The question for us that begs to be asked is, “What are you doing musically?”

This is a perfect time to be working on that song you always wanted to write, or try that special tuning you always wanted to try, or play that music that you purchased at some festival five years ago and always wanted to play but just have never got around to it!

So, we could say that if we do not take time to pull out our instrument and clean it and string and tune it and play it; then we are the ones who are the worse this experience.

It goes without saying that difficult times are certainly good times for music.

But it needs to be the right kind of music. Blues music tends to be written during sad and depressing times. Political statement type music seems to be written during the times of great political consternation. Protest music is written when something needs to be protested. Worship music is written when someone needs to express a profound of awareness of the presence of God. And one plays happy music when playing with children.

It does not matter if you are composing music or just playing music that you purchased; we play what we feel. If you do not know what music to play, then perhaps you do not know what you feel?

Get in touch with your feelings. That will help you get in touch with your music.

If one is uncomfortable with their feelings, then this simple formula also works in reverse.

If one wishes to feel happy then one probably needs to be playing happy music. Or if one wishes to praise God then they need to play praise music. If one wishes to make their dog howl; there are plenty of videos on YouTube to show you how.

I am sure you see what I am getting at.

Play music even if it is just for yourself.

Gary Bell

President GPDA

p.s. The North Carolina road says “Begin Black Mountain Rag”. Good advice anytime.