Even Confucius approves:”Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without.”Here are the reasons why should you pick up that old rusty guitar now, or if not at-least start listening to more of it.
1.Cognitive abilities get a boost
Ever heard about the ‘Mozart’ effect? Well that’s indeed a validated fact now.
Research has shown that both listening to music and playing a musical instrument stimulates your brain and can boost your intellect.
If you learn how to play an instrument, the parts of your brain that control motor skills (ex: using your hands, running, swimming, balancing, etc.), hearing, storing audio information, and memory actually grow and become more active.
You can take my word for it, or do a bit of your own reading here:
http://brainconnection.positscience.com/topics/?main=fa/music-education2#A1
(Image credits: brainconnection.brainhq.com)
2. De-stress and relax
According to the folks at the McGill University, hearing music triggers the release of dopamine in the brain. The pleasure hormone, dopamine is also related to bonding and trust. This takes the mind off certain unpleasantness of our day to day lives and surely acts as a stress-buster. Now we know why music appears so relaxing, unless you’re listening to Yo-Yo (no offence)
3. Energize, rise and dance
Else how would we shake a leg, if there were not beats to dance on?
New Year, Holy or even just a weekend, there’s a song for it. There’s no party without Yo-Yo’s grooving tracks. And no Goa trip without Dil Chahta Hai songs, hope you got the message. Music allows you to revitalize your soul.
(Image credits: sabrasradio.com)
4. Fundamental real world skills
Time management and team playing are two of such skills, and in order for a group to make beautiful music, each player and section must learn how to listen to each other and play together.
Miss a note while playing live with a rock band. The dreaded drummer glares at you, and you’d have nowhere to run.
Differentiating between a 3/4 and a 7/8 while playing along with a set of skilled players requires a lot of coordination and team bonding.
Learning music surely helps, and this transcends to your real world too. It’s no exception that most of the fine team players and leaders are also music aficionados.
5. Gradually improving appreciation
We don’t have to be a Picasso to appreciate Van-Gogh. We can start where we are.
Once you start appreciating music, you start to realize the hidden meanings of it. We all connected with ‘Channa Mereya’, didn’t we?
The appreciation grows, upon a deeper listening, when you start noticing the subtle ‘Harkat’s and ‘Murki’s in singer’s redention.
And someday soon you also start adoring the nicely written bass lines and chord progressions. This helps in understanding the ulterior facets of the human psyche.
Empathy one of the critical foundations of mankind, resurrects due to music.
6. Acquiring perseverance and discipline
It requires a lot of hard-work, training and determination to take up an instrument, or learn music.This is indeed in a contrast to the instant gratification generation we dwell in as of now. Even listening to music increases the attention span, which for most adults in YouTube age averages merely 20 seconds.
Hence music takes away the side effects of the fast moving life, and re-instils these good old values of humanity. Allow music to guide you, the changes would be surely empowering.
7. Brighten the true you
Music with being aural is also visual. Visual, coz it allows you to see realms you must have thought never existed before. With constant connect with learning and listening to music, who knows someday maybe the poet/poetess in you would express himself/herself it the way you’ve always wanted to. It would an unparalleled experience. Self-actualization, nirvana, whatsoever you call it.
That might just be one those exclusive experience you soul is madly craving for.
Try it, maybe in this road of notes and melodies, there’s an empty house waiting for your arrival. The world needs your masterpiece, so set it free.
The great German philosopher Nietzsche says, “Without music life would be a mistake”.
So let’s not make that mistake any more, what say guys?
