Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Soothing Sounds

It’s a lot easier to listen to music here without the kids around. Yesterday I availed myself of the opportunity to take in a few of the soundscapes from Robert Fripp’s A Blessing Of Tears as maghrib was approaching. It seemed like the right time for the whirring, droning and occasional bleeping of this most soothingly, almost cheerfully, mournful of music.

I played a bit of the CD to Mei & Boon a few days ago wondering whether they would be appreciative. They weren’t, not really, though they courteously attempted to listen. (Boon borrowed Levitin’s book on music, by the way, and I think he’ll enjoy it. It’s got a friendly clarity about issues relevant to the general working of the brain that makes it very accessible, almost easy to read.) I don’t know anyone else in Singapore who likes this stuff – even Karen dismissed it as little more than synthesiser noodlings - which makes it even stranger that it’s so precious to me.

Actually it does sound like pointless noodling until you listen. Then everything changes.

But I suppose that’s true of all music. Or should be.

3 comments:

bhawan said...

Well, when I feel like listening some soothing music, I listen to some meditation music, because in meditation cds, they use very calm & peaceful music, like odyssey of love , shiv mantra meditation , Om meditation

Here I am sharing a spiritual-store-link , I hope you'll like it.

Will said...

Welcome to the club.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the notes here. I don't think a single person I am around, friend or family, enjoys anything from the Crimson family of recordings, not nearly like I do. (My wife didn't complain the other day when I was playing the Crimson Jazz Trio, so that's as close as it got.) Bummer. I also thought Fripp's stuff was just playing around until I listened more carefully. I actually cannot listen to it as wallpaper, as one of my friends suggested it was.
Thanks, and peace.