MINDFUL MELODY
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • The Magazine
  • The Articles
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • The Magazine
  • The Articles
Search

LATEST POSTS

A selection of articles from all our issues - go to 'The Magazine' to read them all, including exclusive interviews from Aston Barrett Jr., Niko Moon, Serena Ryder, Canaan Smith and many more...

Music, Mental Health and Me #4: Maxim - 'Pitch Perfectionism'

3/12/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture

Maxim Mower


I’m sure you’ve all heard the saying that ‘music is math’. It refers to the fact that, no matter how free-flowing and spontaneous the creative process might have been to create a particular song, if you boil it down, it’s essentially just a precise, formulaic combination of notes.

There are certain rules that each musical piece must follow in order for it to sound good - the beauty of harmony, melody and rhythm can all be explained in mathematical terms. There’s even an AI program that has created an entire, original song in the style of Travis Scott, purely through algorithms and formulas.

It’s scary, right? I don’t know about you, but I like to think of music as being an overwhelmingly expressive, emotional outpouring from an artist. And I struggle to align this image of creativity with the rule-following, impersonal world of maths.

Okay…but what’s this got to do with perfectionism?

Well, I would describe myself as a perfectionist. Whether I’m writing a University essay, playing a round of golf, or laying-in an article, I want to get it exactly right. And that’s not to say I think I’m capable of somehow playing the perfect 18 holes or composing the perfect essay - far from it.

It’s more that, if I’m writing an essay or an article, I’ll write down a first draft quite quickly and just splurge out all the main things I want to say. Then, when I’m editing it, I’m working on the principle that there’s some optimum way to order the paragraphs, that there’s an ideal way that I can phrase something, that there’s a perfectly neat and concise line that I can tag on to tie it all together at the end.

So I’m not really after ‘the perfect essay’ in the sense of this essay being the best essay that’s ever written. I mean ‘perfection’ more in a formulaic, almost mathematical, sense. For each essay I write, I envisage a ‘correct’ version of that essay alongside it. Taking into consideration that topic, the points I want to make, my style of writing, and the length I want the essay to be, in my mind there’s a ‘right’ way for all of these to be configured together.

Picture
Photo by Matt Dodd on Unsplash

'And now that you don't have to be perfect, you can be good' - John Steinbeck

Looking at what I’ve just written, I realise that it all sounds like a load of nonsense and gobbledegook. But I’m leaving it like that, because it underlines to me that yes, that’s exactly what it is.

Because of course there is no ‘right essay’ or ‘right way' to compose an article, it’s all entirely relative and subjective. But for whatever reason, in my mind there is.

​In most activities I undertake, I struggle to keep a lid on this perfectionism. Don’t get me wrong, it’s often a big help in pushing me to be the best I can be.

But equally, it can often feel like I’m putting a lot of pressure on myself to get it all ‘right’ or ‘perfect’. Generally, I think perfectionism seems a lot more prevalent in modern society, and I have this theory that it can largely be put down to technology. The neat algorithms and exactness of computational systems only reinforce the idea that ‘perfection’ is attainable. Technology has given us the power to create seemingly ‘perfect’ things. Each time we navigate our way through the perfectly ordered algorithms on our phones, we might as well be seeing repeated notification alerts blaring ‘Perfection is possible! Perfection is possible!’

And music is no different. As it’s essentially a mathematical equation, it too suggests that yes, perfection isn’t some unattainable fairy-tale, it’s a realistic goal. As I said before, to think of perfection in this way is often beneficial, especially to a modern society that values productivity over all else.

But it can also be really negative, because it forces us to set too high expectations for ourselves, and then feel disappointed when we fall short of those impossible standards. Think of all the mental health damage done by the concept of ‘the perfect body’, as well as the idea of ‘the perfect man’ with all the trappings of toxic masculinity.

Picture
Example of an ensõ - Photo by Jr Korpa on Unsplash

What’s the solution?

Well, I’m not sure it’s a solution per se, but I want to highlight the Japanese concept of wabi-sabi, which I believe can be really helpful in easing the pressures of perfectionism. Wabi-sabi is an aesthetic technique which embraces imperfection and incompletion. Wabi-sabi pieces of art tend to be asymmetrical, rough and rooted in nature.

​
Heavily linked to wabi-sabi is another concept that I love - ensõ. This is the Zen practice of drawing a circle in one complete and free-flowing brushstroke, and accepting the result, even if it isn’t neat and joined-up. It again symbolises the natural beauty of imperfection, simplicity, and irregularity.

