Notes

 

I recently listened to a piece by Jim Reeves. So easy on the ear, so gentle. His words were deeply emotive, and the music felt complete. It sent me reminiscing and reflecting on countless happy and emotional moments. Good music is truly therapeutic, yet it can also bring in melancholy. The lyrics make the difference.

When I was young, I listened to the masters like Beethoven and Mozart, Jim Reeves, Tom Jones or bands like Creedence Clearwater Revival and Deep Purple and they sounded only like pure music. It was just good to listen to. The deeper layers, the underlying structure – the 'da da da dum' of true composition – never quite came up; music was only an listening sensation. The old GEC radio was my music player. it had knobs for volume, radio stations and for selecting the short wave and medium wave bands. It did add its own sounds, cackle, static et al depending on its mood to the melodies coming from its weak speakers. Yet, it still added up to good music. Jim Reeves did sound like Jim Reeves.

 This was our radio that cultivated my interest in music. It also played Hindi film songs for my father, carnatic songs on Saturdays for my mother and broadcast the tense commentaries on the war of 1962. This infact seeded my yearning for deep bass over the years. So much so deep bass is all around me at home with multiple sub woofers! 

Decades later, Jim Reeves holds so much more meaning. His words and mellifluous adagio swirl gracefully within the tympanic drum, gently weaving a tapestry of emotions. Bach's genius now makes profound sense in a crescendo; Beethoven's heart truly beats in a diminuendo; CCR moves gracefully, yet energetically, climbing up and down the tempo. This is music as it should be. It speaks volumes. I understand now that notes never change.

When young, tune, tone, rhythm, and beat were everything, even when listening to classical masters. The arrangement of notes and tempo was then as clear to me as stars and planets during the day. But now, these truly matter, especially when complemented by a deeper understanding of tempos. The lyrics, completing the ensemble, give music a whole new meaning, exactly as the masters intended for their audience. Now, music truly makes sense!