Is music your voice?

I'm not sure this is what you meant but...

I suspect that music is my first language. For me it's not the words of a song that make sense it's the rhythm and harmony. I can't express myself in words very well, especially when it comes to my own thoughts and emotions, words don't mean anything.

Currently feeling like the cadenza in the first movement of Prokofiev's 2nd piano concerto.

Should probably mention that I used to be a concert pianist, so I did spend a lot more time engaging with music than with people growing up.

My second language is shapes and colour. I can translate music into shapes and colour easily.

I find verbal communication hard. Words are a little easier if written down. I struggle to remember new words, names of people and things. I've never been able to learn a foreign language.

Golly, you're all so knowlegable about musical terms and how a piece of music is constructed, I thought a cadenza was a piece of furniture!

For me theres a sweet spot that some music hits, I can't say what it is or why. I often don't particulalry listen to the lyrics as such, but just try and copy the sounds, I've never had any musical training, we did music at school, but like so much else the teaching way poor, I just got shouted at for being unable to keep time properly and not knowing when to come in. I remember one time being given a triangle to play and getting shouted at because I came in at the wrong time and I only had to hit it twice. I still don't know what the difference between the beat, melody and rythum or what instrument plays what bit?

I wonder if it's related to my complete inability to dance? When people count I don't really know what they're counting or what they're doing it for or why?

I didn't know if answering your questions would help... But incase it does, in its simplest form...

All music has a heartbeat, it's a steady repeating pulse. That's what people are counting.

The rhythm is a layer on top of that, easiest to hear in a song where some of the words are long, short, fast or slow.

Dancers and musicians need to synchronise around the pulse (beat) as this is the same for everyone involved regardless of the rhythm of their part.

A common difficulty for those not taught this distinction comes from mistaking the rhythm for the beat. If you try and count the rhythm without identifying the pulse you will definitely get confused. It would be like trying to walk but with your legs having independent speeds! Stressful!

Melody is the rhythm plus the pitch of the song (high/low notes). You can clap a rhythm, a melody requires a voice or instrument.

If you're not focussed on the lyrical part then your "sweet spot" is probably more linked to harmony. The harmony is how the different pitches combine and the relative tension of those pitches to one another.

Sorry if you didn't want this answer or I've pitched the explanation wrong. I'm just sorry that you got shouted at. 

I don't think it was lack of support as much as nobody knew, it wasn't until having a sing-a-long directed by a former choir master from the monastry at Iona that I found out the full extent of my ability, he couldn't find a note I couldn't sing, I didn't know before then that singing lessons were a thing. He was shocked at the 5 or 6 of us having so little musical knowlege, I wasn't the only one who didn't know the basics.

I think it must be so much easier now for people to explore their talents due to social media and all the music apps. There's also so many more girls and women making music now, in my day the only way you got into a band was if you were the girlfriend of a band member, usually the lead guitarist, music was a very male dominated thing.

I don't think it was lack of support as much as nobody knew, it wasn't until having a sing-a-long directed by a former choir master from the monastry at Iona that I found out the full extent of my ability, he couldn't find a note I couldn't sing, I didn't know before then that singing lessons were a thing. He was shocked at the 5 or 6 of us having so little musical knowlege, I wasn't the only one who didn't know the basics.

I think it must be so much easier now for people to explore their talents due to social media and all the music apps. There's also so many more girls and women making music now, in my day the only way you got into a band was if you were the girlfriend of a band member, usually the lead guitarist, music was a very male dominated thing.