Sometimes people see music as a hobby, or something they listen to during activities like exercising, relaxing, studying, etc. However, to me music is more than just that. It has practically changed my life for the better, and inspired me to become a musician of some sort myself. I will be talking about my relationship with music over the years, as well as why I think that it is so important.
During my younger years music was just a hobby. It didn’t really change me as a person until much later in my high school times. I started off my music adventure with the genre “EDM”, and whatever else I heard around me.
EDM stands for Electronic Dance Music. It’s usually created through computers and electronic studios where you can make your own instruments, samples, and sounds. Some EDM is instrumental, while other songs have actual lyrics and words. Later on I found my first music label that I fell in love with, “Monstercat.” Artists can upload their hit singles onto the Monstercat YouTube channel, and assign their albums to their brand. I would constantly listen to the sounds coming from their channel. At this point music had become an important part of me, and would help make me feel good and energetic, or something I can vibe to. Although this genre did influence me a ton, I was given a bass guitar for Christmas from my parents. They had wanted me to try a new instrument apart from trombone, and I thought I might enjoy this one. At first I had no clue what songs to play on it because EDM was all about electronic instruments. With that being said, this is where I began to get into the rock scene, around early 2021.
Rock was a completely different story. The more I listened to it, the more I began to connect with it. I started off with big hit singles, working my way to full albums. Around this time is where I discovered that music can be more than just a hobby, and that it has true importance.
For one, I made many emotional bonds between me and certain songs. Some may not have this sort of connection with music, but as I matured and paid more attention to the types of instrumentals, lyrics, and vocals, I noticed how these elements of a song are supposed to make you feel. Whether it’s happiness, sadness, anger, energy, relaxation, it’s for the most part an intention the track is supposed to make. Many bands and artists will also often elaborate on the point their song is making.
Secondly, I discovered how much more I played my music once I began to sink my teeth into it. My time listening to EDM is where I started to listen daily, and notice how much I was enjoying myself with it. I always came back to music when I needed it or when I was craving it.
Finally, music has inspired me to become a “musician” myself. Like I had said earlier, my first instrument was Trombone, but since I started listening to rock, I picked up the bass & electric guitars, and know a little bit of drums. I even attempted creating my own EDM music for fun. Albeit I didn’t really enjoy it looking back, but it was a huge turning point for me.
To close out this article, I’ll talk about some of my favorite rock bands and albums that have had the most influence on me. My first band that I started to explore was Angels & Airwaves, a side project of Blink-182’s frontman Tom DeLonge. I found them through a youtube video containing their music. They have a great space aesthetic through their instrumentals, which I particularly liked. After I got into them, I grew towards pop-punk rock..
I always thought that the idea of having a story hidden inside of an album was super unique and interesting, which is why Green Day’s “American Idiot” is so good. It contains its own tale around a teenager growing up in a difficult time, and I personally think it’s a simple yet effective story.
Two more bands that I really enjoy are Blink-182 and Sum 41. Both these groups are centered around pop-punk rock, but take their own twist. Sum 41 is more metal oriented, and Blink-182 experiments with electronic sounds on two of their records, “Self-titled”, and “Neighborhoods”.
Linkin Park combines so many different elements of music into their metal brand, including DJ scratching, hip hop, electronic, and many more. They stand out, and are my personal favorite metal group. I’ll finish off by quickly listing off a few more groups I take a big interest in: The Offspring, Foo Fighters, Papa Roach, AC/DC, Nirvana, and Bad Suns. There are also various other songs I enjoy from miscellaneous bands.
Here are my final thoughts: Music might just be something that people enjoy and that’s pretty much it, but it is so much more than that. Music can be important for someone’s health and emotions, and super beneficial in so many ways.
