How Technology Can Help Us Hear Nature’s Music

When I was growing up, my family was all about music. My mother sang in the choir, my father while working around the house, and my sister and I, despite being young (and likely shrill to delicate ears at the time) joined in at every possibility.

Perhaps it is that background that has led me to hear the music everywhere in my daily life, almost like the experience a young August Rush had in the 2007 film by the same name (minus the extensive instrumental talent). People walking down the sidewalk introduce the beat, while the whistle of commuter rails, hum of cars, and wind blowing through the trees come in with the melody. I find myself humming along to all of it, a nonsensical song that will leave with the breeze that rolls past me.

Using Tech to Hear Earth Notes

One company gave a real voice to these “Earth Notes”, as I call them. Thanks to two artists and a team with a whole lot of technical prowess, PlantWave was born. Joe Patitucci and Alex Tyson started it all when they hooked up a little device to a variety of plants, and let their bodies sing.

This creation allowed the monitoring of many variations within the plant’s electrical conductivity routes, which could then be translated into notes as serene and beautiful as any instrument can make. While a college student’s budget doesn’t put this product on my personal shopping list, others have raved about being able to “converse” with your house plants through these musical methods. I think the concept is stunning, and something that I’d be very interested to hear more about in coming years.

Smell the Roses

With that in mind, I think it’s more important now than ever to “stop and smell the roses”, or rather to hear them. There are a lot of fleeting things in life, and I find that music is a constant source of calm that keeps me grounded and hopeful for the next adventure. It’s the one thing I’ve always had throughout life’s trials, and with nature as the source, I can persevere.

So I implore you: On your next hike, listen to the birds circling the peak, the air currents showing your hair how to fly, or the background track of laughter as others revel in their achievement. When you’re in traffic, let the beeping become bass, and the tribulation of time-strapped drivers be the chorus. Wherever you are, and whatever you do, let the earth notes around you rise up and make a masterpiece, the soundtrack of your life, as you live it to the fullest.