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OT Question of the Day – Music
By JLP | October 29, 2006
It’s the weekend and believe it or not, personal finance isn’t on my mind. I have been listening to one of my favorite CDs, Pat Metheny’s Secret Story from 1992, which I think is one of the most beautiful albums in the world. It’s kind of funny because the first time I heard it, I HATED it! But for some reason I kept listening to it and all the sudden I started liking it. Anyway, listening to this CD reminded me of a question that I would like to ask you that IS NOT related to personal finance:
I get goosebumps a lot. It usually happens with guitar solos or some sort of orchestration. I guess that is just my body’s way of telling me that I’m listening to a good piece of music.
I don’t know much about music or music theory. I just know that I love listening to music. And, when I listen to music I usually hear all the little details that most people don’t hear. It’s funny because I’ll be driving along with my family and we’ll be listening to something and I’ll hear something and I’ll rewind it and tell my wife that I like a particular part and she’ll just look at me like I’m crazy!
One of these days I’ll make a list of all my favorite songs and share them with you. Most of you won’t care about it, but maybe a few of you will. In the meantime, if you want to try out a mixture of world music, jazz, and classical all in one album, check out Pat Metheny’s Secret Story. Be sure and listen to it AT LEAST 5 times before you decide whether or not you like it.
Topics: Miscellaneous | 7 Comments »



October 29th, 2006 at 10:54 am
I love music as well, and I almost went to college to be a music major. While I have gotten those awesome goosebumps while listing to music, I remember very vividly the first goosebumps I have gotten while playing music.
I was part of a high school all honors symphony band at a local university. We were playing a Russian composed piece, I believe, and unfortunately I cannot remember the name of what we were playing (I believe the word Validation was in there). Anyways, when those goosebumps hit – I will never forget that feeling. It was a very special moment in my life, as weird as that may sound. Since graduating high school, my instrument has been retired and one day I hope to have the time to play in a band again and perhaps have another experience like that.
Those goosebumps were priceless.
October 29th, 2006 at 12:01 pm
There are a lot of songs that have had that effect on me over the years; some instrumental and some not. Here are a few:
Albinoni – Adagio
Rolling Stones – Paint It Black
U2 – Running To Stand Still
Gordon Lightfoot – If You Could Read My Mind
Ennio Morricone – Sixty Seconds To What? and The Trio
Pink Floyd – Atom Heart Mother Suite
October 29th, 2006 at 10:24 pm
In no particular order:
Pachelbel’s Canon
Handel’s Messiah
Ashokan Farewell
Gettysburg – Soundtrack
Glory – Soundtrack
Lee Greenwood – Proud to Be an American
Any of these will lead to goosebumps.
October 30th, 2006 at 1:04 am
For me, some odd ones:
Lots of good opera, especially some Wagner’s Ring
Pretty much any big Russian chorus, including a fair number of Communist ones – we may have kicked butt in everything else, but they owned high culture…
Also another Messiah fan.
October 30th, 2006 at 8:29 pm
In another universe, maybe I would have majored in music performance. It pretty much still is my biggest passion in life (on a different plain from my wife and son!)
Some tunes that still give me the willies after all these years:
several of the songs off “Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares” by Bulgarian State Television Female vocal choir …
“Goodbye Pork Pie Hat” from Jeff Beck’s WIRED …
“Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers” from Jeff Beck’s BLOW BY BLOW album …
“Fingers of Love” from Crowded House’s TOGETHER ALONE …
“Ten Years Gone” from Led Zeppelin’s PHYSICAL GRAFFITTI
Any live version of “Sweet Dreams” by Emmylou Harris with Buddy Miller on guitar …
“Heavenly Pop Hit” from The Chills SUBMARINE BELLS …
“Watermelon In Easter Hay” from Frank Zappa’s JOE’S GARAGE …
“Throughout” from Bill Frissell’s WORKS …
“Badger” from Let’s Active’s BIG PLANS FOR EVERYBODY …
a short list …
November 1st, 2006 at 3:56 pm
Didn’t think you would ever get me to reply, did you?
Amazing Grace, no music, 100 men in a prison’s concrete gym.
Join me someday, Jeffrey.
November 3rd, 2006 at 8:26 pm
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