Music Defined By Experts (Music As It Really Is)

Reading Rolling Stone this morning and was inspired by the words of two who know.

In a lengthy interview with Paul McCartney he was talking about what it is like to write sad songs and he said: "Music is like a psychiatrist. You can tell your guitar things that you can't tell people. And it will answer you with things people can't tell you."

In a one page Q & A Phil Lesh was asked "What was the best part of the Grateful Dead's success for you?"

He replied: "It was wildly successful for me until we took the break from touring (in 1975). When we came back, it was never quite the same. Even though it was great and we played fantastic music, something was missing."

Next question: "What was missing?"

Lesh said: "It's hard to pin down - a certain spirit. It would come back now and then, on some awesome evening, some particularly great performance. But that was even more frustrating, because it would disappear again for X number of shows, just disappear."

I love these comments because they capture the ephemeral nature of music, the mystery of it, the uncontrollable, untameable nature of creativity.

Music is beautiful, it is magic, precisely because you cannot pin it down.

There is no formula, there is no way to confine its essence.

Music is spirit, it is emotion, it is heart and soul expressed fleetingly and laid out for all to see.

Until it goes into hiding again, waiting, picking and choosing the next moment when it will re-appear to blow your mind and release your tears, inspire you to smile and remind you once again how precious life is.