Shedding tears and showing my emotions, I listen to the radio, in agreement with the artist’s lyrics that move me deep down inside. I believe music expresses the soul.
I remember when I was a little child, I received my first miniature piano. Every day I pecked on my keyboard, hitting a right chord every now and then. As I got older, my perception of music expanded, and I started to see all types and forms of music as a way of expressing my soul.
When listening to jazz, I feel relief. From the tuba’s low notes to the saxophone’s high notes, the music reaches out and grabs me, rocking me back and forth like a baby in a crib, as the percussion in the background plays this smooth rhythm, inviting my body to join in. Although all jazz is not instrumental, vocal suits me as well. Jazz in general shows the calm and mellow me.
Even though I am not a big fan of country music, it still speaks to me. When listening to country music, though at times it is hard to understand, I hear a story. Whether the lyrics are depressing or uplifting, I can still see pictures of myself going through the same situation once upon a time, revealing the rough but yet sensitive side of me.
Listening to rock, I sweat like a runner in a marathon on a hot summer day, jumping up and down uncontrollably, yelling to the top of my lungs, releasing all the anger that has built up inside; and I forget everything bad that happened to me that day, now not caring about anything, letting the loud drastic notes in the guitarist’s solo take me to a carefree place. Even though the lyrics do not move me, the bass in the guitar releases something that has been trapped in me for so long. Rock and roll brings out the rebel in me.
As the lyricist “spits” rhymes continuously, educating me about the trials in his or her life, it motivates me to write down my feelings, to express what has been on my mind and within my soul. I see hip-hop as a poetic form of music. Some words rhyme and flow, while other words get straight to the point.
Now that I am older, I have found several ways to express my soul, whether it is jazz, country, rock and roll, or hip hop. No matter what type of music it is, I believe music expresses the soul.