by Ocean .

Created on: January 30, 2009

Music Is...

Music is a word that instantly makes me attuned to the cosmic forces, somehow. Far from being only my livelihood, music is, I believe, a far more inclusive term than what is generally meant. Vibrations make up all of our world, and especially the aural realm. When even deaf people feel the vibes of a tune, its' unique patterns and shapes have the same mesmerizing, energizing, or tranquilizing effect that it has on hearing people. Music does not need to have been produced by organized sequences, whether planned or not. It need not have been channeled through an instrument made for melodic or rhythmic purpose. Music is as simple as a random breeze through a pine tree, making a sweepingly beuautiful sound, or the resonating echo of a mockingbird's song, or the might rush of a wave crawling up the beach. Nature is filled with effortless music. Even the crack of a dried branch in the woods is music. Everything in nature is music. Music abounded in pre-human history. When we were still creatures of the sea, musical sounds under the water must have inspired our souls to stretch, and our wills to push, until we developed ever more sensory skills in order to soak in the lovely tones of our surroundings. Next time you're at the ocean, stay underwater for a moment and make some squeals, some laughs, some sounds, or just speak, or sing. Witness the feeling of the watery vibrations you've caused, and hear the difference between air sounds and sea sounds. It's fun ! And did you know that fish talk? Yes, and perhaps they also sing ! People often do not give our fellow beings much credit for the similar ways they enjoy their lives and use their senses so like our own. Sea horses couples arise when the dawn light filters into their sea green world, and they both sing and dance their love for each other, and for our Creator, I'm sure, as we all do, if we're in joy and alignment with the universe. All other animals take joy in sound, in making their own music. Our cats clearly take pleasure in purring, as they surround themselves in the warm vibes of throaty expressions of happiness. Dogs bark in ecstasy when we play with them, and whimper in sympathy when we're blue, and of course they sing along with us, whether they're in tune or not! Horses, guinea pigs, elephants, et al, and every being in between, whether we can hear them or not, make sounds that are pleasing, like music. Some breeds, like the Humpback Whale, use organized tunes - songs - and they develop new ones as they go along - usually one for each mating season, which individuals remember and perhaps add to. Birds, the virtuosos of the world, putting us primates to vocal shame, create their own songs, compose, recall songs from their childhood, and obviously sing their hearts out when their moods prevail. Whether, as we do, other beings have the vocal chords and the tongue formation, the palate, and the teeth in the right places in order to utter words or not, we know that all other animals communicate however they can, and it's obvious that they also create sounds that convey their emotions. Hippos sing the blues? Of course they do. Alligators chrip with glee? Yes. Just imagine what life sounded like, once upon a time, when we were still tree-dwellers, when the forests and jungles were filled with voices of all types, with sounds made from countless individuals of many, many diverse species, and we were blessed with the fulness of nature that we will never know again. Not only primates are blessed with vocal self-expression. We all make music.

Learn more about this author, Ocean ..
Click here to send this author comments or questions.