Playing an instrument VS Being the instrument(Reflective Essay)

Mattieu Maynard
ENG 1110
L.Thiel
Reflective Essay
“Playing An Instrument VS Being The Instrument”
Since the beginning of time, I believe there have been music lovers. As time has progressed, we have identified so many different genres and styles of music that have touched our souls in so many ways that, to me, is similar to King Midas turning anything he touched into gold as these musical notes, instruments, harmonies and lyrics reach into the very depths of our self being and seem to spark something inside of us. In my personal experience, music has become a part of my everyday life in the sense that I am a recording artist and I enjoy, rather love creating music and feel like it is the perfect outlet for me to let piece of my mind out and speak to a wide audience of people through a majorly accepted medium. This, however, is not the sole aspect of music that affects us human beings in our everyday lives. There is also the other aspect of creation of music, which is the actual playing of instruments. I believe that this is an important factor of music, also, and is the first aspect of this phenomena that very much exists today.
It is believed that in Pre-Historic times, possibly around the same time that paintings were invented, human beings used to create what we now call “flutes” out of animal bones. These sounds created seemed to create a stirring in their emotions and they began to incorporate these sounds into their festivities and other such rituals. The art of singing is believed to have been created from Motherese, which is the vocal-gestural communication between adults and infants. This form of communication involves melodic, rhythmic and movement patterns, as well as the communication of intention and meaning, and in this sense is very much similar to the music we know and love today. Now that we have an insight as to what these aspects are and where they came from, I am going to explore playing the instrument versus being the instrument which, in terms of a band, means either singing or supplying the actual music. These two things actually work hand in hand and, I believe, need each other to survive on any realm.
In my personal experience with music, I have always been more fixated with being the instrument, which means, I want to be the one creating and delivering lyrics that I myself have created. On the other side of the coin, I have always admired and respected those people who have the ability to play instruments and have always wanted to learn at least one. I always remember watching Alicia Keys sing and play the piano at the same time flawlessly and even watching Jimi Hendrix on stage playing his guitar with such cool intention and perfect execution, these are some examples of people that possess the ability to do both of these actions. Actually playing a music instrument is, to me, like building the foundation for a major piece of infrastructure as this is a much needed part in any musical process, digital or live band experience. It is an art of discipline and also memory is much needed in this process, because you have to be able to remember all the keys and how to play them on your instrument. On my side of the equation, which is BEING the instrument, there is also much discipline needed. As an artist, especially one who writes his own work, I will always promote a lot of reading and absorption of knowledge to help in the creative process. Also needed is the preservation of one’s voice and the mastering of delivery of lyrics, whether it be for the recording studio or a live performance. In this, we see the similarities between the two arts and we should have a respect for both of them equally.
Playing an instrument or Being an instrument are basically two members of the same family, and both work hand-in-hand with each other to create this wonderful thing we know as music. Both take equal amounts of hard work and dedication and ALL artists accept and respect each other because we all know exactly what goes into creating these masterpieces. We use our fingers, minds and voices as paint brushes to paint vivid pictures of pain, love and maybe even just entertainment for EVERYONE to enjoy and I believe all artists and players of instruments deserve a round of applause for what we go through to make ourselves and, by extension, you happy.