In my youth I loved music - nothing unique in that, right?
I dreamed of being a rock star - again not so special.
All my life I have retained these passions.
At the age of 13, 1976, in an adolescent stage of musical discovery and awakened focus, my musical preference was Hard Rock & Heavy Metal. I remember at this age going with my mother to the store to buy my first albums (awkward admission I know, but I was cool with it). I say albums, but my first 3 albums were actually 8-tracks. Choosing only 3 was hard, but all I could afford on my paperboy income. I chose the latest releases from three of my favorite groups: Boston (1st), Kansas (Leftoverture), & Rush (2112). My other loves necessarily abandoned that day due to lack of coinage were; Aerosmith, AC/DC, Foreigner, Foghat, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, and Styx.
Thus began my love affair with music and my rock star dreams. At that point my only rock star training musically had been on the accordion (if you can call it that - music, or rock star training). I was a poor student, but it was a good instrument for introducing and learning music; especially a good choice for parents if the goal is to have their child all to themselves at this age.
When I was 15, I was set on the path toward achieving metal god status. An instrument I could wield proudly in public. I was getting an electric guitar! I again went with my mother to pick out my first guitar (still no shame). I got a Peavey T-60 and a small Peavey practice amp, again using my paper route earnings. Immediately I began fooling around in the basement, this time with no formal training, and the same lack of focused discipline.
When 21 and back from my LDS mission in 1984, music again took center stage, but this was stage two. Now I was heavily into electronic music. Re-Flex, Talk-Talk, Ultravox, New Order, A-ha, Men without Hats, Tears For Fears, OMD, Prefab Sprout, The Cure, Yazoo, U2....I could really go on a long time. I was so taken with the diversity and newness of the groups and sounds. Comparatively hard rock and heavy metal seemed a bit one dimensional.
So obviously the choice of instrument became a synthesizer. I got my first synthesizer at about this age, a Roland Juno-60, fresh off the press. Again, lots of fartin around (those were mostly the sounds it made - or rather that I could make on it) and no formal training.
While attending the University of Utah, in 1986, I got an ESQ-1 and a Roland TR-505 drum machine and started composing my first original tunes. This was the beginning of my song writing hobby. Since then I've written many many songs, most in some sate of unfinished, under the moniker onetomany. http://onetomany.weebly.com/
I've also listened to much much music of all types - I love music! Musicians are my favorite people (and some of my closest friends -you know who you are).
I still compose my own music and play multiple instruments (nothing stellar, but that's what happens when you try to do it all). For me, it's not important whether or not I do anything big with my music. What matters most is that making music gives me joy. I know this sounds like synthesizing happiness, and maybe it is. But I love synthesis (Kant) and synthesizers, so I'm down with that.
If you want to watch a good series in what makes happiness check out the 2012 TED. There's a series on happiness that is really great stuff if you have the time. In one part of the happiness talks, a man is speaking about how we synthesize happiness. I am so down with that. Music makes me feel, and the predominant emotion felt is happiness. There's also a good article on Happiness at Psychology today.
http://www.ted.com/playlists/4/what_makes_us_happy.html
http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/201306/what-happy-people-do-differently
FWIW: Recently I was watching a DVD on one of my all time favorite bands RUSH and their Snakes & Arrows tour, and they had a whole bonus section devoted to the head roadie and the guitar tech, etc. It was cool and informative and all, a little tedious and a bit esoteric, very vulgar...lotsa peppered language but that never stops me - I love pepper. It was interesting and cool - but nothing compared to the main event DVD. After watching this I became struck with the parallel between Joseph Smith and Jesus Christ. I know - I'm very strange.
Getting all caught up in Joseph Smith is like spending all your time with the guitar tech roadie, when you could have met the masters of the instruments, and experienced the awesomeness of their music. Imagine you get invited backstage to meet the holy trinity of rock, and you get sidetracked by the first guy you run into, the guitar tech roadie, and you foolishly spend most of your time hanging and chattin with him. A pretty cool opportunity, that I would not turn down by the way. But if given the option the better choice of that limited time expenditure is obvious. I'm sure that roadie is a pretty skilled player, but wouldn't you rather hang with Alex, Neil and Geddy?
In case you're wondering the order of the rock trinity, Alex is Christ, Geddy is God, and Neil is the Holy Ghost...Or maybe swap the last - maybe Neil is God since he's so detached and distant, and heady. But Geddy is heddy and Alex too. I've confused myself now. It's hard to tell them apart since they are so ONE :)
Embrace your inner weirdo - and make music with whatever you have around and inside you! Follow your bliss to find yourself. Follow god, through his son Jesus Christ. He is the source of all bliss and creativity.
fwiw: the picture is a rock star doodle I drew in 1979-80, at the age of 16.
No comments:
Post a Comment