Music & Writing: Siblings With A Parent In Common

I've often railed out (into the wind, it seems) that "writing is writing," that the differences among the various "kinds" of writing are insignificant. I pretty much want to make the same protestation that "music is music" with the same message in mind. However, rather than expand on this latter truism, I want to venture another, perhaps more controversial, equation, namely that "music is writing" and "writing is music"!

Oh sure the "grammar" of each is expressed in different terminology, but they mean the same thing.

Both use symbols as the basic mode of expression (words and notes) and rely on an underlying structure (grammar and notation).

The basic elements of music are melody, harmony and rhythm.

The basic elements of writing are genre, story and meter.

An engaging sentence (in any kind of writing) has a lyrical quality that blends in with the message being conveyed and does so with a satisfying accented.

An engaging riff (in any kind of music) has a stylistic quality that expresses a purpose in the piece as a whole and does so with a satisfying beat.

So, can any good writer be a good musician -- and vice versa? Hmmmmm.......

Oh yes...I forgot...these siblings only share one parent. The other is unique to each: music has the ears and writing has the eyes. Their common parent? The brain!!