What do our senses do for us? Simply put, they detect changes and report them to us. It’s vital for survival – a glimpse of a threat, the sound of pending danger, the smell of smoke, or a sudden increase or decrease in temperature. Happily, the same senses funnel pleasing changes too – the laughter of a child, the smells of something delicious in the kitchen, and of course, music.
Another feature of our senses is, they fairly quickly stop reporting when something they detect is not changing. That’s a why a bad smell diminishes after a few sniffs, the banjo music eventually won’t keep you awake, and the 10th bite of scallops won’t be as pleasing unless you cleanse your palate between bites.
It’s why the best art forms are the ones that manage to surprise you on some level.
I think it’s also why seeking our diversity in life is so rewarding. I love bluegrass, but my music collection, and my musical tastes, are very broad. It seems like every year, I discover new artists and new genres to enjoy. Sometimes, I embrace this to the point where I endeavor to learn to play new genres of music as well.
Personally, I find a cross-pollination benefit. My long years of playing rock music give me some benefits in my struggle to master bluegrass, but what I have learned in bluegrass has aided my development in playing rock, country and Western swing, as well.
Not everybody would agree – some of the very best bluegrass players I have known are totally focused on bluegrass alone, and from the way they play, that approach seems to have worked for them. I think I’m maybe more childish – I require variety and surprises to keep me interested, and any one genre of music (or art) tends to stop being surprising without a deep and committed focus.
I find the same thirst for variety running as a thread through all aspects of my life – I rarely vacation at the same place more than once – there are too many places I haven’t been. My friends vary wildly in their interests, locations, passions, and political leanings.
None of this means I like everything- far from it. But I do like being exposed to many things. Some stuff I will like. Some stuff I will learn to like. Some stuff I will probably never like, but at least I will have arrived at those opinions as a result of open consideration, rather than knee jerk reaction. Otherwise, I would have never learned to like green olives, old time music or Sudoku.
