Growing up, my brother would queue up songs for me on his stereo, have me sit in what you would call the "Sweet Spot" and tell me to close my eyes and listen. I loved that. The base would thump in my chest, stronger then my heartbeat. The high guitar and vocal parts were nearly painful, but just perfect. At the end of a song I'd just sit there, still feeling it, silent. Then we'd laugh at being silly.
But life gets in the way. I didn't meet Pat until I was 20 years old. Our story is sad, because neither one of us really got to know the other properly when we had the time. And in the end, we were willing but there just wasn't enough time. So, recently he introduced me to artists I'd never heard of before like David Roth, Cowboy Junkies, and Eleanor McEvoy and we were pleasantly surprised to find that we already liked many of the same artists such as Neil Yound and Eva Casady. Pat respected my unreasonably strong, long-term, undying love affair with Billy Joel, probably not an easy thing for him to do!
Pat had other influences in my life, and without knowing it, he let me see my own strengths. We look a lot alike, especially when he was heavier and I was skinnier! We have similar mannerisms. But he went after his interests with such a passion! I'm more laid-back about things. If something gives me pleasure enough the way it is then I don't question it or try to improve it much. He was the type of person to learn it, master it, and advise others on it with the utmost authority. He was so knowledgable about so many things!
I miss him, but mostly I miss the Pat I'll never really know. Clearly, he was special to many people for many different reasons. I'm so thankful that, through Pat, I've been lucky enough to get to know Barb. She's really something!
So, to specifically to answer your question:
I have an appreciation for music, and can say with experience that music heard properly is so different then just flipping on the radio. But I have only old childhood records and record player. The rest is CD's. My stereo was the best we could justify at the time, but is sadly out of date. I have many cd's, and often put in 5 to the changer and shuffle play. I enjoy it, I sing with it, I dance to it with Aidyn. I don't know anything about the science of it.
Kirsten
