I seem to be on a roll with blog posts inspired by Kathy Sierra's posts at Creating Passionate Users.
In a recent post, she discussed the impact of music.
Music tells us what to feel. Without music and sound design, most movies lose their emotional pull. One of the more obivous sound design examples is the 5/4 drum beat used in the Lord of the Rings movies. Think back to the Orcs... the Isengard Theme and Mordor 5/4 asymetric beat would have made you feel very uncomfortable regardless of the visuals. Your body does NOT like it.
Of course, geek that I am, I wanted to hear examples of music with that 5/4 beat. While poking around online, I came across this page, which gives examples of the numerous themes used in one of the Lord of the Rings movies. It breaks out how different music is consistently used for different purposes - and to create different responses from the audience - throughout the movie.
All of which got me thinking about the soundtrack we all have playing, figuratively speaking, in the background of our lives. The notes and rhythms of that soundtrack come fom various places. The beliefs we developed growing up. The experiences we've had along the way. The kinds of people we surround ourselves with. The movies we watch, and the books we read, etc.
That soundtrack influences how you experience your life. If it is filled with negative people - people who not only see the glass as half empty, but are also convinced that it's best not to pick up the glass anyway because you'll probably drop it and break it - that underlying theme can't help but influence how you perceive things. If you're surrounded by a sense of optimism and possibility, guess what kind of impact that will have on you?
What does the soundtrack to your life sound like? Does the music inspire you? Is there music you want to play more? Are there rhythms you need to change? Are there instruments that are out of tune?
Brought to you by Curt Rosengren, Passion Catalyst TM
The impact of music can hardly be overestimated.
Posted by: Lord | April 10, 2006 at 02:20 AM