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Components of Healing Music: Harmony

June 16th, 2010 · Music and the Mind-Body, Music Healing, Music Medicine

The ladies to the left are members of a female barbershop quarter group called the “Sweet Adelines.”  They sing mostly familiar songs but with a unique type of harmony.  “Barbershop” harmony is quite distinctive and easily recognizable.

The harmony that is heard in music with a healing quality is very different, but the idea is that all harmony involves multiple pitches being sung (or Played) simultaneously.

The ensemble to the left is a classical string quartet.  In my opinion, their music is much more like to have a healing effect on the listener, depending of course, on the particular composition they are playing.

Harmony is a very important aspect of healing music because for whatever purpose you’re trying to achieve, the music needs to be, well, harmonious.  My friend Don Campbell has even written a book called “Harmonies of Health.”   Even people who claim to “have no ear” can tell the difference between harmonious music (music that blends well together and has a pleasing effect on the listener) and dissonant music that can actually hurt the ears and cause pain and displeasure.

What is acceptable in musical harmony has changed greatly over the last 350 years.  Music that to our ears sounds perfectly beautiful would have sounded very strange and possibly dissonant in Bach’s time or Mozart’s time.  What music do you find harmonious?

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Healing Components of Music: Melody

June 15th, 2010 · Music and the Golden Years, Music Healing, Music with Alzheimer's patients

Yesterday, we had an overview of the components of healing music.  It’s always important to remember that what is healing to one person might actually be distasteful or anxiety provoking to another.  Music is very personal so understanding the components and how they function within music can help you to choose the music you want to listen to more intentionally.

Today we talk about “melody.”  The simplest definition is probably “a tune, or series of notes, sung or played one at a time, that is memorable and pleasant.”  Simple melodies that everyone probably knows include:

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

Mary had a little lamb

Happy Birthday to You

Amazing Grace

and so many more!

Some melodies are more memorable and appealing to people than others, but if a piece of music is to be “healing” then you’ve got to like, enjoy, and react positively to the melody.  But melodies can vary greatly!  We can have simple “nursery rhyme” melodies or we can have complex, classical music melodies like Mozart’s or Mendelssohn’s melodies.  These are often long and winding and are repeated with slight variations each time.

Then there are the popular music medodies that so many people love and associate with “falling in love” and good times.  Think of:

Unchained Melody

Wind Beneath My Wings

Chariots of Fire

Theme from “Rocky”

Stairway to Heaven

People who need people

Of course these tunes represent my generation…people who came of age in the 60’s.  Every generation has their favorites though and that’s been true for centuries.  Think of your grandparents music and their grandparent’s music.

I even made a CD called “Music for Memory Care” that features me playing on the piano the popular songs of the 1900-1940’s so that old people can sit and listen and reminisce about their youth and time of “falling in love.”  Melody is an important component of healing music so think about the melodies you love and how you can enjoy them more in times of stress and anxiety.

Tomorrow we’ll take a look at harmony!

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The Seven Components of Healing Music

June 14th, 2010 · music and the heart, Music and the Mind-Body, Music Healing

I’ve been talking about the healing powers of music my whole life! Everyone knows that music makes them feel good and can easily change their mood or their energetic state. How does this happen? Well, it’s not something that you can shine a light down someone’s esophagus and find out, but you can definitely adjust this or that aspect of the music and observe what happens on the outside of a person!

For the next several days I will write about this in more detail because so many people seem to be interested in this (including me!). For today, let me just list the seven components that I will be discussing and talk about what you want to look for in each of these components in order to get the maximum effect from your music.

I believe that although many wonderful composers have written music specifically for healing purposes, we can also find thousands of hours of wonderful music that was composed hundreds of years ago that has powerful healing (not curing!) properties. Of course a lot depends on the individuals musical taste and musical history. The same piece that can be healing for one purpose can be totally unpleasant and even traumatic for another, depending on their personal life associations.

Healing music does not exist in a vacuum but is defined in relation to the person listening to that music at that time. There are certain pieces of music that I have to be in the mood for. I can love something at one time, that later that day I can’t bear to hear. It is definitely not a cut and dried matter.

These are the seven components that I’ll be discussing:

Melody

Harmony

Rhythm

Tempo

Dynamics

Timbre

Duration

Be sure to subscribe to my RSS feed so that you don’t miss a lesson!

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The future of classical music is bright!

June 13th, 2010 · Classical Music

Several musical performances have been sent to me recently that feature either super-talented young performers or actual child prodigies.  So often my generation seems to believe that the future of classical is bleak and that in the future we’ll only have rap and “movie music!”

Each week, I listen on NPR to “From the Top” with Christopher O’Reilly and am reassured that the future of classical music is not only assured but the performers seem to be getting better and better!  Is this idea healing to me?  Of course it is!  It creates a sense of hope and optimism that the musical future of our planet is so bright that perhaps it can illuminate the solution to all kinds of national, world and planetary problems!  I’m feeling more upbeat and positive just from listening to this 11 year old right now.  Let me know how you feel after listening?

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What is the definition of “The Mozart Effect”?

June 12th, 2010 · The Mozart Effect...why Mozart?

What exactly IS “The Mozart Effect?”  People are always asking me what it is about Mozart’s music that is healing or helpful. Why isn’t Haydn’s music as powerful, or Beethoven’s or Schubert’s? Actually, I believe that any great composer’s music can be healing, keeping in mind our definition of healing. Remember that we define healing as “amelioration of symptoms.” Healing is not synonomous with curing!

