The Importance of Music to the World (an excerpt)

Random Notes 14 Comments

A note from Trigger:

As announced in late January, yours truly will be releasing a 50,000-word literary fiction novel on March 7th titled Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board. If you want to read the full announcement about the novel, CLICK HERE. As I stated then, the book has nothing to do with country music whatsoever, or even music in general … except for a small portion.

So to give folks a little taste of what to expect from the novel, you can find the portion of it below that addresses music and its importance in the world. Though Light as a Feather is a work of fiction and doesn’t always deal with my opinions or perspectives personally, this excerpt is something I do believe inherently, and always have. That is why I have tried to help connect people with music as a life purpose.

This Importance of Music to the World
(an excerpt from Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board)

For every pleasure, there is a cost, or a consequence. Relaxation comes at the loss of productivity. A luxury comes at the expenditure of wealth. Sex comes at the risk of pregnancy, disease, or emotional entanglement. The joy of family comes at the burden of responsibility. Rich food or indulgence to excess can result in sluggishness, lack of focus, obesity, and infirmity. Drugs and alcohol can come at the sacrifice of long-term health and the potential for addiction or overdose.

The one exception to the entanglement of weighted outcomes when it comes to the partaking in the pleasures of life is the illustrious gift of music. Awakening the vibrations of the universe in a way that can stoke imagination and the muse, deliver motivation and measurable energy, furnish a gateway to a harmonious mood, and render the mind a more receptive vessel for new ideas, music is the one endowment without a corresponding burden or risk of significant amplitude.

Thusly, utilizing music as a tool can be incredibly advantageous. Perhaps a pittance must be paid to the composers and performers so one can be granted access to their libraries of audio wares which no different than the potions of the apothecary can be chosen to achieve a desired result. But in the case of music, positive outcomes are achieved without any side effects or complications. And unlike other humanities such as literature, theater, film, and the like, music can be consumed passively, or simultaneously to the accomplishment of other tasks or actions, often enhancing positive outcomes in the primary activity, whether it’s achieving serenity for optimum recuperation, or wielding a sledgehammer to demolish an obstacle.

Like most all things certified as resolute and virtuous, music in various forms is practiced by every culture on Earth, and has been since the most primitive of times. It can be found in nature as well, from the mating calls of birds to the complex songs of dolphins and whales. Dance enjoys a similar universality throughout cultures and earthly creatures, but often requires the active articulation of the torso and extremities, and perhaps even a partner, making it more participatory and prohibitive for multi-tasking.

Like so many other things in the modern era, music too has become corrupted by technology, often debasing its Contemporary forms into vacuous streams of digitized signals orchestrated solely through algorithmic optimizations, and influenced by metadata accumulated on smart devices that eliminate the human element vital to the full-bodied experience of the art form in its most robust incarnations. This makes calling upon the archives of music a much more appealing and fulfilling option to the sugar rushes of today’s selections that may deliver ample pleasure, but little or no fulfillment. Similar to history, the further you go back, the more potent, and the less adulterated the expressions and inferences are in the musical canon.

Also a quick note to anyone who has pre-ordered Light as a Feather on Amazon: Some people have received emails saying that delivery of the book might be delayed for a week or two. According to the distribution company of the book, there is plenty of stock. The problem is that pre-orders through Amazon and some others have been so robust, Amazon is worried about getting all copies out on time. Amazon would rather under-promise and over-deliver than vice versa.

So if you ordered through Amazon, you will get your copy. But it might be slightly delayed. If you want to assure you get a copy in a timely manner, you can also order directly through the distributor BookBaby by CLICKING HERE. Light as a Feather is also still available to pre-order through Amazon, and on Barnes & Noble, and most copies should get there on time.

This is a good problem to have, so I thank everyone who took the time to pre-order the book.

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