I have an ensõ print hanging above my bed, and it just reminds me that while perfection can be great and beneficial in many instances, there’s also a lot of beauty to be found in our flaws. If I just step back from all the neat lines, the CGI, and the digital orderliness for a moment, and give attention to this underrated notion of ‘imperfection', then I find that it takes the pressure off a great deal. Nobody’s perfect, and that’s okay.

Returning to music, I know I implied earlier that it’s not helpful - and after this revelation, I’m announcing that we’ll be shutting down Mindful Melody…

​
I kid, I kid. Despite being essentially mathematic, music is actually very helpful in showing me the beauty of imperfection - just not the music we stream. The wonderful spontaneity and freedom that you see when an artist is performing a live set, where they don’t have a million takes to get the vocals exactly right, is really refreshing.

Picture
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Yes, it often doesn’t sound quite as good as the studio version. But in many ways there’s something more authentic and natural about hearing someone perform a song live, hearing someone mess up or momentarily stray off-key, because it means we lose the pretence of perfection that we often hear when we listen on Spotify or Apple Music.

Finally, I know my friends will be sick of hearing me drone on about how good Vinyls are. But I genuinely love the fact that they don’t sound the same as listening to an album through headphones. There’s a warm hum in the background that you don’t get when streaming. Also, on one of my Luke Combs Vinyls, there’s a moment in the song ‘This One’s For You’ where it skips a couple of seconds. At first, I was a little frustrated that it didn’t sound exactly how it should.

But after a few listens, I thought of the 
ensõ and wabi-sabi, and I now use this little glitch as a way of reminding myself again that there is beauty in imperfection. After all, there’s nothing more imperfect than humanity, and think of all the amazing things us humans have achieved over the centuries.

​
So whatever flaws, mistakes and wrong-turns you might be beating yourself up about, just remember - nobody is perfect. Well, okay, I know what you’re thinking, and I agree - Drake comes pretty close. But apart from that, no, nobody is perfect. So from now on, let’s celebrate our imperfections.



0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Buy print editions of Mindful Melody Issue 12 below!

    Buy now

      Subscribe below to get each issue straight to your inbox!

