Unexpected Silence

(softer is better sometimes)

Many young musicians, especially of the rock and roll variety, are under the assumption that the only way to get the audience’s attention is to play loud and louder. I suppose they come by it naturally. Who could forget Nigel Tufnel from Spinal Tap showing off his Marshall amp that went “up to eleven”. And yes I admit that when no one was home I would turn my own bass amp up to the maximum and go play in the next room!

The hope is that as musicians mature they learn the value of dynamic contrast; that playing softer at times makes the loud passages more effective and draws attention to important lyrical content. Bringing the band to a complete stop for even the briefest of unexpected moments can grab the listener’s ear and set them up for a heightened experience following.

“Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech” 1 Peter 3:10

Silence is a tough virtue to master. We want to lash out at people who hurt us. We burst into conversations to show others how much we know on a subject. We insist on getting the last word in a difficult exchange. We raise the volume to be certain our point is heard.

But what if we didn’t? As maturing Christians we could bring an unexpected silence to a contentious discourse. In doing so we set the other person up to really listen to what is next…and show them God’s love in the process.

Take a breath and hold that tongue!

Brian

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Volume 6, Number 19