The Language Of Music And How To Understand It

The language of music is a form of communication that can evoke an emotional response and really make the listener think. It is an important form of communication like any other language. What it cannot do is represent concrete things or ideas like how nouns, verbs and adjectives are used in the English language.

The musical language is abstract with the meaning being dependent upon the creator or the listener. How often have you listened to music and wondered what the deeper meaning is? Sometimes the composer or writer will share what it represents and other times they leave this entirely up to the listener. There is no right or wrong answer here. It can mean whatever you want it to mean or better yet, describe your own personal experience with the music.

The language of music is a lot like many other languages. It is a form of communication that can provoke an emotional response and make the listener think. What the language of music cannot do is represent concrete things or ideas much like how nouns, verbs and adjectives are used in the English language.

The social and historical context of the music can also bring meaning to the music. As an example, a country music singer may find it helpful to have a prolonged study of Gregorian chant before choosing to perform it. Similarly, it may be difficult for a jazz musician to play Mozart unless they are willing to understand the time period and style of the music. Overall, music is a highly affective language giving us the experience of deep feeling and emotion. The meaning is entirely up to you and your experience.

It can be intimidating at first to understand the language of music, but it can be just as easy to learn as your native speaking language. Music contains a series of signs and symbols musicians read and translate through their voice or instrument. These signs and symbols are represented in two main areas: pitch and rhythm. The rhythm tells us how long to hold the note and the pitch tells us what the note is.

In order to learn how to read this language, you have to know what the symbols mean in a piece of music. This could be as complex as reading a jazz "lead sheet" or as simple as reading a short melody line. To the untrained eye, these symbols appear obscure.

The happy news is that anyone can learn to read and understand the language of music. This is certainly not reliant upon economics, social class, color or race. Your experience will deepen even further once you begin to learn the language. Noticeably, your ears and mind will be open to more sounds, thoughts and emotions. A newly discovered appreciation for the art will be the result.

I encourage you to take the next step and start learning and understanding what the signs and symbols mean in the written language of music. Before you know it, you will be reading music and experiencing it like never before.

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