I imagine that at occasions where a group of musicians are playing background music, the people in the crowd listen to the music emanating from the ensemble and are mostly appreciative of the skill that it has taken to learn or read the notes…or sometimes even of the years that it has taken to learn the instruments. I don’t imagine that there is a similar consciousness of how the musicians need to “read the crowd” and subtly adjust their musical offerings to suit the occasion, the client group and sometimes even the moment. Having studied Music Therapy, I guess I may be even more aware of this skill that so many musicians possess. Often, they will be adjusting their music-making without a consciousness of this innate musical awareness themselves.
The truth is, we are all reading the musical elements of the people and situations around us every day. If we have some level of emotional or social intelligence, we are probably also adjusting the music of our interactions regularly throughout a day. Let me try and explain by looking simply at the basic musical elements of volume (we speak of dynamics) and of tempo (the speed of the music). Perhaps you are a human that naturally moves and walks quite quickly. Your natural “tempo” is fast.
Going for a walk with a friend whose natural “tempo” is significantly slower than yours, you may even feel slightly annoyed as you need to adjust your walking pace to synchronise with theirs. If they are socially aware, they will need to speed up somewhat and you will need to slow down to meet somewhere in the middle. The same is true of volume. As a quieter human, you may become aware that a room is too noisy. Or you may find some cultures whose natural volume level is generally louder than others.
When people talk to us, we are never only listening to the semantics of their speech (the meaning of the words). We are listening to the non-verbal cues or the prosody of their speech. The prosodic form of speech refers to the rhythmic and melodic aspects of spoken language, including intonation, stress patterns, rhythm, and tempo. These elements of prosody add layers of meaning and nuance to speech beyond the literal content of the words. It is only through the prosody of speech (the musical elements of speech) that we are able to understand if an answer is literal, sarcastic or imbued with multiple layers of meaning. “I’m fine” can mean so many things depending on how the words are delivered. A teenager screaming it at you loudly though a door will mean something very different to a 6 year old whispering it from the corner of a party. Most of us understand these cues and read them well.
Musicians at a function or special occasion are reading and responding to the cues in much the same way. Only, as musicians, we are actually responding with music, not just with musical elements of speech, movement and interaction. When the beginning of a function may feel too quiet and perhaps somewhat awkward, the ensemble may choose to fill the quiet with music that helps everyone to feel more at ease. As background music, it is essential that musicians are never being too overbearing by playing too loudly unless the music becomes a feature, for example, during a wedding ceremony or as a specially requested item at a party.
Are people looking like they may want to dance? It is time for the musicians to choose a piece that has more energy, a bit more of a beat and to up the volume. Is the venue feeling small and people are struggling to converse over the din of the chatter? The musicians will try and read all of this and adjust their music accordingly. The tempo, the energy, the volume, the types of pieces chosen and even the order that they are played in are all aspects that a performing musician will be weighing up when playing at a function.
This is different to most concert performances where a programme is prepared and presented for an audience who has come to listen only. At an event or special occasion, the “audience” has come together for a different purpose and the live music is somewhat of a backing track. The benefit of live musicians is that they are able to adjust their delivery of tempo, dynamics and phrasing and are even able to alter the “vibe” by reading the prosodic cues of the audience and event. By attuning themselves to these prosodic cues, gig musicians can create a musical experience that resonates deeply with the listeners, fostering connection, emotional engagement and ultimately a beautifully curated musical experience for all of those present.
