Silence and Music

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Ever wonder how we existed before?  In the last century we have gained the ability to listen to music nearly 24 hours a day if we so chose.  First with radio, now with internet streaming.  And the catalog and services allow us to find whatever subgenre, however narrow, to base it upon (or indeed widely general, too).  Some folks initially referred it to "music discovery" style, but in reality it's a carefully curated musical stream and for most people it stops there (meaning they won't buy the music but continue to stream it either paid or unpaid).  It's been a revelation when we stream and can fill the day.  A lot of ink has been spilled on how cool this is, in essence.  And some people deride it as "sonic wallpaper."  I think it's an apt description of it, though I mean no offense by it.  We can now have musical entertainment when we do any kind of mundane activity.  No performances to attend, no records to flip, you don't even have to be paying attention all the way, it all comes in and fills your life with sound.

One thing that's always been nagging me, with all the music, we have lost it's opposite:  silence.

Now we listen and enjoy, but eventually grow tired of one curated stream, and pick another one to change things up.  Rarely do we select nothing at all.

When we are listening to vinyl, the small breaks as you flip a record, or clean the stylus and brush the record, and sometimes select a new album to play, make the whole experience enjoyable even though it requires more attention.  I wonder if the break in the music caused by fliping the record, cleaning the stylus or selecting a new album adds to the enjoyment when the music is playing?


Could it be that silence once in awhile actually makes the music more meaningful and enjoyable?

I'm wondering if we are consuming endless break-free streams of music like a bag of potato chips that we just can't quite stop eating.  I wonder if our appetite for the main course might be spoiled?

Could silence be a key component to musical enjoyment?

Philip Glass jokes at this point are more than welcome.

Food for thought.

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