Sound has such an impact on our lives but sometimes we don’t appreciate it fully until we speak to someone that suffers hearing loss.

The particular type of sound I’m talking about today is music and how it influences my work in the studio.

THE INFLUENCE OF MUSIC

More often than not I paint with music playing. My tastes range from classical to progressive rock with some other categories lurking between. Certain types of music put me in the right mood for a particular painting.

For instance, Mendelssohn’s Hebrides overture would be a very inspiring piece to me whilst painting a rugged but beautiful landscape.

Classical music lends itself to painting because you soak up the mood from the pure music without words complicating things. What about lyrics though?

LYRICS: ABSTRACT INFLUENCES

“If I go insane, please don’t put your wires in my brain” – ‘If’  Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd’s lyrics & trademark music have got to be at the top of my list for influencing my work, particularly in the abstract area. The pictures, shapes, colours & moods that are projected onto my mind can really bring a painting to life & give it a dimension I might not fully reach with silence.

Among other influences in this area of great lyrics & melodies are: Peter Gabriel, Jethro Tull, Kate Bush, Marillion, Rush, Radiohead, Yes & of course The Beatles.

MODERN INSTRUMENTALS

There are times when I don’t want lyrics but I want something different to classical. That’s when I turn to something like Tubular Bells or The Six Wives Of Henry VIII. Mike Oldfield, Rick Wakeman, Tangerine Dream & artists such as these provide me with a contemporary take on instrumental influences.

So what will tomorrow be? Will it be Beatles, Floyd, Beethoven, R.E.M, Muse, Marley? Who knows, but I’m grateful for the help I get from the wonderful sound of music.

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