Noise(noun): sound, esp. of a loud, harsh, or confused kind
Music(noun): an art of sound in time that expresses ideas and emotions in significant forms through the elements of rhythm, melody, harmony, and color
What is it that distinguishes the two? The more nerdy souls will harp on parameters like waveform, frequency and amplitude. Yes well in that case why do our mothers find Mettalica jarring to the ears ! Without going into physics all I can say is that music is a communion of the mind and the creativity of the artist- a perfect blend of the few subtle emotions that the artist conveys with those that our mind can associate themselves to. Imagine those guitar chords of the Summer of 69 which made you actually feel the pangs of nostalgia the artist has when he left all those memorable years behind. It is a sublime connection, establishes instantly but persistent throughout the lifetime as a thin thread in the brain, a thread that is pulled whenever you hear the song even after a long time, and somewhere in the sand of time it is resurrected and you feel the same emotions of joy and happiness or pain and nostalgia that you experienced when you had first heard that song.
Some connections are psychology-bound, some connections are time bound, and some connections are circumstantial. But whatever be the motive, the bond is everlasting. I remember that during my childhood growing up years when I had my first “crush” (aheemm….) and I seem to remember the song “pehla nasha” being played a lot on the TV (Superhit Muqabla hosted by Baba Sehgal). And the funny part is even 10 years later when I hear that song on youtube or on FM and I can fondly remember the palpitations, the rush of endorphins and the sweet somethings that I had felt when I used to catch a glimpse of her in the canteen or in the corridor.
Or take for instance the Bon Jovi classic “Its my Life”…Heard this song in 2001 when it was broadcasted over some channel ( cant remember which). At the outset of adolescence, my mind was then steering clear of Cartoon Network on to the realities of rock and roll and pop and MTV and the occasional sneak of cleavage and navel that used to arouse a primal instinct. At that time, this rebellious catchy no holds barred song really became the mantra of growing up-it had the inherent promise of a adventurious and an exciting life ahead of me.
The cycle of creativity is a vicious one. It makes you a pawn in someone else’s game and then when you realize it, you also realize that in the process it has morphed some of your own. Such is the thing with the human mind and music. It will entice you, entrap you and then gift you a song of your own. It may not have any melody, it may not have any rhythm but as you go on in life it becomes a part of your own persona. And when it does, you will subconsciously hum onto it for the rest of your life………