    Subscribe to Mindful Melody

    Articles List

    All
    3 Key Lifestyle Habits That Can Improve Your Mental Health
    Absence-makes-the-heart-grow-fonder-live-music
    Adam-douglas-on-his-middleaged-mental-health-awakening
    Adele-andy-find-perfect-harmony-on-where-i-belong-ep
    Ajeet-review-and-interview
    Album-review-mac-mcanallyrsquos-lsquoonce-in-a-lifetimersquo-is-both-a-soundtrack-and-an-antidote-for-our-times
    Am-i-right-to-be-optimistic-about-2021
    Amy-speace-interview
    And-a-little-help-from-the-forest
    And-being-born-for-the-stage
    And-do-we-need-to
    And-no-shoes-nation-how-fan-clubs-are-easing-lockdown-loneliness
    Andy Franks Interview - Music Support: Meet The Music Industry Veteran Working For Change
    A-new-way-forward-for-musical-theatre
    An-interview-with-mesita
    An-interview-with-thomas-corneill-from-young-martyrs-navigating-life-as-a-fulltime-musician
    An-interview-with-ziggy-alberts-bringing-unity-through-music
    Are Biopics Good For Fans?
    A-review-of-petrichor-ndash-jon-reynolds-the-aches-something-for-everyone
    A-talk-with-the-lead-wailer-aston-barrett-jr
    Bo Burnham's 'INSIDE' - Dark Comedy And Music Combine
    Bootleggers
    Breaking The Boundaries Of Genre And Mood An Interview With Jon Reynolds
    Breland Interview
    But I Think We Will Find A Common Ground": Finn Matthews Interview
    Can Music Be Your Coping Mechanism?
    Can We Seperate Artists From Their Music
    Carl Falk Interview: The Avicii Hitmaker On Friendship
    Channel Your Negativity Into Creativity
    Charlotte Young: Tackling Positivity And Negativity (Sometimes Simultaneously!)
    Christmas Music: The Marmite Of The Charts
    'Chris Tomlin & Friends': Joy That Transcends Religion
    Clipping. – Visions Of Bodies Being Burned Review
    'Come Home The Kids Miss You' - Did Expectations Ruin Harlow's Big Release?
    Denis Coleman - Pop Prodigy And Mental Health Ambassador
    Directioners
    Does Listening To Music Help Us Study?
    Don't Have Time To Create A Vision-board? Try This 'audio-board' Alternative
    “Don’t You Know That You’re Toxic?”: Why The Music Industry Really Is A 'poisoned Paradise' (Yingmin Khoo Guest Post)
    Drake White Interview
    Emma Moore Interview Finding Self-Love In Music And Society - Interview
    Escaping The Shuffle Society - How To Improve Mindfulness Through Music
    Everybody Dies Young
    Faith
    Faith Over Fear: Southern Gospel Artist Brent Cobb Talks To Maxim
    Fatherhood And Genre-fluidity
    Find Your Own Therapy
    From Bullied Teen To Chart-topper: Kelsey Bovey
    George Strait
    Gloria Anderson Interview: Cars
    Greetings From...The Marfa Tapes: Let Miranda Lambert
    Grief And The Songwriting Process
    Hardy On His Hopes For Hixtape Vol 2 And Being Country As Hell!
    "Hate Has Become The Default
    Headphone Holiday: Kenny Chesney
    How Can Music Affect Our Emotions
    How The Eagles Turned Back The Clock And Lit Up British Summer Time Festival 2022
    How Tik Tok Has Become The Industry's Hottest New Critic
    Humility And Heart
    Interview: Andreas Moe
    Interview: CalledOut Music
    Interview: Canaan Smith - How He Found Himself Through Fatherhood
    Interview: Essie Jain - Creating Healing Music For All Ages
    Interview: Haley & Michaels
    Interview: Kieran Lancini
    Interview: Kylie Morgan
    Interview: Morgan Wade
    Interview: Music Therapy With Tiziana Pozzo
    Interview: Tyler Braden On Small Towns
    Is The Music Industry Turning A New Leaf With Its Support Of Mental Health?
    "It's Time To Stop Living In My Head": Interview With Nashville's Olivia Lane
    Jack Ingram And Jon Randall Be Your Tour Guides On This Sonic Retreat
    JEEN-YUHS - WHY KANYE WOULD BE A BETTER LIFE COACH THAN YOU THINK
    Jhené Aiko's Chilombo: A Perfect Blend Of Peace And Passion
    Jhené Aiko's Chilombo: A Perfect Blend Of Peace And Passion
    Kenny Chesney
    Kezia Gill Interview
    Kristi Hoopes - Engagement
    Lathan Warlick Interview: How A Brush With Death Inspired His Music's Message Of 'God
    Live Music Is Changing
    Love And Unity'
    Low-Strung And Amped-Down: Unplug Your Mind By Going Acoustic
    Lyrical Life Lessons #2: 'Don't Blink'
    Lyrical Life Lessons #3 - 'Give Me More Time'
    Lyrical Life Lessons #5 Jake Owen
    Machine Gun Kelly Has Gifted Us The Realest Album Of 2020
    Mainstream Sellout - Did MGK Ignore The Critics?
    MAJE On Motivation
    Make Yourself A Musical Photo Album
    Man On The Moon III: Kid Cudi Finds Dawn After Years Of Darkness In This Modern Epic
    Maxim Speaks To Elliah Heifetz About Anxiety
    Meet The Man Determined To Bring More Positivity Into Country Music - An Interview With: Kyle Elliott
