Music is an integral part of life, one that is found nearly everywhere — whether driving in the car, shopping at the mall or sitting at a desk doing work.
With the recent release of Spotify Wrapped 2023, dominating the top charts is a variety of genres such as hip–hop, pop, indie and rock. Some students found themselves accumulating over 100,000 minutes of listening time with their top artists, featuring Taylor Swift or Kanye West.
What is hardly seen, though, and what many people are missing out on is pure, instrumental music. Some people would believe that instrumental music is boring because it lacks catchy phrases and lyrics that one can sing along with.
That is not the case. Instrumental music is what ties things together. This can especially be seen in movies or shows — Imagine a movie or show that lacked any background instruments. It would rid those heartfelt or heartbreaking scenes of the tension and the drama. Those action packed fight sequences or daring escapes without any dialogue would end up awkward to watch and likely to give the viewer second hand embarrassment.
Some of the most remembered and recognizable pieces in the entertainment industry have been instrumentals such as Beethoven’s iconic 5th symphony and its dramatic, four beat opening to the widely recognized Star Wars opening theme.
These compositions manage to set the scene and mood for what is to come without a single word uttered.
Although instrumental music lacks any words, it contains so many voices and textures. It allows listeners to come up with their own mental imagery based on their interpretations of the composition. Hearing the complexity of the pieces, the many different instruments, tones and harmonies and blending it into one piece that flows smoothly is, by itself, incredible.
For some students, music is understandably a necessity. Studying or doing homework can be tedious, especially when that work keeps piling on and on. Music serves to fill in that empty silence and helps students trudge through those stacks of homework.
Despite this, songs containing lyrics can be counterproductive at times. Blasting a catchy song that one can sing along with may be a distraction when trying to comprehend a concept or complete an assignment. Instead, listening to a more peaceful or mild piece of instrumental music devoid of lyrics can help fill the quiet while working.
All genres of music have their masterpieces and highlights, and everybody has their favorites and guilty pleasures with many individuals dabbling in a large variety of genres. However, when looking for new music to add to that spotify work playlist, consider spicing it up with some instrumental music to match the mood.
