What Music Feels Like: Exploring Cause and Effect Through Play
I am deep in the throes of discovery. Every day brings new opportunities to test the rules of the universe, especially the ones I can bend with my own two hands. This is what grown-ups call cause and effect, and I am told it’s a very important part of the baby development stages. I call it fun.
I am a very musical little peach. Music is one of my passions. I have written many articles about my love of all things musical. Mommy has composed songs just for me because she knows how much I like to listen to her sing. I even play the piano and the drum.
Music requires sound, and any connoisseur of music knows that the search for the right sound requires constant experimentation. I am often engaged in the pursuit of new sounds. When wielded by skilled hands, even random household objects can be surprising sources of music.
Two objects will give a skilled musician, like me, ample opportunity to compose something brilliant and inspiring. Each object can be banged against the floor, wall, or table. The two objects can also be bashed against each other. Just watch your fingers!
Sometimes the best sounds can be made with no objects at all. I can kick my feet and thump my heels against the floor. If I kick a certain way, I can sometimes get my feet to make a squeaking sound. I also have my hands, and they are very musical in their own right.
Cause and Effect Sounds Great, but Feels Funny
My most recent musical discovery has revealed that my hands can make a delightful sound if I smack them against the top of the coffee table. My left hand goes smack, smack, smack. I give that hand a little rest while my right hand goes smack, smack, smack. After a while, my hands start to feel weird and tingly.
I take a close look, but I can’t find anything unusual on the palm of my hand. I’m a bit baffled, but the tingly feeling begins to fade quickly. I shrug it off and resume my project. I would really like to get the rough draft of my composition done before dinner.
If I use both hands, I can get a lot of smacks in a very short period of time. I try something new and alternate between left and right, smack, smack, smack, smack. I like the way it sounds, and I put more muscle into it. Then I bring both hands down at the same time with some gusto. SMACK, SMACK, SMACK!
As I get more into it, the palms of my hands tingle even more. I yell at my hands, and I turn them palms up to take another close look. Still nothing visible to the naked eye. I must be touching the music. Is that what music feels like? It doesn’t feel very good at all.
I pause to reflect on my experiment. The sound, the tingling, the reactions. They’re all part of a bigger mystery I’m slowly unraveling. This is how I learn. Through repetition, sensation, and surprise. Mommy says I’m moving through my baby development stages, but I say I’m mastering the art of cause and effect. One smack at a time, I’m composing my own understanding of the world. And maybe, just maybe, I’m composing my first song too.
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This is hilarious! And so true of my little one too! 😁
I’m happy to hear that you liked it! Thanks for reading.
I remember my littles making that sound! Keep up the good work Peachy! Hopefully your parents can stand the sound several months down the road as toys start helping to make the music as you bang away 🙂
I’m very good at banging my toys around already! I’m what you might call an expert. Mommy and daddy are generally very supportive of my musical talent. They only cringe when I sing those high notes at maximum volume.
Thanks for visiting.
Awwww. She sounds delightful. My son is much more interested in producing tuneful farts! Thanks for linking up to #FridayFrolics
At least that’s a lot easier on his hands. Peachy really likes to bash things sometimes. Occasionally one of those things is me. She likes to use me as a drum and she loves to clap my hands for me. I try to teach her to clap her own hands but she prefers to clap mine. Thanks for reading.
Ahh, I remember this stage. Well done Peachy. I look forward to reading what happens when you discover a drum kit 😉 #FridayFrolics
I do have one drum and I love using it. It lights up and plays music when I bash it. I like to dance along with it too. So much fun! Thanks for visiting.
Oh my little ones love making music, usually not the most melodic or pleasant sounding noises, but still, we all have to start somewhere! #PoCoLo
Peachy gets so excited when she discovers a new way to make music. Yesterday it was an empty cookie tin. It kept her busy for a good 30 minutes. Thanks for reading.
Hahaha! Music is indeed a bit hurty sometimes. I love it when they start seeing consequences of their actions. #fortheloveofblog
Peachy seems rather confused by it. It’s smack, smack, smack, then a look at her hand in awe and wonder, and repeat. She just can’t figure out why it makes her hand tingle. Thanks for dropping by.
That is really peculiar. Hope you figure it out soon!
#FridayFrolics
Me too! Thanks for visiting.
Ha! Discovering noises you can make is just magic – you’ll never get bored of it! 🙂 Thanks for sharing with #PoCoLo x
So far, I haven’t met a noise I didn’t like. Thanks for reading.
This is so funny! LP enjoyed smacking his hands on the coffee table too!
Babies are so silly. Thanks for reading.