The college life I live is an incessant concoction of stress, fatigue, and anxiety. I am aware that much of it is self inflicted but coupling these physical tolls on my body with the seemingly endless rigor of math and science is enough to drive me insane at times. Music however, is quite effective at relieving stress and setting down the text book to enjoy a few songs can be quite refreshing. Throughout the past year I have decided to take up music as a hobby of sorts. I began a long list of artists I wanted to listen to and started expanding my tastes and preferences. Naturally, I like to ask questions so when I dove head first into the realm of music, I pondered what made it sound good? What made it sound bad? Why do I sometimes not enjoy an artist but revisit them a week or two later to find out they're incredible? Trying to answer these questions, along with others, helped me develop my own philosophy on music (which I am sure you're dying to hear, because I'm so insightful and all).
We all have our own tastes in music. Whether it be a few genres we enjoy (rock, rap, country, jazz, etc) or just a single band, we all identify certain music as "good". This definition of what is "good" is then applied to and compared with every song we hear almost subconsciously. We naturally judge the quality of new music by the standard of what we currently listen to. So if someone listens to a song that is far different from anything they are listening to at that time, the instinctive response would be to write it off as "bad" because it does not align with their criteria of good music. An example might be someone who listens exclusively to country music. If they are introduced to a heavy metal song, chances are they won't be too fond of it. Why? Because it is quite unlike the music they think is "good" at the time. However, if later on in life the individual's taste in music expands from just country to perhaps country and rock or folk, they will have broadened their range of what is considered to be "good". If they then listen to a heavy metal song, it is reasonable to suggest that they will be more likely to enjoy the music (based on their new standard of what is "good"). The greater the range of music you enjoy can be directly related to the likelihood of you being open to new artists/songs.
So essentially, the more music you like - the more music you will like.
My statement (above) is founded on the presumption that one can consciously develop their tastes. Some argue that it is impossible to control what music you like and don't like but I wholeheartedly disagree. When I listen to a new song, I have a little routine I like to go through. First, I take in as much of the song as I can (the lyrics, instrumental, feeling, atmosphere, etc). If I am not enjoying it, I ask myself if it is because it's just different from my current preference or is it something else? Whether that "something else" is an annoying little sound, repetitive lyrics, or just it being unoriginal (a pet peeve of mine), I try to remember that for the most part, no artist/musician leaves the recording studio and tries to sell music they hate (hopefully). There is usually at least one small characteristic of their music that they enjoy. So when I don't like something, I try to search for the reason the artist themselves liked the song. Sometimes this task is challenging (or near impossible) and may or may not result in me suddenly loving the tune, but it helps me appreciate the music. I may not be in to the newest hit single by One Direction, but I can at least understand why other people like it and admire certain qualities rather than simply writing it off as lousy music.
I am not saying that everyone is a stubborn, close minded, fool if they don't respect and enjoy every song ever made. What I am saying is that a lot of people, including myself, try to share their negative opinions of a song without ever giving it an honest chance. I believe that if you apply some effort, you will be amazed to find you can enjoy much more music than you thought.
**Any counter arguments, thoughts, etc you have on the subject are welcome. I thoroughly enjoy discussing this topic and would love to hear feedback on what other people think.**
Friday, April 4, 2014
Friday, February 28, 2014
The Lottery
Today, I pulled into a parking space at Wawa and saw a woman in the car next to me scratching off her lottery ticket to see if she won. Did you know that you have better odds of dying on your way to buy a lottery ticket than you do actually winning the lottery? Personally, this makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. Why not save that money used to buy a lottery ticket every day and use it for something beneficial, like paying off debt or saving for a new computer or really anything that doesn't involve the you throwing away your cash on the off chance that you win big? Now I am certainly not condemning everyone who plays the lottery, that's not my place. While I see it as a foolish way to spend your money, the fact is it's YOUR money and I can't tell you what to do with it. But this mentality of mine is derived from my hesitance to bet. I like to be sure of things and if I cannot predict the outcome of something with certainty, often I will fold. Now there are many exceptions to this rule I naturally live by but in general, I prefer to stay on the safe end than roll the dice and hope for the best. This thought process has many pro's and con's. On one hand, I don't take many unnecessary risks but on the other, I might miss out on a handful of opportunities.
