the thing that runs under the music

I was doing some modeling work today with a young man who plays piano by ear. He said that he listens for the thing that runs under the music - a pattern of emotion and meaning - and that his ability to replicate that determines how well he plays. He is a very bright young man.

We sometimes talk about the undercurrents in a situation, but how often do we take the time to pull them into our awareness so precisely that we could replicate them or modify them, a little at a time, to a pattern that promotes more useful states of being?

There is always something that runs under the music and makes meaning to add to the sound. Tomorrow, pay attention to a particular relationship and notice what runs underneath it.

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