Our brains are great at filling in the gaps in our perception. There are so many optical and even auditory illusions that show the way that our brains extrapolate from what we experience, creating information inside our brains that doesn’t exist in the world. (I think that’s probably the explanation for a lot of unexplained phenomena such as ghost sightings, for example.) Think of Georges Seurat, who insisted that our minds do some of the work of interpreting a painting that was comprised entirely of dots.
How can you use that as an artist? I know that I can hear four notes and interpolate a fifth note based on context – that’s the reason that rootless voicings in jazz work so well. I know that I can understand musical things happening in the silence between notes. I know that I can interpret a score with no dynamic markings, because I am able to understand what’s meant to happen contextually.
So often, we try to fill in every gap with actual information, sometimes leading to overload or at least overstatement. What would happen if you took out some of the information you’re presenting, allowing the listening brain to do some of the work itself, by filling in those gaps? As long as they’re well placed, the result should be a fully-realized artistic statement that engages the mind of the listener more fully.