Music making, what is it good for? Absolutely everything?

Music allowed me to meet my wife through a common DJ friend who featured my music on his page... So I guess the answer is: the best thing that's ever happened to me happened because of music.
 
It's also been a source of torture when I had to work depressing jobs that took all my time and left me with broken hands and back so that even in my time off I couldn't really get back to music.
 
As I've said before, music is the only thing I never questioned in my life. The equation is the simplest: I breathe = I make music. You take music away, I'm lost.
 
As Nietzsche puts it: Without music, life would be a mistake.

@Krist: Music has been very important for you it seems. Very nice.
@Michael: It seems music has a deep meaning in your life too. Good. Thanks for the great comments guys.

I'm not sure where I would be, or what I would have become without music. It hasn't made me rich but I'm ok with that. I have a great life, a great family and I've seen more of the world than most people get the opportunity to see.

• The enjoyment of listening to music has always been there... it started at a young age, and continues to this day. It is always on wherever I go... and that is something shared by our children, and now our grandchildren.
• Learning music as a young teenager gave me confidence and helped me to form an identity.
• I met my wife through music... after 30+ years, that is still the best thing that has ever happened to me.
• Creating music (live, studio, home studio, jam, etc...) gives me an ongoing sense of accomplishment.
• Without music I would not have had the chance to travel like I have. In the early years (early 80's to early 90's) I traveled Canada coast to coast several times, and since the mid 90's I've had the opportunity to travel Western Europe more than a dozen times, visit Australia one time not to mention I've seen pretty much every State in the US (not Alaska.... some day)

@RAIN.... In another thread you mention Hockey quite a bit... but I see your profile says you live in Vegas. Above you mention a "green card". Are you a transplanted Canadian by chance?

Music has allowed me to meet some very interesting people. Some (before they were) famous, some never to be famous and some really weird dudes.
 

Nice topic.  Really cool 'similar' background shared by others (above)
 
I also started playing music at a young age (3) (piano), can play anything by age 12. I also learned guitar starting at 9, music came naturally for me, my #1 love (just don't tell my wife that) 
 
Music is and will always be my life. I still enjoy writing music and playing piano, guitar and whatever. Lucky me being gifted however, having such a gift also has its pressures i.e. like working two jobs LOL! As a young adult I woke up on the beach one day, sunburned. Lucky it was earliest part of the day.  Anyway, late night show ending at 3am, home by sun up and off to the beach I go , but most times it was off to work I go {doh!} But at times I didn't have a day job, music paid the rent. Not sure nowadays -- its more competitive (over saturated music scene)!
 
I certainly had my highs in the music business, learned a lot, earned a lot -- but those periods of highs don't last forever.  Funny, its seems to go in cycles of about 5 years or so. Nowadays I'm quite happy to remain anonymous, live a peaceful quiet life with my wife and family.  I can retire now, though not completely -- I still very much enjoy making music. 
 
 
 
 

Rain

codamedia
I@RAIN.... In another thread you mention Hockey quite a bit... but I see your profile says you live in Vegas. Above you mention a "green card". Are you a transplanted Canadian by chance?

Yes I am. And I often say half jokingly that the finishing touch in terms of decoration for my studio will be one of these. 

 

Except you'll call it "Ree-shard" instead of "Rich-erd." 

Well music must serve an important human purpose otherwise it would have never evolved. It's essentially another language, and every bit as versatile as the spoken word if not more. I honestly think the happiest moments of my life have been music related. For me it's always been the smaller, more intimate musical events that have lit that fire under me. Years ago I was part of a group who put on an open mic night in a small cafe in Newcastle and it had all of the ingredients to make it a thoroughly magical experience of the type that people talk about 50 years later. A thoroughly talented bunch of musicians who got along like a house on fire; bring your own wine; the owner didn't care about the joints being passed around; we formed a barbershop quartet and sang our hearts out; every night was different. You know those nights where the booze is flowing (or whatever floats your boat), everyone's at just the right level of intoxication and the music is fantastic and there's a vibe and you experience the kind of rapture that makes life worth living. I don't go for those nights any more any I really should, because they demonstrate the power that music has on the soul.
 
