Friday, June 8, 2012

Townes for the Baby


I decided to try an experiment. Different people have told me that playing music to the baby while she is in the womb won't necessarily make her smarter, but it may make my life easier after she's born. This is because of a current theory that suggests that mimicking womb conditions post-partum will help the baby feel relaxed. Apparently some people call the first three months of the baby's life the "fourth trimester".

So. I decided to pick Townes Van Zandt because from song to song, particularly the early stuff, his "sound" isn't much different but he was really prolific so there will be lots to choose from that I won't be sick of. I play a lot of Townes. I also chose one song ("Fare Thee Well, Miss Carousel" see above) to play a lot to see if that makes a difference.

I realise that the subject matter of most of Townes' songs are, well, depressing and maybe this isn't what I want the baby to have molding her formative years. But I really don't think it matters - all the literature says that reading anything to your baby from the beginning is helpful. So if reading depressing Russian literature or articles on the subject of genocides or anything from the Ithaca Journal to an infant is okay then music from a depressed, mentally ill, alcoholic and cocaine addicted song writer is probably fine too.

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