Every sound is born out of silence, dies back into silence, and during its life span is surrounded by silence. Silence enables the sound to be. – Eckhart Tolle

I have been thinking about the role of silence in music lately. It is possibly the most overlooked subject in music today. Many people believe that it is a blank canvas on which the painting of sound is put upon, but its actually part of the music as well. The effectiveness of using silence is also not utilized, as most pop music will only use silence for a measure or just a few seconds, any longer and the average listener will immediately assume the song is over. Mainstream music and advertising have shortened our attention span, as this proves to be the most effective way to drill in the message. No place to breathe, no silence to gather your thoughts.

Classical pieces use silence frequently, as well as various ethnic musics such as Arabic/Middle Eastern, where not only used as a brief pause, but whole sections will be sparse in instrumentation to allow the silence and environment of the recorded instruments to be enveloped in the blanket of hush. The best musicians and composers know how to use silence to “color” their sound as well as improvisation and to add to the dynamic of the whole piece.

John Cage is famous for his piece 4”33 which makes use of silence. He also has said that there is no such thing as total silence, which I would agree. The world has grown louder. To find total silence, one would have to be confined to a deprivation chamber. The total loss of sound would be an alarming thing, as it may signal something is wrong. No birds, no wind, nothing. It’s hard to imagine absolute silence.

Silence is interpreted differently in various contexts and cultures. To some it may signify deep thought or prayer, others may think that something is wrong or there is disagreement in a conversation. Psychologically, it can be a disturbing thing to have, given the context. On a spiritual level, its a great thing, as it can be a sign of deep peace with oneself. A sign that a person has surrendered to the Now, or has reached Enlightenment.

I think this is a topic I will probably keep reflecting on, as I think more about it in the time to come.

Some interesting links that are on the topic of Silence:

• Saed Muhssin
• Silence Project
• Pure Silence