Mystery of Music

I thank God for music. What is music? Any sound which is pleasant to the ear. King David was a great musician. I heard that Satan can do a seven part solo harmony, which is something unique! I thank God for the good music sense that he has given me. Of late I have been trying to analyze music in various spheres. When my ears hear the sweet sound of music, my body gets ready to sway to the music.
Well, here is my analysis. Initially being a drummer, I tried to concentrate on the rhythm section to find out everything about the rhythm. They are so many things to notice in a rhythm section. (*A note - I forgot the right term - to concentrate on a particular instrument or track when a song is played, is it psychedelic, psychoanalysis hmm.. not sure, will get back.)
Talking about rhythm section you have hi-hats or the highs, kick drum pattern, the tone of the snare (which I’m very particular about. It has to be the right snare tone) the type of rolls/breaks- called fill in, the off beats, riding on the cymbals and stuff. This is just for the rhythm section. They are loads of things to analyze. There is the bass pattern, pads, guitar patterns, keyboard section and above all lyrics to make you think! So, how does one analyze? Well, I do it my way. First I analyze the lyrics to understand the song and situation, if I like the song. Then it’s goes to my player for a clear analysis for not less than eight weeks or more.
Of late I have been excited about string instruments, especially the bass guitar. Oh boy! I love the bass patterns, the groovy stuff. I learnt that a good bass groovy will lock with the kick drum pattern and vice versa, the runs during the intervals are very interesting.
Now let’s talk about a few artists. Harris Jayaraj is a music director from South India. His work is very much appreciated. His secret - make simple music that is pleasing to the ear. His music is more to feel than to hear or listen. Unlike others whose music is very crowded, Harris ensures that his music has smooth pads played over a funky groove, which is his trademark. Illayaraja is known as the maestro of music. I wondered during my early days why he is called the Indian Mozart. Later on, after hearing his compositions, I concluded “Indeed, he is a true genius and a maestro.” With the little technology in the yesteryears he has orchestrated classic master pieces. Just imagine if he were of this era, no one could beat him.
When listening to music, I prefer listening to studio recordings, than live recordings. If it is a studio song, I can analyze every bit of the composition. Many a times I take my ears for granted. If I did not have….hmmm… not sure about my response. I am not sure about how you listen to music. Is it just hearing some sweet noise or giving your brain some work!

Observation by a friend of mine: "Noise is anything unpleasant to the ear. I’m wondering how you can say “sweet noise”... Do you like to comment!