Enjoy the Silence….

Not just the enigmatic lyrics of a Depeche Mode tune but a strongly worded suggestion.

There is so much sound in our lives.  Every day.  Sounds we enjoy. Sounds we would rather not hear. Combinations of sounds.  So many that we don’t even hear some of them. And so many that we often cannot hear ourselves think. 

And note that I say sound.  You may have mentally transposed that to say noise.  But “Noise” carries a value judgment against the source of the sound or against it’s characteristics (like volume, timbre, pitch, complexity, etc.).  But it isn’t just noise that there is so much of – there’s just a lot of sound in our world.

As musicians, we are familiar with the concept of silence.  We have symbols for many types of silence (well, lengths of silence – almost as if you buy it off the bolt*). We write silences into the music all over the place.

And yet, even as musicians, we often are slightly afraid of silence.  Maybe repulsed is a better word.  Even the best, strictest musicians sometimes cut the sound short, not allowing it the full time allotted in the score.  The longer it is, the more eerie it becomes.

We harp players have an added element to our relationship to sound.  After all – so often we have at least one string continuing to oscillate – to ring on and on and on (the beauty of bass wires…the bane of bass wires).  Actually getting to silence can be difficult for us.  Sometimes silence becomes an anathema to us – because we are no longer used to hearing it. 

Silence, the absence of sound, often makes us uncomfortable.  Especially if we are performing – silence leaves us feeling naked.  Almost as if we think the gossamer of sound provides a veil to protect us – without it, we are bared by the lack of vibration being put into the air.

Despite this, we know intuitively the power of silence.  When you’re looking for an address or you’re lost – you turn down the radio.  When you really (really really) need to study, you go somewhere quiet (even those who insist they need the sounds of the tv to study).  When you need to reflect, you find a quiet spot like a shrine or a meadow or a closet.  But there are other reasons to find (and enjoy) silence.  Silence really can be good for you - for many reasons. 

• Silence is golden (you can take that to the bank!) – you can download John Cage’s 4’ 33” from iTunes for just 99¢.  Better yet, review John Cage’s earlier work and you’ll see how he might have grown into writing this piece (perhaps his most famous, and possibly his best)
• Silence does give you time to think – when it is quiet, you can think. This is especially true when you’re performing – when you not only give yourself time to think – you give your audience time to think too!
• Silence let’s you hear (especially small or infrequent sounds) – yes, I meant that – silence let’s you hear things you don’t hear otherwise.  I live near two of my favorite sounds – a train and an airport – and yet, I only ever hear the trains or the airplanes in the small hours…even though I think I am always listening for them.
• Silence can be soothing – there is medical research that indicates that silence is conducive to soothing and reducing stress.  If you are playing in a clinical setting, knowing this is essential…but it is also helpful if you’re playing for an audience!  And don’t forget that even stress reduction can be stressful, so a little silence will be helpful.
• Silence sharpens your attention – without the distraction of sounds, you can focus on whatever you elect to attend.  Whether this is your own thoughts, a project, or anything else requiring attention, you will have the capacity to focus that attention in the presence of silence.  
• Silence gives you time to breathe – This might be a subset of the previous point, but silence allows you to breathe – deeply, slowly.  And breathing makes just about everything else easier!
• Silence let’s you take a beat (sometimes literally!) – this might be the summation of all the points - when you can take a step back, take a beat, you gain a perspective you won’t otherwise. Be quiet, be still, breathe, think, focus….and then reengage and move forward.

Silence is like Brylcreem – a dab’ll do ya.  Try injecting a little silence into your day and see what comes up.  You can include some silences into your practice – by thinking before launching into whatever needs work or by pausing to think about what you’ve done and what you might do next.  You could incorporate silence into your performances – don’t leap into a new tune as if you’re trying to get away from the last one – enjoy the brief silence (before the wild applause breaks out!).  And you can include some silences into the rest of your day – at the beginning (before anyone knows you’re awake?) or at the end (when everyone thinks you’re asleep?) – you’ll be amazed what you find when you Enjoy the Silence!

*admit it, did you just visualize what a bolt of silence would look like?