    Memories And Music
    Mental Health And Me #10-David: My Dream Band Line-Up
    Mental Health And Me #11-David: 'Sun Is Shining
    Mental Health And Me #12-David: 'The Drugs Don't Work'
    Mental Health And Me #2: Maxim
    Mental Health And Me #3: David Why 'How Are You?' Is My 2020 Kryptonite
    Mental Health And Me #3: Maxim - How Sad Songs Showed Me The Value Of Wholeness Over Happiness
    Mental Health And Me #4: Maxim - 'Pitch Perfectionism'
    Mental Health And Me #5: David
    Mental Health And Me #5: Maxim - Can You Dance Away The Lockdown Blues?
    Mental Health And Me #6: David - Meditation Memoirs
    Mental Health And Me #6: Maxim - How Country Music Showed Me The Power Of Gratitude
    Mental Health And Me #7: David - Was I Right To Be Optimistic About 2021? The Follow Up
    Mental Health And Me #7: Maxim - Can ‘mindful Listening' Help Ease Productivity-guilt?
    Mental Health And Me #8: David - Enjoying The Ride
    Mental Health And Me #9: David Was I Right To Be Optimistic About 2021 - The Trilogy
    Mental Health And Me: David
    Mental Health And Me; David #14: God's Plan - Why I'm Jealous Of Believers
    Mental Health And Me: David - How Running Made Me A Better Person
    Mental Health And Me: Maxim
    Mind Over Matter - Why Everything's Going To Be Alright (Even If It Isn't)
    Mitchell Kersley Challenges Toxic Masculinity On New Single
    Mod Sun's 'Internet Killed The Rockstar' - A Familiar Story
    More Than A Musician: Meet The Artist Making A Real Difference In The World Of Mental Health - An Interview With Serena Ryder
    Music
    Music And Grief By Ashley Broadhurst
    Music And Memory: The Healing Power Of Music (Yingmin Khoo Guest Post)
    My All-American Kenny Chesney Adventure
    My New 'Malibu Theory'
    National Identity - And Dad Jokes
    Nihilism In Rap Music: Misunderstood
    'Oh Man
    Our Top 10 Songs For...Peaceful Melancholy
    Our Top 10 Songs To Make You Laugh
    Our Top 10 Songs...to Relax To
    Our Top Ten...Slow Down And Simplify Songs
    Our Top Ten Songs...about Self-Love
    Our Top Ten Songs For...Peaceful Melancholy
    Our Top Ten Songs Of... Film/TV
    Our Top Ten Songs Of Nature
    Our Top Ten Songs Of... Summer Sun!
    Our Top Ten Songs To Hear Live
    Performance Anxiety: Friend Or Foe?
    Quadeca - I Don't Care Review
    Ray Fulcher Interview - "I Want People To Think
    Sampling - Creative Genius Or Cutting Corners?
    Sarah Louise: The UK Country Singer-songwriter That Just Wants You To Believe In Yourself
    Seafret Slow Down And Simplify With New Piano Sessions EP - Interview
    Self-Improvement And New 'Fly On The Wall' Project
    Should Your New Self-love Mantra Be A Rap Lyric?
    Songs That Get Me Through Lockdown - David
    Songs That Get Me Through Lockdown - Maxim
    Sounds That Heal And Relax: The Music Of Mindfulness
    Sound Therapy: A Vibe-check
    Spotify Recommended: Help Or Hindrance?
    Starz In Their Eyes – The Music Industry According To Just Jack
    Starz In Their Eyes – The Music Industry According To Just Jack
    Stereotypes And Saving Lives
    Sublime Simplicity - Quadeca's Atmospheric 'From Me To You' Album Reviewed
    Tamar Haviv: The Singer-songwriter Who's Making The World A Better Place
    Tebey Interview
    The 90% Gratitude Rule
    The 90’s Country Comeback: Why Cowboy Hats And Honky-tonks Are Striking A Chord With Gen-Z
    The 90’s Country Comeback: Why Cowboy Hats And Honky-tonks Are Striking A Chord With Gen-Z
    The Artist Making Iconic Songs Her Own - An Interview With: Lissie
    The Hot Girl Walk: Just Another Tik-Tok Fad - Or A Great Way To Boost Our Wellbeing?
    The Importance Of Being ERNEST - Flower Shops
    Then It's Okay If I Do Too.'"
    The Safety Of Familiarity
    The Sonic Ranch: Midland's Origin-story Digs Up Their Roots And Strikes Gold
    The Voice
    The Weather Is Sweet'
    Thomas Rhett Finds Happiness At Home On Country Again (Side A)
    Tick
    Tick… Boom! The Musical Of Honesty
    Tiera Kennedy Interview
    Tim Prottey-Jones - From Western To West End - And Back!
    Tom Cary - New Single 'Something In The Whiskey' Breaks Country Music's Heartbreak Streak
    Top 10 Motivational Masterpieces
    Top 10 Songs For Concentration
    Top 10 Songs For...Overcoming Heartbreak
    Toxic Or Positive?
    Vinyl Therapy
    Well If Ray's Got His Own Struggles
    Why 'Lonely' Confirms Justin Bieber's Move From Guilty Pleasure To Admirable Star
    Wren Kelly Tackling Society And Mental Health In New Single 'Game Over'
    Zac Brown Band - 'The Comeback' In Name And Nature
    Zane Williams Interview

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • The Magazine
  • The Articles