Harmony comes from being different

Harmony comes from being different                                                     250710

If you hear that two people’s voices have harmony when singing, you can be sure that those voices are different. If both of them sing as one, there is no harmony to talk about. If two neighbouring nations are said to exist in harmony; there must be enough differences between them to make them want to fight. Harmony is not necessary where the two have the same views. In the same way, unity is not unity if the parties concerned agree about everything. Unity means there are differences between the united parties.

Most people love music because it has a way of ministering to the soul. Those who produce music spend hour after hour practicing so that the end product is of a high standard. The instruments and the words have to merge well if the music is to be sweet to the listening ear. Different instruments produce different music. This is the reason why there is need to practice and try out different sounds so that in the end the music produced is good. If music is produced from one instrument, there is not much need for coordination between the players of instruments.

Some musicians produce great music using their voices alone; without the use of instruments. Music so produced also needs many hours of practice in order to make sure the voices complement each other. What makes such music to be nice is the fact that there is harmony in the voices. But harmony does not happen when only altos are singing. There has to be different voices because it is the difference that makes music pleasant.

If you listen to a well played musical piece, you may be able to pick out the bass guitar tones. You may also be able to hear what the lead guitar or the rhythm guitar is ‘saying’. The drums and the keyboards can also be picked out. Some of these instruments will be played so well that those who are learning to play the same instrument spend time trying to master that way of playing. But if you play only one of those beautifully done pieces of music, the song does not sound as good as when all of the instruments are being played together. This is because there is power in the difference.

There is no musical instrument that is more superior to all the others. Every one has a part to play in the end product. Each one has to sacrifice its own needs for the common good of the music. All instruments can be played separately with great skill, one after the other, but the end product is never as beautiful as when they are all played together. There is prominence gained by each instrument when they are all given a chance to play without disturbance from the others but that is where the glory ends. Beyond this there are listeners who think a single instrument does not produce good music.

If all the instruments are played at the same time, there is no glory for each individual instrument because one has to listen deliberately in order to pick them out one by one; which is not easy either. They sacrifice their individual glory for the glory of the group, because that is the only way there is going to be harmony.

The harmony that is produced when a good musical band is playing is achieved because they play as a team. In that team, everyone is equally important. At the end of the day, it is not important who plays what part. The same is observed in a good football team. When they win the game, the spotlight may be focused on the hat-trick goal scorer but the whole team will have played a part in the win. The goalkeeper keeps a clean sheet on one end with the help of the defenders. The midfielders make sure the defenders do little and the strikers keep scoring. If each member continues to do their bit in the team, the whole team will keep winning.

There are definitely star players in every team. These contribute more to the team’s game but they cannot play the game alone. They need everyone else to keep contributing to the team for them to shine. If everyone is not playing their part, the team will not win even if they have a good player among them. Every player has a different strength from the next. This is what the coach uses to make some defenders and others strikers. Even then, not all strikers are the same. That is why different players are used for different games. It is in their difference that these players produce good football.

You are definitely different from the rest of the people in every team that you find yourself playing for. These differences usually bring conflict between people but if handled well they can be the reason why your team will be a great one. There is no need to fight for personal glory in a team sport. You only have to do your bit, and if everyone does the same all our personal weaknesses are not exposed but they are covered up by the strength of others. That way everyone becomes a winner. You can be a winner by contributing a different voice to the music that comes out full of harmony; or playing a small part in the game of a winning team. It is our differences that make the whole game interesting.