I came across this video tonight - even if Irish music isn't your thing it's worth watching just to share in the joy, energy, enthusiasm and sheer foot stomping power of the music which went down in the pub that night. You can see why Irish music captivates the world and why people travel the length of the globe to experience nights like these. You won't experience anything like this in a large venue up on a stage. Everyone sat around as equals, audience and musicians, pints of Guinness on the tables, absolutely cracking music played by people at the top of their form. It's well worth sticking it out to 4:15 to see the wild and wonderful Cathy Jordan sing her first song. This to me is what music is all about.
 

 
 

@all the nice guys: Thanks again guys for the comments and stories. They are a good fuel source for the continuation of my music making adventure.

Oops, I managed to quote a bit wrong. Now it looks like I said those things. I said only the last 2 sentences.

Rain
Partially correct... but when a true hockey fan see's #9 on a Habs jersey they actually pronounce it "The Rocket".

 
True that!
 
(We can talk about Guy Lefleur later.  )
 

So many names there that went on to coach!

Hi,
Not a hard topic for me, but one that ... explaining it is almost impossible, specially to try and get others to understand it.
 
I went from Portugal to Brazil at 9, to America at 16 (Madison, WI), and then at 22, to California.
 
Big deal, you say!
 
The problem is that it's four drastically different cultures and it feels like this ... in POrtugal it was the upper class thing and the lower class only knew the FADO and some crappy pop music! Brazil has music in its blood, and blood in its music, and their jazz/classical mixes are unreal. Their mixes with classical and pop music and artists is also very alive. Madison, was very hip, and the music was very vivid and alive, and influenced the huge campus of the UW (50K+ students), which makes for a very liberal school , and all arts come and go, and then people go think of Michelangelo! California showed me that there was a lot more music out everywhere, but everyone treated it like a FAD, because you can not suplant the "stars" and its "history", besides the fact that you will die immediately, if you do!
 
What did this leave me with?
 
An internalization of all music ... I lived through it in visuals and trying to comprehend things inside those pieces. As such, even though the singing is considered bad, "Ohio" has incredible meaning for me, since at the time I was working at the Rathskeller, and the fuzz planted the National Guard and "that" group of kids, to frisk everyone going in and out of the place! Neil Young might not be a favorite, but the words and feelings are pure truth, and I'm not sure many of us look at it that way. In Brazil during the coup and such, some music was used as a way to nail the military. I always thought (still not sure about it) that Maria Betania's "Carcara" was a vicious gun pointed at the government.
 
So I dropped out, of the fad scene, and stuck with the meaningful scenes, and they all went to Europe because America got stuck on the dope and sex and crap, and then the media did not waste its time making fun of it and put it down ... viciously ... I might add.
 
Over the years, music is the only serious "woman" I have ever loved. Language/communication issues with new language and schooling, made things really hard ... I became "self-taught", and it was the European Progressive music that carried me along the way. The likes of AD2, Can, Tangerine Dream, Banco, PFM, Ange ... because they were talking about exactly what I was having issues with.
 
That's the importance of music for me. You could say that it was my "GOD". Unffortunately, nowadays, and in a place like this, at times mentioning something else, is like another culture shock ... there are not many that have experienced those artists, and being able to say something about it is not easy, since it is (for me) so internal and so deep, that it would be totally surrealistic, dadaist, and insane for many folks here.
 
Such a surprise!
 
And when I write a lot of the small suggestions about this and that, it is in that depth that it resides, unfortunately, you can kinda tell that some folks will not look at it, as they are afraid to lose their footing. In the arts, you don't lose your footing ... you make it stronger! But tell that to anyone that lives and plays and works within a commercial/pop context. Their "God" is not even inside and the proverbial "father and I" can never be one because of it. If it "were", you would not be here at all!
 
My only sad spot inside? I never had a good chance to learn to play music or a friend that could spent a bit of time helping me take it a step further! And it gets worse as you get older!