Prelude to a Kiss

Sæl / Sæll!!

Instrumental music is the most abstract of art forms.

There are no words to interpret, and nor can I use words to play it / experience it elsewhere. I cannot pick up and touch Contrapunctus IX. We cannot see it - the score being merely a loose arrangement of black and white dots on lined paper - not the art itself. We cannot smell Beethovens' 5th. I cannot taste Daft Punks' Adagio for TRON. I cannot apply concrete understanding to Birds jumping lines in Ornithology.

In fact all it is is a series of concussive waves bashing their way through matter, and then somehow finding their way onto my eardrums.

And so why do I listen to these pieces of emotive brilliance, and feel SO moved. Here I am, a grown young adult on the brink of tears over something that is the definition of abstract? What is it that draws humans to this medium. What is it that we're actually gaining out of it? How can music sound "sneaky" or "joyful" or "furious"? Is it all in the theory like our teachers have tried to tell us in the past? Is it all mathematical like the education system so very much likes to try to say it is?

Or is it just that intangible, visceral experience that shakes you down to your very core - with the lone soprano saxophone singing in an abandoned warehouse, or a digitized symphony let by a master guitarist on stage being the only real thing tying you to this experience.

Interestingly enough, I am starting to realize that this is one of the few things in the world that I can understand. Maybe because it's so not-understandable that I feel at home in it, because of my own chaotic mind. The weird thing is though, I can't tell you what it is that I get about it. It just seems so natural - so real - and so wonderfully limitless. I guess I'm just going to accept that it's never going to leave me.

No matter how hard I try to forget about it.

In other news, after I wrote my last post, I went back and re-read everything that I have written on this blog up to date. Wow. There's a lot of stuff in there that is so not who I was. It really is interesting how we evolve though. Even just the way that I write - let's all recall my spelling grammatical capacities of high school - NOT!!!

Not that I'm much better now. But at least now Blogger has a spell check in it, so aside from my constant confusion of "to" and "too", I'm just left to face Grammar in a one-on-one. Hey, at least the odds are improving.

In trip news - I think I've got a flight there, and I may have a flight back. Flying into London, taking the train to Paris, and then flying home from Reykyavík. I've been reading more in-depth stuff about the countries, and I think the whole language thing is going to be pretty interesting. France should be fine - six years of immersion had better pay off. Italy should be okay - it seems close enough to french to at least be able to figure out road signs, etc... and I'm gonna spend some time before I go with that language too - it's next on my list anyways!

The tricky part is going north - into all the german speaking countries. So far, I can count to ten, and ask people if they have a cigarette/sausage. And I suppose I could ask for more than one sausage by combining the two skills... I'm sure I'll figure it out though. I mean honestly - how many tourists go there only knowing how to ask for one sausage...

Also, I have decided to not go to Barcelona this time. I think that it's just too much... but it'll always be there for another time.

For my sister - I think she should know that I am listening to Daft Punk as we speak. I think that would make her proud. Albeit the TRON soundtrack, but Daft Punk none the less.

Also, in other fantastic news - TRON has been nominated for best sound Editing. YESYESYESYES!!!!!

I have to say (ironically) that I do not appreciate good cinematic sound. Perhaps because I know that it's all fake, and most of the time even the dialogue isn't original. But I went to see Tron in 65mm because I knew that the sound would be UNREAL! When Sam gets to Zeus' club, and the bassline for "Derezzed" kicks you in the pants, WOW. The sounds of the engines, the lightbikes, the discs, and Olivia Wildes' voice:

"I'm Kora!" and "I guess you could say, I'm a rescue."

Here's to Music, Over-the-top-sci-fi, and Square/Sawtooth waves!

Góða nótt!

Ryley