A Voice
For years, I have been told that instruments are just what they are. Inanimate objects. That it is "easy" to play an instrument. A few have told me that singing is harder. To that, I now say: BULL SHIT!!!!
For those of you who don't understand, instruments are a voice!
For those who contest my statement, please keep reading.
Yes the human voice can contort itself into many sounds, but so can an instrument.
To those who doubt me, have you ever made a Tuba roar? Have you ripped a F Horn? Have you done a glissando on a Trombone? Have you triple tongued a fan fare on a Trumpet? Have you used a flutes pads as percussion?
The human voice is a beautiful thing, but have you ever tried to put life into something that isn't human?
As a vocalist and an instrumentalist, I can tell you that your voice is alive. You don't have to add anything else to it to make it alive. It just is.
An instrument, however, has no life. No soul, no sound. Instrumentalists have a magic no musician can deny. They can take an inanimate object and make it sing! The shell that was once souless now has life.
Instruments have voices too. I have played my share of instruments and I have found after spending time with them, each one has a character.
No two instruments are the same. Each one has its special perks, quirks, dings, and dents just like people.
I know many people that for them their instrument is their voice. The only way to truly express themselves is through their instrument because they can not use their human voice.
So please, when you hear an instrumental piece, think more than of the beat and that the melody sounds pretty. Listen for the voice and the emotions behind them.