Starting back in the 1950’s, a brilliant French ear, nose, and throat doctor and surgeon with a great love of music, starting treating many opera singers with various physical symptoms that prevented them from singing like they had. This man was Dr. Alfred Tomatis. One of his statements that was someone novel at the time was “the human voice cannot reproduce sounds that it cannot hear.” Dr. Tomatis looked at hearing deficiencies that the patients exhibited and discovered that when the patients listened to Mozart’s five violin concertos, in particular, that their hearing improved. Dr. Tomatis determined that these particular pieces of Mozart had the perfect range of pitches and the perfect timbre or tone color to heal the voice and the individual.

In the 1990’s research was being conducted at the University of California at Irvine in which Mozart’s Sonata in D Major for two pianos was being played for high school students about to take the SAT. In each trial, the students were divided into three groups. One group listened to their favorite pop music for 30 minutes before the test, one listened to nothing and one group listened to the Mozart piece. Repeatedly, the students who listened to the Mozart piece scored higher.

These two phenomena constributed to the idea of a “Mozart Effect.” I personally believe that the media has greatly exaggerated the power of Mozart however I do believe that Mozart’s music is healing, inspiring, beautiful, uplifting and amazing. Many people believe that Mozart was the greatest composer of all time because in his brief life, he was a master of every genre he attempted and he attempted all of the genres of his time: sonatas, symphonies, chamber music, opera, and choral music. If you haven’t listened to any Mozart lately, treat yourself to some tonight!

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Patriotic Music for Summer, 2010 Pt. 4

June 11th, 2010 · Music Healing

Will you be going to a concert of some kind this summer on the 4th of July?

We know about the big “Pops” concerts that happen in major cities around the country…Boston, New York, Washington, Chicago, Los Angeles and more…all have huge orchestral concerts or mixed groups.  It seems to be more and more often that small communities and neighborhood associations are sponsoring 4th of July concerts with musical groups of all kinds singing, dancing and performing patriotic music.   Music is such a perfect way to communicate feelings, thoughts and goals and our country is in a place where we need to join arms and move forward together into the most positive mind-set and goals possible.

As one of my friends said yesterday, wouldn’t it be great if we all joined hands this summer and sang “We are the World!”  Music for peace is a concept who’s time has come!  Let’s use patriotic songs this summer to unite and motivate ourselves.  Singing is something that can be done alone or by the thousands.  Please join in this summer and let’s sing together for positive acheivement and working together!

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Patriotic Music in the USA, Pt. 3

June 10th, 2010 · Music Healing

 

Patriotic music has probably existed for hundred and hundreds of years.  Of course much of the patriotic music has been composed in times of war or struggle.  The purpose is almost always to bolster the troops, but also to comfort those that are waiting patiently at home and doing their best to help the “war effort.”

My dear father used to tell me about all the songs that they sang during World War II when they had to do long marches through the freezing cold and snowy forest in the Ardenne Forest of Belgium.  He explained to my sister and me that singing upbeat, rhythmic songs as they marched helped to keep their minds off of how cold they were, how tired they were and how scared they were!

He taught many Army songs to us such as “Do Your Ears Hang Low,” “A Capital Ship,” and patriotic favorites such as “You’re a Grand Old Flag,” “Yankee Doodle,” and “March, March, March the Boys are Calling.”  Singing songs that talk about love of country and willingness to do what must be done, kept the morale up and help the U.S. troops to prevail.  They sang for their lives!

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Patriotic Music, Pt. 2

June 9th, 2010 · Music Healing

Everyone has their own favorite patriotic music.  Usually the songs people like the most are the ones they grew up hearing at their own schools, churches, family gatherings and other celebrations.

Some of these originated before the Civil War and talk proudly about the South or the North, rather than just celebrating the USA.  I grew up in the Deep South and we sang about “Dixie” and “Eating Goober Peas.”   In case you didn’t grow up in the South, goober peas are peanuts!

Every region of the US has it’s own songs that are not necessarily patriotic but talk proudly about their state.  Pride is at the root of it all and some of the most interesting songs I’ve reviewed talk proudly of dying for their state, region or country!

A song that I did not previously know is “The South Shall Rise up Free” and is a perfect example of the fervor felt by so many patriotic song-writers and poets:

THE SOUTH SHALL RISE UP FREE (1863)
Words by John Hill Hewitt (1801-1890)Melody: “Partant Pour La Syne”
The bugle sounds upon the plain,
Our men are gath’ring fast;
You would not have your friend remain,
And be among the last.
Cheer up, cheer up, my Southern flow’r,
There’s joy for you and me–
While Right is strong and God has pow’r,
The South shall rise up free!
While Right is strong and God has pow’r,
The South shall rise up free!
When by the campfire’s fitful light,
Beneath the starlit sky,
I picture scenes of young delight,
Your form shall hover nigh.
Your smile will cheer the lonely hour,
Your eye my lodestar be,
For well I know while God has pow’r,
The South shall rise up free!
For well I know while God has pow’r,
The South shall rise up free!
When to the field of fight I rush,
And raise my battle shout,
A soldier’s pride each doubt will hush,
Though bullets fly about.
I’ll boldly face the leaden shower,
And trust to Destiny;
For Right is strong and God has power–
The South shall rise up Free!
For Right is strong and God has power–
The South shall rise up Free!
Our Stary Cross flaunts in the air,
And guides each soldier on;
Where’er it shines our braves are there,
Unflinching, every one.
Then cheer up, cheer up!–Southern flower,
There’s joy for you and me;
For Right is strong and God has power–
The South shall rise up Free!
For Right is strong and God has power–
The South shall rise up Free!

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