Why I’m a Musician Who Loves Architecture More Than Music

The Musician Who Loves Architecture: The Hidden Harmony Between Sound and Structure

Introduction: When a Musician Loves Architecture More Than Music

As a musician, I have spent years immersed in melodies, rhythms, and harmonies—exploring the emotional and expressive power of sound. But something unexpected happened along the way: I found myself drawn, not just to music, but to architecture.

I began noticing the way buildings shaped space, how light moved through a structure, how a well-designed room felt like a perfectly composed symphony. In time, my fascination with architecture grew so deep that I started questioning:

• Why does architecture inspire me more than music?

• What do music and architecture have in common?

• Is there a deeper connection between these two art forms?

The more I explored, the more I realized that music and architecture are not separate—they are two sides of the same creative expression. Both deal with space, structure, rhythm, and harmony. Both influence emotions, behavior, and experience. And both, in their highest forms, seek to create something that transcends the material and touches the human soul.

The Shared Language of Music and Architecture

A. Structure and Composition: Architecture as Frozen Music

One of the greatest thinkers of the past, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, famously said:

“Architecture is frozen music.”

At first, this might seem poetic—but as a musician, I see how true it is. Both architecture and music are built from structure, proportion, and balance.

• In music, a composition is structured through melody, harmony, and rhythm.

• In architecture, a building is structured through form, proportion, and spatial rhythm.

• Just as a musician carefully arranges notes and silence, an architect arranges walls, openings, and empty space.

Both art forms rely on mathematical precision and creative intuition. A great melody and a well-designed building both feel “right” because they follow universal principles of harmony.

Example: The Golden Ratio, used by architects for centuries to create perfect proportions in buildings, is also found in musical scales and harmonies.

This means that, in some ways, architecture is not just “frozen music”—it is music we can walk through, live in, and experience with our entire body.

B. Rhythm and Repetition: The Pulse of Space and Sound

As a musician, I know that rhythm is the heartbeat of music. It gives a composition its flow, energy, and movement. What surprised me was discovering that architecture also has rhythm.

• A repeated column pattern in a building is like a repeated musical motif.

• A spiral staircase moving upward feels like a rising melody in a song.

• The way a courtyard opens into a larger space is like the crescendo of a symphony.

Both architecture and music guide our experience through patterns of repetition and contrast.

Example: Walking through a Gothic cathedral, with its soaring ceilings and rhythmic columns, feels like listening to a slow, powerful orchestral piece—each step like a note in a grand composition.

As a musician, I found that studying architecture deepened my understanding of rhythm—not just in sound, but in space.

Why a Musician Finds Inspiration in Architecture

A. The Emotional Impact of Space

Music is powerful because it makes us feel something. A piece of music can make us feel peaceful, excited, nostalgic, or even overwhelmed. But so can a building.

• A small, enclosed space can feel intimate and quiet, like a soft piano solo.

• A large, open Mosque can feel majestic and awe-inspiring, like a grand symphony.

• A chaotic, unbalanced structure can make us feel uneasy, just like an off-key melody.

As a musician, I realized that architecture influences emotions just as much as music does. Instead of using sound waves, it uses walls, ceilings, and light to create emotional impact.

Example: Just as minor chords in music create a sense of melancholy, low ceilings and dim lighting in architecture can create a feeling of intimacy or sadness.

For someone who loves creating emotional experiences through music, it is natural to feel drawn to the way architecture shapes human feelings through space.

B. The Experience of Movement Through Time

One of the most profound realizations I had was this:

• Music unfolds in time—you experience it moment by moment as the song progresses.

• Architecture also unfolds in time—you experience it step by step as you move through a space.

Example:

• A well-designed building leads you on a journey, much like a well-composed song.

• A dark hallway opening into a bright space is like a verse building up to a powerful chorus.

• A spiral staircase in an old castle feels like a slow and suspenseful musical progression.

As a musician, I was trained to think about how sound moves in time. But architecture taught me to think about how people move in space. Both art forms are about creating an experience for the audience—whether through their ears or through their body.

When Music is Not Enough: Finding Creativity in a New Medium

A. Overcoming Creative Burnout

Even though I love music, there were moments when I felt creatively stuck. Playing the same instruments, working with the same sounds, and following the same patterns sometimes felt limiting.

Architecture became a new source of inspiration—a different way of thinking about composition, structure, and emotion.

• Instead of writing melodies, I imagined designing spaces that felt like music.

• Instead of arranging chords, I imagined arranging walls and windows to create rhythm.

• Instead of seeking harmony in sound, I sought harmony in physical form.

This cross-disciplinary inspiration renewed my love for both music and architecture, showing me that creativity is not limited to one art form—it is a way of seeing the world.

B. The Universal Search for Meaning

At its core, both music and architecture are about meaning.

• A great song is not just a collection of notes—it tells a story, evokes emotion, and connects people.

• A great building is not just a structure—it creates an experience, carries history, and shapes lives.

As a musician, I found myself drawn to architecture because it offered a different way of searching for beauty, structure, and expression.

Conclusion: Music and architecture are two paths leading to the same destination—the desire to create something timeless, something that moves people, something that transcends sound or stone and becomes an experience that lingers in the soul.

That is why, as a musician, I love architecture more than music. Not because I left music behind, but because I found a new way to express the same creative spirit—this time, not through sound, but through space.

Final Thoughts: Where Does This Journey Lead?

• Can a musician become an architect? Many have—because the principles of both art forms are deeply connected.

• Does studying architecture make me a better musician? Absolutely—because it teaches me new ways to think about rhythm, emotion, and experience.

• Will I always love architecture more than music? Maybe. Maybe not. But I know now that creativity is bigger than any one art form.

And perhaps that is the greatest lesson—music, architecture, painting, dance—they are all part of the same great symphony of creation.

And I am just lucky to be listening.