Aaaambience

Ambience is one of my favourite things about sitting down with some music. It's a feeling or mood associated with a thing. For me picking up my guitar reminds me of sitting in the sun on the balcony and I'm filled with a sense of peace an happiness. A lecturer described it as a potential process of “soothing the soul so you can become fit to be a human being."

Music fills a number of roles in society and in each scenario it evokes a different emotional response according to the mood of the listener. Though playing and listening differ greatly both have the power to provoke responses like tears from either joy or sorrow. "Many non-musicians experience music as aural wallpaper, the backdrop of their daily life, creating ambiance for commuting, shopping, dining, and at work." - Beeching (2010)

Music to fill silence – A classic example is the dreaded ‘elevator music’ or the catchy tunes you get to listen to while on hold with annoying companies that enjoy putting you on hold so much they provide irritating music just for your pleasure, interspersed of course with “your call is very important to us, please continue to hold". The music that simply makes you want to clench your fists

Music to accompany boring tasks – The soundtrack to life: iPods.... iPods have become accessories that accompany vast amounts of people in menial daily tasks, driving down the street it is uncommon to not see an adolescent filled with teenage angst, headphones in their ear’s and stuck in their own world of how unfair life is and how cruel their parents are. From listening to Mumford and Sons on my walk to polytech in the mornings, to listening to Hamish and Andy podcasts while driving long distances (or at the gym, however my tendency to burst into random laughter and the resulting weird looks from strangers has discouraged this specific use). Listening to music allows me to fill gaps of silence within my day, just like dancing to music and doing the dishes it makes the atmosphere more enjoyable.

Music for remembrance – Funerals are one place you would expect to hear and sing music. Where a special selection of songs are chosen to reflect a person’s life and allow you to feel a connection to them. Some songs are forever ingrained in your memory for being played at funerals, songs that you have been conditioned to associate with that event in time, that from now on provoke an emotional response. Just as SOOO many tv shows have managed to forever associate "how to save a life" with sad scenes evoking an emotional response from their viewers

Music for entertainment – By far one of the preferred forms of music is that which is used for entertainment. Attending an event to see a performance by someone who has dedicated many hours and days to mastering (or attempting to master) their specific skill. My father attended a Ten Tenor’s concert where, much to my delight, 10 strapping young lads sang specifically to me (fine... and entire auditorium) for a few hours. Perfect harmony mixed with just the right amount of melody, crescendo and pauses to build an atmosphere and sound of pure brilliance. Closing my eyes the ambience of the sound filled me and I could be anywhere I wanted to be

Ambience... The ability to alter and evoke mood responses through simply the atmosphere surrounding an activity....


"To ancient philosophers so apparent was the influence of music on mind and body, that education without its assistance seemed inconceivable"




Beeching, A. (2010) Beyond talent: Creating a successful career in music. 2Ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press


The Power of Music - link to book online