It's not all about the lyrics

Every Sunday morning, no matter what, I wake up to the sound of music. Some Sundays it’s Miles Davis, others, Chick Corea. The music isn’t from an alarm or a speaker in my room; like clockwork, I expect music blaring from the living room just below me. I don’t need to hear the lyrics because there aren’t any to hear. Whether my dad fights for jazz or my mom pushes for classical, instrumental music always prevails.

While my family’s Sunday tradition dates back to some of the earliest years of my life, over time, instrumental music slowly found its way into more than just Sundays. My sister played the piano, then the cello. I played the violin, and then the saxophone. Though I no longer actively practice any instruments, I’ve entered my sixth year of ballet, where I dance to instrumental music.

We’ve all put on “lofi” beats or classical music to study, and that’s fine. But relegating the wonders of Prokofiev or the ardent beats of Daft Punk to the bottom of a playlist is like putting on “The Godfather” just to scroll through Instagram — there’s too much beauty in instrumental music to ignore. Music lovers of all genres should open their ears to instrumental music, or they risk losing its beauty altogether to the ever-changing modern music industry.

Instrumental music’s influence is undeniable; instrumental musicians provide inspiration to lyricists, they add depth to the instrumentation found in lyrical tracks and they even craft pieces of music ripe for sampling.

Instrumental music, by nature, is stripped back. With just you and the music, there’s a feeling of intimacy. There’s no voice to guide any feelings, no words to paint any pictures and no one to tell the listener how to feel. If nothing else, instrumental music leaves us to interpret the music personally.

The first genre that pops into mind when casual music fans hear the word ‘instrumental’ is classical. In classical music, the swelling crescendos and symphony of instruments take listeners on a journey. The music doesn’t always stand alone either; movie soundtracks and dance scores are incredible in part because they pair so well with the images on screen — the Lord of the Rings soundtrack and Ludwig Minkus’ Don Quixote score are parts of collaborative works that rival the best in audio and visual arts precisely because they have such amplifying harmony within their own blend of mediums.

Although classical music is fantastic — and I’d be a pretty fraudulent ballet dancer if I disagreed — classical is just one chapter within instrumental music’s endless library. From jazz to EDM, afrobeats to bluegrass — within every genre, there are countless numbers of instruments to assemble, each with their own unique voices. The soul of the drums in afro beats is alive. The pure power of a Dvořák brass section is just as riveting to me as any rap song I can think of.

With jazz, there are only a few instruments in the band to connect with, but a few is more than enough with the way the musicians command their craft. Those frequent, unique solos, from the saxophone to the piano, create an unrivaled level of depth and variety — something lyrical works can often exclude. Within jazz, there’s a plethora of atmospheres to explore, from intense, fast-paced improvisation to relaxing, smooth pieces. Regardless of the style, there’s an intimacy between the listeners and the musician that gives new meaning to Sunday morning Coltrane or Friday night Charlie Parker.

The futuristic synths of EDM can make you feel like you’re on another world. Even if it isn’t obvious to our modern ears, there’s limitless value to unconventional types of instrumental music too, like electronic music. I’ve discovered some of the most creative sounds and sonic atmospheres in electronic music. From computer-generated melodies to incredible sampling, electronic music can transport us in a way that no other form of music is capable of.

None of this is to say that lyrics are overrated. Lyrics are perfect for many songs, most songs, even. I still love lyrical works — Outkast and Adele will always have a special spot in my playlist, and neither are known for stifling their voices. But the discrepancy in popularity between lyrical music and instrumental music is far greater than it should be.

It’s understandable and normal to not like instrumental music at first — not everyone will be comfortable with the space it opens, nor should they have to be. I didn’t always like instrumental music. Even when I played the violin and saxophone, I never cared for classical music, and in my first few years of dancing, I couldn’t listen to classical outside of the studio. Like many, I found it boring and the culture surrounding it even pretentious at times. I felt the same way about a lot of instrumental music since I sought familiarity in the human voice — but what long-term listeners come to realize is that there is just as much value in instruments as there is in lyrics.

Selectively listening to a small subset of music and relegating the rest of the industry to the background is disappointing, especially considering that music is more accessible now than ever.

Lyrical works are just as important to the industry as instrumental work — there’s no disputing that — yet so few people listen as purposefully to instrumental music as they do lyrical music. While it’s easy to overlook the instrumental works for lyrical pieces, the raw, unbridled connection between instruments and the listener is something that we should never lose. No matter how much we love lyrics and our favorite singers’ voices, there will always be just as much beauty in the voices of the instruments.