This is the first post on my ES2007S blog. This blog is very different from my other one, its not so much a chronicle of random thoughts and realizations but a structured attempt at personal growth as a communicator. I have a tendency to ramble but Ill defend that using this statement from Beethoven, " there was a method in his madness and a madness in his method".
Communication is the most important part of life; be it in a relationship, an act of creation or simply an idea. Communication is the link that fuels our emotions, the frame that lends shape to our thoughts, and the wings that give flight to our ideas. What I love about communication is that the language itself does not form the greater part of it. Simple non verbals such as smiling, shaking hands and hugging can trigger feelings of happiness and comfort. Music is also an excellent way of influencing mood and therefore feeling things. Even songs without words have the ability to make you feel morose or ecstatically happy depending on the tune, rhythm and tempo.
Most listeners enjoy the feeling they get while listening rather than study the technical aspects of music. A song can lift one's mood like nothing else, it's one of the purest communication channels interconnecting the mind of the composer to the feelings of the listener. Language barely proves to be a barrier, I can prove this with an example. The feeling I get when I listen to "Hallelujah" by Jeff Buckley is the same exultation of the soul I experience while listening to Il Divo's version in Spanish.
The very way people around you look at someone, react to his/her actions and words largely depend on their perception of the individual. This perception is largely a product of communication between your surroundings and you.
My goals for this course are as follows:
1) Communicate as effectively and appropriately as possible
2) Communicate only important elements without boring someone with details
3) Communicate in an organised manner
Communication is the most important part of life; be it in a relationship, an act of creation or simply an idea. Communication is the link that fuels our emotions, the frame that lends shape to our thoughts, and the wings that give flight to our ideas. What I love about communication is that the language itself does not form the greater part of it. Simple non verbals such as smiling, shaking hands and hugging can trigger feelings of happiness and comfort. Music is also an excellent way of influencing mood and therefore feeling things. Even songs without words have the ability to make you feel morose or ecstatically happy depending on the tune, rhythm and tempo.
Most listeners enjoy the feeling they get while listening rather than study the technical aspects of music. A song can lift one's mood like nothing else, it's one of the purest communication channels interconnecting the mind of the composer to the feelings of the listener. Language barely proves to be a barrier, I can prove this with an example. The feeling I get when I listen to "Hallelujah" by Jeff Buckley is the same exultation of the soul I experience while listening to Il Divo's version in Spanish.
The very way people around you look at someone, react to his/her actions and words largely depend on their perception of the individual. This perception is largely a product of communication between your surroundings and you.
My goals for this course are as follows:
1) Communicate as effectively and appropriately as possible
2) Communicate only important elements without boring someone with details
3) Communicate in an organised manner
Thank you, Rohit, for this discussion. You present some very poetic images of the communicative act. At the same time, you argue convincingly though concisely that there is a strong link between our emotions and the messages that we receive. (Of course, musicians such as Buckley and Beethoven were successful precisely because they could communicate such emotion.)
ReplyDeleteWhat I feel that this post is lacking is a concrete statement connecting this general statements about communication and your own strategies, skills, needs and goals. I understand that you may be attempting to be as impersonal as possible, but for this assignment, making the connection between the emotions in a communicative act and your own development as a communicator -- besides your feeling exultation -- would have brought this a step closer to the assignment's request.
Do you understand what I'm suggesting?
There are also a few minor language issues to take not of:
1) I have a tendency to ramble but Ill defend that using Beethoven, " there was a method in his madness and a madness in his method". >>>
I have a tendency to ramble, but I'll defend that using this statement about Beethoven: "There was a method in his madness and a madness in his method".
2) Music is a channel of communication and I can guarantee that most listeners appreciate the feeling they get while listening rather than the technical aspects of the music. >>>
Most listeners appreciate the feeling they get while listening rather than studying the technical aspects of the music. (more succinct)
3) A song can lift one's mood like nothing else, its one of the purest... >>>
A song can lift one's mood like nothing else; it's one of the purest....
