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Long Before There Was Music, There Were Notes
The other night, I attended an “evening of creation” designed to help us access our “practical spirituality.” One of the presenters, Jonathan, played music for us on a handpan drum. I wasn’t familiar with the instrument, and the sound was ethereal and relaxing. Jonathan was one of those splendid individuals who manage to come across as calm, insightful, and full of mirth all at the same time.
In talking about his “technique” for playing and composing, Jonathan said he just “feels the music and allows it to come through.” He reminded us, “the things that go into the creation of all music — 12 established notes, recognized chords, etc. — all existed before anyone ever ‘thought’ of them or played them or wrote them down.”
It’s not the first time I’ve been introduced to that concept, but it grabs my heart every time I hear it. For centuries, artists of all kinds have tried to explain the process of creation. Many of us have spent hours marveling at or longing for the experience of “flow.” Most of us have had an idea or image come to us in a dream, or received a “sign” offering us creative direction. We’ve been continuously delighted when two of us get the same idea at the same time, or when a collaboration transcends to a uniting of souls, and we start moving or singing or writing in unison.
