Now, I am not a musical prodigy by any means nor am I the best at music theory, but I can describe the way music has impacted my life. As a drummer, music is the rhythm of life. HA! See what I did there..no? Okay, I’ll move on. Seriously, music is a very interesting medium that speaks to the soul.  Recently, I found myself falling down the rabbit hole that is YouTube. I was intrigued by several music related videos. The Voice has blind auditions where the contestant sings a song to the four celebrity judges who are not facing them. If the judge wants them on their team, they smash their red button and their fancy chair will turn around signifying to the contestant this certain judge wants the contestant on their team. I could not imagine the stress on all parities involved. However, after watching these audition videos, there are some incredible people out there that can sang.  That’s right, Sang! Also, the judges are hilarious!  I know this is not a new show, but life is busy and trying to keep up with a reality TV show is not my top priority. This is why I am down the rabbit hole on YouTube.

Watching the auditions, I came across a thirteen year old girl that sounded like an adult female (AMAZING!) and she got two chair turns, from Kelly Clarkson and Jennifer Hudson. After the song, they asked who she was and they too were amazed that she was only thirteen. However, the young girl, overwhelmed with emotion, told Jennifer it was her dream to sing with her. In true heroic fashion, Jennifer Hudson popped up out of her chair and made her way to the stage to sing with the teen aged girl. It was a moment that I cannot seem to erase from my head. To be honest it brought me to tears. I sobbed quietly in the bed next to Cindy (who slept through all this!). Then, as I scrolled through the suggested videos, falling deeper into the rabbit hole, I found a video of an improvisation band in Japan or China. (I was using subtitles at this point!) The premise is that the band plays music and the singer makes up the lyrics on the spot. Interestingly enough, the singer asks a fifteen year old kid to join the band. He had a guitar case on his back and the singer asked if he would join them for a song on his guitar. During the short interview, the teen aged boy said he plays bass but he is not very good. The singer’s response is what grabbed me, “These people are not interested how good you are, they watch to see if you are enjoying yourself.” Again, not a prodigy myself, but what a concept. It turns out they share the chords with the kid, the drummer kicks off the song and here we go. The teen aged bass player struggles at first then he seems to lock in, and as the singer said, more people were enjoying watching him play then anything else.

It brought me to several thoughts, music is a universal language. Is watching someone play music enjoyable? And finally, the relationship between musicians is unlike any other relationship.

Using the example from earlier, music notes are the same no matter the setting in which they are played. The same teen aged kid playing bass could have easily been in any other country. I had to use subtitles to understand what they were saying. However, I did not have to use subtitles to understand the chords that were being played. A G major chord in America is the same G major chord in China. Even though I may not speak the native language, I am able to speak the musical language. Secondly, I think people do get satisfaction from watching other people make music together. Why else would an artist be able to make a living by making music and going on concert tours?  The music does play a huge part of any music tour, but there is always the visual element that draws a crowd into a time of entertainment and joy. Maybe it’s the idea that life for those two hours is pure bliss and the problems of everyday life have disappeared for a few moments. I am not an advocate for running from your problems, but I think we all know the idea of going to a concert and enjoying a little time away from the daily grind. Some artists are quick to say they want to produce a show that is enjoyable because their fans are spending their hard earned money to come to a concert. Which, I think plays well into my last point. As much as people enjoy music, I think they also enjoy watching people share something on stage together. I know, as a musician, these are some of my most memorable moments; when you forget about the crowd and share a moment with another musician on stage. It’s almost like the joy behind the joy. Now, I haven’t been on stage in front of thousands of people, but on the small scale of playing worship for my church, I have experienced this moment. Again, I was falling down the rabbit hole and found a live performance from the 2015 CMA awards. Chris Stapleton and Justin Timberlake shared numerous moments together while singing two songs and blew the audience away. Now, again, I wouldn’t advocate a certain lifestyle they are singing about, but the on stage chemistry is definitely overflowing into the audience. I know I am talking about two very accomplished people, but to watch them make music together is special. Even in the arena of leading worship, making music with people is an experience that words necessarily aren’t capable of explaining. In the video, Justin is very vocal with his band and you can tell that he is enjoying himself. The Tennessee Kids are a very tight knit group that you can tell have obviously been together for some time. As the video continues, the camera shots begin showing the audience, which happens to be some of the best artist in music, and to see their faces and enjoyment…it’s awesome!

As a drummer, I am often counting or concentrating and I miss some of these moments. The benefit of having your own YouTube channel is that I was able to go back and watch these very moments I am trying to describe happen. I am very thankful for all the opportunities I have experienced and hopefully the many more opportunities to come in the future.

Photo by Isaac Ibbott on Unsplash