Poetry uses the sound of words

A Poetry Handbook

page:: 19-28

Poetry uses the sound of words. (Music uses the sound of vibrations. The two together create song.)

!When you write pretty much anything, you’re essentially asking someone to read a musical score

There’s something appealing about the sound of words, beyond their dictionary meaning. “Most of the time, when listening to music in a foreign language, we enjoy the lyrics as sounds and not words,” says Thea Tolentino, music teacher and music therapy master’s student.¹

Each word has its own sound and therefore unique meaning. For instance, a “rock” is not the same as a “stone.” This makes me think of that book [[ Landmarks ]]. Ding-dong theory took a stab at explaining this.

The sounds of the alphabet

After learning consciously these techniques, the unconscious mind can employ them in near-miraculous conjunctions of sound and sense. I know the same to be true about vocal technique—practice the technique consciously until it becomes second nature, so in performance, you don’t have to think so hard.