How can music be so powerful?

Music can take me to places nothing else can. How is that? How is it even possible?

Music can be my muse - put the right music on and I am at my most creative.

Music can be my focus and my drive - put the right music on (and headphones) and I can smash through any amount of work.

Music can be my friend - put the right music on and I am dancing in my happy place, or I am not lonely anymore (though I may still be sad).

And playing the music I wrote, in my band (that's me in the pic)? OMGods so good.

How can it have such power?

It's a question worth pondering.

And a secondary question is: how can some people be so oblivious to its effects?

And a further question is what does this say about the subjective nature of music appreciation? One person can be profoundly impacted by the delicacy and beauty of a passing musical phrase. Another may not even notice it, or worse, just consider it to be noise.

And to show just how complicated all this is, some music lovers can be its biggest detractors: think rap, opera, metal, punk, rock, country, folk. Each has its own fans, but it is a rare individual indeed who really appreciates each genre.

I suspect many thesis could be written on the subject(s).

Thoughts welcome.

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Image courtesy of @drwom

@drwom footer by the awesome @ryivhnn !!