4) The very way people around you look at you, react to your actions and words and react to you depend ... >>>
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5) This blog is very different from my other one, its not so much a chronicle ...
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6) Music is also an excellent way of influencing mood and therefore feeling things. >>>
What's the subject of "feeling things"?
7) The very way people around you look at you, react to your actions and words and react to you depend purely on the way they perceive you. >>>
me?
I appreciate your effort!
Hello there, Rohit! Thank you for your advice over on my 1st blog post!
ReplyDeleteI find it really interesting how you incorporate Music into this assignment and made it the focal point of this blog post. I agree with you that musicians can provoke emotions and feelings, tell a story, connect the listeners and draw them into their world. However, I feel that when one is listening to music, either from a CD, the radio, or the television, it seems to be more of a one-way communication where the composer or the performer is communicating to the listener, but hardly the other way round. And from our understanding, effective communication is a dynamic process where receiving and transmitting of ideas happens simultaneously. Of course, the former statement would not apply if musicians are communicating with each other through their vocals or playing of their instruments at the same time. Furthermore, we hardly use Music as a conventional way of communication for daily use, such as the presenting a business idea, or catching up up with one another. To me, Music is a form of art that can communicate feelings and certainly one of the many types of communication channels. However, it is not so much of a main form of effective communication.
Just a little thought from me. Maybe you can correct me regarding this! =)
Thank you Shiying for bringing to light the point that music is not a form of mainstream communication. Although music is not as effective as a conversation(speech) in situations where you need comforting, advice and consolation music caters perfectly. Its a form of one-way communication which manages to convince and bring a point across.
Deletehttp://books.google.com.sg/books/about/Musical_Communication.html?id=nmpfYH4-7wwC&redir_esc=y
Hi Rohit,
ReplyDeleteI love the figurative examples you have used to illustrate communication and how you have linked it to the indescribable plethora of emotions exhibited as the result of mood changes. Arts and culture transcends communication boundaries and they elicit a great deal of non-verbal communication through music, dance, language, art and so on. I guess this was a reason why many empires in history were eager to suppress the arts and culture of the colonised nations and states while at the same time they propagated their own ideals and culture.
I would also agree with you that people respond to us in a certain way because of the impression we have given them. However, I do believe there are times when some things are better left unsaid and times when more should be said to clarify or elaborate a point. That’s just my opinion :D
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHi Rohit,
ReplyDeleteDidn't know you are that artistic. I feel your post is more like a natural (but structured) flow of thoughts and feelings rather than an assignment work. The "mad method" would be more effective if you strengthen the link between the aspects of music and the importance of effective communication as well as reduce the bias of the number of sentences about music and the number of sentences about other communication factors. I was surprised by your "mad" but creative and interesting writing.
(please feel free to correct me if I misunderstood or made any grammatical mistake ^^ )
Hi Rohit,
ReplyDeleteI decide to prowl around people's blog and read them from the first blogpost. :)
You are writing about communication from a musician perspectives and I am quite astonished by many beautiful analogies that flow out of your finger. I do not think you need to concern yourself with "tendency to ramble". I see in your post a very coherent praise of the importance of communication especially the non-verbal one.
When you mention music as important way to communicate, it reminds me of "Jaws" - a movie about shark attack by Spielberg. What makes the movie is scary and compelling is the tone signifying the presence of the shark rather than the shark itself. In fact many commentators have mentioned that the use of the music to replace the visual presence of the shark is a method that is more effective to deliver the feeling of fear and suspense to the audience.
I am also a classical music enthusiast although I am more of a consumer rather than a musician. I am glad to have read this blog which exults the power of music in communication.
Wow, I didnt realize how poetic you are! I can see music is really important for you but what about two-way communication? Since music is more of an one-way-communication. Maybe tried to bring in some more personalized experience like mentioned above it can be a bit to general even if you take about music from your perspective.
ReplyDeleteAnyways this blogpost makes me look forward to read your next thoughts!!