This way of thinking stems far past my unwillingness to gamble and impacts even my college life. If you know me, you might be aware I thoroughly enjoy to make music (check it out on my soundcloud if you'd like, the links are on the left bar or below). Since I was maybe 7 or 8, I played piano, eventually taught myself guitar (a novice at best), drums (barely enough to hold a beat), and am now trying to improve my bass skills. I started to produce music on FL Studio in my senior year of high school and upon a recent desire to take it more seriously, I switched to Ableton (which is a far better program in my opinion). Of all activities I surround myself with, making music is undoubtedly my favorite and when I was faced with the decision to pick my major, I briefly considered music production (or perhaps audio engineering). However, due to my "play it safe" nature, I determined that Electrical Engineering was the best course of action. This decision was motivated by a realization that a job in the music production industry is very hard to attain and there will always be a need for Engineers. It also doesn't hurt that I enjoy Engineering and its difficulty (who doesn't love a challenge)? I like to problem solve and find many of my classes rewarding. But despite my affection of Physics or Programming, these classes could never compare to a course involving music.
What I am getting at is this, while sometimes I wish I took more risks, I realize that it is not always the best decision. Deciding who is right, the heart or the mind, is one of the hardest things I have to do on a daily basis. Is it worth the possibility of not having a job, being thousands of dollars in debt, and putting my future family in jeopardy? Ultimately, I have decided that it isn't. I may grow to regret not taking a chance on something I am passionate about, but it is a choice I will have to live with. Do I take this mindset too far? Absolutely. Sometimes I will back out of situations where I do not feel 100% comfortable, it's almost cowardly at times. But the good thing is that I realize it's something I need to work on. "To improve is to change, to perfect is to change often" is one of my favorite quotes by Winston Churchill, and he is right. Sitting by and wishing for your life to turn around won't get you anywhere. Self improvement is a natural desire for man but the trick is actually getting up and doing something about it. Albert Einsteins definition of insanity is "doing the exact same thing over and over, expecting a different result each time." Many of us continue to repeat our daily routine but at the same time hope for things to get better. But I believe that "hope" is for someone without a plan and I do not intend on letting that someone be me.
If you care to check out the music I make, feel free to visit these sites below! Any and all feedback/criticism is welcome! New music will be coming very soon! Thanks for listening!
This way of thinking stems far past my unwillingness to gamble and impacts even my college life. If you know me, you might be aware I thoroughly enjoy to make music (check it out on my soundcloud if you'd like, the links are on the left bar or below). Since I was maybe 7 or 8, I played piano, eventually taught myself guitar (a novice at best), drums (barely enough to hold a beat), and am now trying to improve my bass skills. I started to produce music on FL Studio in my senior year of high school and upon a recent desire to take it more seriously, I switched to Ableton (which is a far better program in my opinion). Of all activities I surround myself with, making music is undoubtedly my favorite and when I was faced with the decision to pick my major, I briefly considered music production (or perhaps audio engineering). However, due to my "play it safe" nature, I determined that Electrical Engineering was the best course of action. This decision was motivated by a realization that a job in the music production industry is very hard to attain and there will always be a need for Engineers. It also doesn't hurt that I enjoy Engineering and its difficulty (who doesn't love a challenge)? I like to problem solve and find many of my classes rewarding. But despite my affection of Physics or Programming, these classes could never compare to a course involving music.
What I am getting at is this, while sometimes I wish I took more risks, I realize that it is not always the best decision. Deciding who is right, the heart or the mind, is one of the hardest things I have to do on a daily basis. Is it worth the possibility of not having a job, being thousands of dollars in debt, and putting my future family in jeopardy? Ultimately, I have decided that it isn't. I may grow to regret not taking a chance on something I am passionate about, but it is a choice I will have to live with. Do I take this mindset too far? Absolutely. Sometimes I will back out of situations where I do not feel 100% comfortable, it's almost cowardly at times. But the good thing is that I realize it's something I need to work on. "To improve is to change, to perfect is to change often" is one of my favorite quotes by Winston Churchill, and he is right. Sitting by and wishing for your life to turn around won't get you anywhere. Self improvement is a natural desire for man but the trick is actually getting up and doing something about it. Albert Einsteins definition of insanity is "doing the exact same thing over and over, expecting a different result each time." Many of us continue to repeat our daily routine but at the same time hope for things to get better. But I believe that "hope" is for someone without a plan and I do not intend on letting that someone be me.
