Many years ago, I was participating in a youth gathering and pointing out to the people there that the hymn “Amazing Grace” and the iconic rock song “Johnny Be Good” have the same chord structure (the Hallelujah Chorus too.) In fact, most popular songs have either an E-A-D or E-A-B progression, with an occasional fourth chord thrown in to shake things up. I have always thought that a song is good if it can be reimagined in a different genre. And when you get beyond that majority of basic songs structures, you could very easily put a violin in the hands of heavy metal shredders, and they would play Beethoven with the best classical players. And the opposite is true. Yo Yo Ma and Miles Davis have proved this consistently. Difference in tone does not necessarily mean difference in structure.
Over the years, a lot of amazing musicians have proven this to be true; in fact, one of the most beautiful classical albums in recent history was produced by Bela Fleck, the world class banjo player. When it comes to diversity and acceptance, are only limited by our prejudices. Put a Jewish mother in a room with an Italian Catholic mother, and within minutes they will find common ground in the disappointments their children bring to them (please accept that as a joke). We are different and unique in so many ways, and I love learning about the way other people live, but we are also the same on the inside, and our sameness outweighs our differences. All you have to do is listen to Dred Zeppelin to know what I am talking about.
This past week I attended a very loud heavy metal concert, and the opening act was an intense and extremely talented band called “Animals as Leaders.” As I listened to them, I realized that their music was really jazz with a distortion pedal. The time changes, chord progressions, and key shifts were similar to Dave Brubeck and Chick Corea. Whether you sing or speak with a twang or a lilt, Vive la Différence! Because, ultimately, we are all the same under the skin – we are all created with the eternal spark of God in our souls. The belief that we are not is what leads to every bias in life, and bias tears us down. Enjoy your differences and cherish the way we are the same – that’s God’s idea.
Prayer – Holy and merciful God, may each one of us see ourselves in each other, and rejoice. Amen.
Today’s art is “Colorful Conversation” by Eric Applequist.