To start things off, I would like to state that what I am writing here is by no means unique. All the points I raise are things that I came to realize myself, but a little research into music and the role it plays in our lives turns up many similar concepts. This actually made me more confident in my “Music Life Theory” as it seems to represent an experience common to humankind; and it’s therefore something I can share with a little more confidence. I hope it “strikes a chord” with you.

So let’s cut to the chase. Music can be a very positive addition to your daily life. In my mind, it has three major roles:

1. It’s acoustical caffeine

2. It’s a soundtrack for your life

3. It’s just enough distraction to keep your mind focused

Now let’s dive into each one a little more.

Music stimulates your mind and spirit to help power you through whatever the day throws at you. Different genres and artists will do different things for you. For me, EDM works for concentration, Jazz for unwinding and Classical for getting your brain ready for the day etc. However, unlike real caffeine, it can also be used to calm and put you to sleep. In other words, it’s an almighty supplement for our lives.

As you listen to various music certain songs/groups/genres will start to materialize into a soundtrack for your life. And with age you start to accumulate multiple soundtracks, each one for a particular chapter of your life. The benefits of this are spectacular as it allows you to easily go back and reminisce or reflect on your past experiences. This then aides in encouraging you to do things like call up old friends or maybe recognize hardships that you overcame or lessons learned etc.

Many people are surprised when I tell them that I actually read/work/study better when listening to music, but it has always seemed to help me concentrate more and drive better results. My soon to be published review of My Plastic Brain, explains the neuroscience behind this, but quickly; at least for some people, a little bit of “distraction” actually goes to engage areas of your brain responsible for cognitive functions like concentration, making predictions etc.

Time for you to build out your soundtracks

So, Music Life Theory is actually pretty simple and living by it is even easier; seek out and listen to more music. Everyone will experience music uniquely, so my music won’t mean or do the exact same thing for you, but there is definitely a lot to be gained by sharing music and what it does for us.

And with Music Life Theory now explained, the Music section of Greynotes will focus on sharing soundtracks from chapters of the Editor and other contributors lives; as well as specific-purpose music (eg. Music for concentrating, Music for relaxing etc.).

Please do share your soundtracks and music that does something for you, either in the comments or via our form submission.

Listen on!