The Influence of Music

Summary

The article discusses the author's personal experience with the influence of music on writing, describing it as a beneficial backdrop that aids concentration and creativity.

Abstract

The author, Pauline, eloquently describes how music serves as a foundational element in her writing process, akin to the nourishment of a good breakfast or the jolt of caffeine. For years, she has relied on specific albums, such as Andreas Vollenweider's "Caverna Magica" and Bill Douglas's "Windhorse," to create an atmosphere conducive to immersive writing. Despite the constant presence of tinnitus, Pauline finds that music, like a shamanic drum, alters her mental rhythm and enhances her ability to articulate thoughts. She equates the experience of writing with music to a natural high, one that is both cost-effective and inspiring, often leading to an unconscious physical response akin to religious prayer movements. The article suggests that music can transform the act of writing into a more profound and poetic experience.

Opinions

Music is an essential component of the author's writing routine, providing a supportive ambiance.
Listening to familiar music over extended periods does not diminish its inspirational effect on the author's writing.
The author equates the influence of music on writing to the sustenance provided by food or the stimulation from caffeine.
Tinnitus does not hinder the author's use of music as a writing aid; instead, it acts as a backboard against which words can resonate.
The author experiences a heightened state of creativity and focus when writing with music, similar to a meditative or trance-like state.
Music is likened to alcohol or drugs in its ability to alter the writer's state of mind, but without the negative connotations or costs.
The author admits to sometimes writing in silence but prefers the presence of music for its inspirational qualities.
The act of writing with music can sometimes blur the lines between prose and poetry for the author.
The author recommends Hearts of Space for those interested in exploring music that enhances the writing process.

The Background Sounds of Writing

Created with Microsoft Designer by the author

I float on music. I slide, I glide, I sometimes twirl. It is a backdrop just as a window with curtains moving gently in the drift of air through an open window might be. There, but unobtrusive. There to help me write, to be like the shoes I stand in while I piece together the thoughts I want to express.

In an orderly and yet heartfelt fashion. When I write for myself. When I write for you.

It’s like having a good breakfast to start your day, or that first cup of coffee…or, two. You don’t think about it much as the day wears on but having taken nourishment or a jolt of caffeine is enough to keep you ready, to prepare you, to remind yourself there are things to be done. Rise and shine, the day is upon us.

I wrote a book a long time ago listening to Andreas Vollenweider. The album was Caverna Magica, though there was another one which was a favorite. That song was Windhorse by Bill Douglas. It did not bother me that I listened to the same music for three years. It was the music that prepared me to close my eyes and enter the world of my novel. I learned of both of them from Hearts of Space. At the time it was a radio program and the only way I could listen was after 10 at night on a station that I could pick up coming in from Detroit. Now, it is much easier to listen to this music. Heartfelt, outer space music. If you’ve never listened before HOS.org has a free program every week.

Mostly, these days I write to silence and because my ears ring with tinnitus it is enough of a platform, a backboard to fling words at, to see which ones stick. But, sometimes, like now, I remember that music is like alcohol, it provides a surface where I can float, rest or be aroused.

Sometimes, when I write with music as a part of the process, I find myself bouncing at my keyboard. I am like an Hasidic Jew at his prayers. They call it shuckling. It is unconscious movement. I am not really aware of it. The words, they flow, they float they startle me. At times.

It is like the sound of a shamanic drum eating, changing the rhythm of yourself as you embark upon a flight of fancy, deep, deeper still under the surface of the earth.

It doesn’t cost anything. I don’t have to buy drugs or liquor anymore. It is as John Denver might have said once upon a time, a Rocky Mountain High. Channeling funny just now. I wrote high with a lower-case h. He said to change it to upper case: High.

I don’t know if this piece is going to go any farther than it has. It is enough, I think, to show someone else how music can improve the flow of concentration that we have when we are writing.

It is interesting to me, too, that these are not always the perfectly and grammatically correct sentences of a writer of prose but sometimes drifts into the land of poetry. Although, I am not schooled in poetry I admire those who can write like that.