For me, writing is like playing an instrument. The sound of
music that comes out of an instrument is similar to the written word that comes
out of a pen. We write music because
we want to portray a message. Whenever I play an instrument, I often play with
a purpose. Everyone has their own musical style that they either play in or prefer,
which is very similar in terms of writing style. Whenever I write, I always
like to think about the purpose, and then I incorporate my style to fulfill
that purpose. I’ve always liked to find the deeper meaning of things and take
them out of their literal context. For example, whenever I listen to music with
lyrics, I often listen for the chord structure of the song and how it has been
made rather than the literal meaning of the lyrics, because to me, that is what
gets the message across. Genres such as classical music rely heavily on the
interpretation of the structure of the song to get the message across, and it’s
up to the listener to create that interpretation. When I write, I often like to
have an underlying message that’s up to the reader to create. Since music has
always been a big influencing factor in my life, I would incorporate the
techniques I use when playing an instrument to induce emotions into the way I
write. I write a story similar to how I write a song, because all songs have
stories in them. All songs have purpose. And whenever I play an instrument, I
feel like I am narrating a story that I have written.
Out of all of the blog posts, I can really dig into this one. I write some music myself, and the comparisons between composing and writing are incredible, especially in instrumentals; you are dead on target. The part that really speaks to me is the section on style. I am a electric guitarist, and the biggest factor past actually being able to play the instrument is the guitarist's tone or style, that thing about his or her sound that makes you instantly identify that performer. It largely has to do with the fingers of the guitarist, not only the equipment they are using, but the way they press down on the fret board and pick the strings. The same goes for writing. If you are a seasoned reader, you can sit down, not read the cover of a book, and instantly tell who wrote it by page two, whether it is Hemingway, Rowling, or Shakespeare. I agree with you one hundred percent.
ReplyDeleteI have never looked at writing in that kind of sense. Probably because I have never really enjoyed writing. I do wish to get to a point like this, so I can stop making writing feel like a hassle and more like playing an instrument as you said. I want to get to a point where I am writing until I have nothing to write about anymore, instead of writing until I have enough words on the page.
ReplyDeleteI'm surrounded by music everyday, but never thought about comparing it to writing how you did above. I too tend to overlook the general presentation of a piece of music, or writing, and like to look deeper into the structure of it, how it makes its impression on me, and how I can incorporate that into my own work. Playing an instrument well takes practice, just like writing does, and music is a language of its own. However, unlike the languages we use to communicate daily, the music instruments play can be understood, interpreted by anyone willing to listen, regardless of their native tongue. While a pen is able to write what can be read, an instrument is able to produce what can truly be felt.
ReplyDeleteI like the way you look at writing. I treat writing as music in a sense too. The area isn't exactly my forte, but I can see where the underlying message would be in both a song and in writing. They're both treated as written languages that have beauty behind them, if they're written correctly. Songs can be very simple or extremely intricate with different melodies and harmonies. I can compare pieces of writing to pieces of music with the same principle of underlying layers. Good metaphor, I enjoyed reading it.
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