If you care to check out the music I make, feel free to visit these sites below! Any and all feedback/criticism is welcome! New music will be coming very soon! Thanks for listening!
Thursday, February 13, 2014
The Modern Weatherman
The position of weatherman (or woman, I suppose) dates about as far back as any ancient written records. The Babylonians, the Ancient Chinese, and perhaps most notably, Aristotle were all skilled in the art of predicting the weather. It was a "gift" some believed and was very highly regarded. Think about it, predicting the unknown in a time without computers, satellites, barometers and the like. Looking for patterns in the lunar phases and the movement of the winds to foresee what form upcoming weather would appear as. This advanced thinking helped many people of the past to do what was thought to be the impossible.
Fast forwarding to today, the profession see's much less glamour. There is no need to gather around the television or radio to hear what the whether will be like tomorrow. All you need to do is remind Siri to tell you the forecast every morning and you're golden. Not only has the position of weatherman lost the sense of awe and amazement, but it has lost its practical purpose too! But whats even worse is that in recent years, the weathermen has build a steady reputation of being wrong! This once alluring and honorable occupation has become a small window in the broadcast were you have time to make a snack and go to the bathroom before the real news comes back on. However, when faced with all of this dissatisfaction and ridicule, the weathermen around the world didn't back down and give up. Did the Texan defenders of the Alamo just accept their imminent demise? No, they pulled together and fought fearlessly no matter the outcome. Now, it appears that the only clear difference between the modern weatherman and the Alamo, is that the weatherman are making an improbable come back.
It seems that in the very recent past, not only are some forgetting that being a weatherman is nothing short of a joke, but their forecasts are actually turning out to be somewhat accurate! With the flood of snow storms these past few weeks, I have been well prepared due to my local weatherman and his predictions. Now, obviously you can give some credit to the new radar systems many stations have been switching to, but regardless, the weathermen are starting to prove those naysayers wrong, and fighting back when the odds are against you is an admirable move on their part.
So lets recap: The weathermen were at one point glorified and the next they dissolved into a sham, but now are slowly are attempting to regain the trust of the people they betrayed time and time again. Many are accepting this cry of mercy, but not I. Personally, it will take a lot more than a few accurate predictions to persuade me because while they are showing promise, they crossed the line when screwing up on my birthday. Sure it was some 5 years ago, but I am still bitter. My birthday, April 7th (write that one down so you won't forget to send me a present this year), was the victim of the meteorologists incompetence, coupled with unusual circumstances.
They called for a probability of rain in the AM and a low of 43 degrees (just ball parking it). This seemed like a typical forecast for early April, but yet again the weathermen underwhelmed. Now I don't remember the specifics of that day, but what I do remember that they were wrong, no rain. In stead I woke up to a cold day that included SNOW! I had a whole day planned out already as most teenagers do on one of the most important days of their adolescent lives. I wanted to play basketball across the street, go biking with my friends, so many different activities and expectations RUINED by the weatherman's horribly inaccurate claim of a slight "morning drizzle". I was crushed, the cold made my already sensitive ears unbearably frigid and destroyed any motivation to go outside. Now of course I was able to enjoy the bleak, grey weather with family and friends (indoors) to comfort me, but that day will always remain in the back of my mind. So go ahead and believe the new hype surrounding the weathermen if you wish, but personally, I am still a skeptic.
Welcome
Within the past year or so, I have identified many of passions of mine, including my interest and affection for writing. I thoroughly enjoy sitting down and carefully drafting a paper (email response, Facebook status, etc) that I am proud of as it brings a unique satisfaction and feeling of accomplishment. For most, college ends up being a time packed with dreaded 10 page essays and other mandatory written assignments. However, having taken only one English/Writing class so far, this does not seem to be the case for me. Perhaps it is because my credit hours have consisted primarily of Math and Science (due to my Engineering major) rather than a liberal arts based curriculum or maybe it is simply due to the way my adviser has set up my recommended schedule. Either way, until I have another outlet to fulfill this craving of mine (to write), I will be sporadically posting any interesting idea, question, or encounter I may experience on this here blog and hope you all find it worth reading.
*Note: The title of this blog, “I’m not a rapper”, was inspired by a funny YouTube video I have seen far too many times and the link is below if you wish to watch. Many of you may not like it because while I find it entertaining, I acknowledge that the humor is very immature, silly, and just not for everyone. So with that being said, enjoy.
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