3 types of music

     For most people, music has become the soundtrack of their lives.  We are so immersed in TV and movies, as well as video games, that we imagine our daily routine is punctuated by the appropriate songs to reflect our moods.  For me, my lack of good hearing has left music as a choice, and n ot n inescapable reality.  Specifically, I choose music to enhance three different activities: For exercising, I choose rock music; for meditating, I choose instrumental music; and for listening, I choose singer/songwriter music.
    First, when I exercise at the gym, I must listen to music through my earbuds.  I have found that if I can't hear myself gasping for breath, I don't feel so tired; furthermore, I can't concentrate if I have to listen to the cheerful yuppies who work out before going to their jobs every morning.  For those reasons, I blast rock 'n roll into my brain while I try to reverse the againg process and what it is doing to my body.  The thumping of the bass guitar and the banging of the drums ehlp me to focus on feeling strong and healthy.
     At other times of the day, I want to meditate, to practice minfulness in order to feel more connected to the world around me.  Instrumental music helps me to open up my consciousness.When I was a young man, we used to call this kind of music "head music." I suppose that idea  feel myself continues for me; instrumental music, often of the type known as "New Age,"helps me to relax andfeel integrated into the moment.  By giving me a sound upon which to focus, instrumental music helps me to reach out and absorb my environment.
     Most importantly, I love to listen to music.  For me, listening is an extremely active exercise.  I want to hear the music, to understand the words, to feel the emotion.  At these times, I especially love the poetry of the human voice.  For that reason, the music of singer/songwriters is my favorite; there is nothing so beautiful to me as one person, singing his or her own words, accompanied by the simple sounds of a guitar or piano.  Maybe my love for this poety derives from my years of studying literature. But whatever the reason, there is a magic in the way that the human voice interprets and pronounces the written word.  I believe that is why our oldest music comes from the rhythm of  people using their voices as instruments.
     Although it is late now in my life, I have never abandoned the hope of doing more than simply enjoying the music that others have created.  One of my greatest desires is to somehow make music.  I was not blessed with a lovely singing voice, but still, I yearn to use what skills I have in order to make music.  In some ways, this is the simplest and most personal way that we can express ourselves in our lives.