With a Little Help From My Friends

In moments of loneliness, despair - melancholy,  I've made a habit of turning to music. There's something about the art that doesn't rid me from my feelings - but understands them, moves them, uses them, expresses them. Music takes heartache and turns it into something beautiful, something more, something for others. Music is where the heartache of those listening meets the heartache of those making. Music then is shared, especially in its creation. It's shaped by whomever is playing the instrument, it conforms to the space it's being played in, it's molded by those whom it's playing to. What the listeners experience is felt by the artist, which in turn, is expressed by the instrument. 

I've taken to Tiny Desk Concerts, in a way, because it most starkly embodies this interaction. Most of these artists play stripped down versions of their work. That means something. It's not for convenience - considering they've dragged grand piano's behind their "tiny desk" - no, the music, the space, the people sharing the experience, they call for the music to be played this way. This basic interaction between, instrument, artist, audience, and musician, is typified in these concerts, or extended plays, and makes it some of the most compelling contemporary music, especially for its ease of accessibility. 

I've tried my best to track down all of my favorite videos capturing these flashes of musical participation. These videos have given me something for moments of heartache, I hope now they can offer something to you.

And because 'related videos' exist...