The Whole Music Experience

Photo by Patricia Herlevi, Bellingham, WA Since my previous post on relaxing with classical music has attracted attention, let's experiment with the opposite--that is let's add vitality to our step and energize our bodies.  Psycho-acoustic experts tell us to charge the nervous system with high-tones and to increase the beats per minute to above 80 beats per minute (not that I ever know how many beats per minute music is).  However, by increasing the tempo, we raise our heartbeat rate, and increase the overall tempo in our bodies, thus giving us more energy. We don't want to get our adrenaline rushing or create fight or flight in our bodies since this isn't healthy.  So I'm not asking you to increase the volume of music, play booming bass and drums or blast yourself with screeching electric guitar.  But then I doubt any of you were planning on doing that since you already know what's healthy for you and what causes you tension and unease. I'm going to...

Jonathan Goldman, M.A. is an international authority on sound healing and a pioneer in the field of harmonics.   He is author of Healing Sounds , Shifting Frequencies , The Lost Chord , the best selling The 7 Secret Sounds of Healing, Chakra Frequencies (co-authored with his wife Andi), and his latest The Divine Name , winner of the 2011 Visionary Award for "Best Alternative Health Book". Jonathan is director of the Sound Healers Association and president of Spirit Music, Inc. in Boulder, Colorado.   A Grammy nominee, he has created numerous best selling, award winning recordings including The Divine Name (with Gregg Braden), Reiki Chants , Frequencies : Sounds of Healing , The Lost Chord , 2012: Ascension Harmonics and Chakra Chants , double winner of Visionary Awards for “Best Healing-Meditation Album” and “Album of the Year”.  Jonathan is a lecturing member of the International Society for Music Medicine. He has dedicated his life to the pat...

photo by Patricia Herlevi Prelude Just like we wouldn’t try wearing shoes we wore as a child, as adults, our musical tastes and experiences evolve over time.  We might even discard genres of music in the wake as we evolve spiritually and our minds and bodies mature.  Certain songs will bring only sad memories and hanging onto those memories or songs no longer serves us.  Other types of music provide bridges from one genre to the next. For instance, when I began evolving from alternative rock to world music, I discovered the new tangos of Astor Piazzolla, African pop, and archival fados.  I began hearing my first strains of jazz and Cuban music, such as Perez Prado’s mambos ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NjERL5oZrc ).  When I first began listening to world music I listed to global pop music as opposed to field recordings or traditional music played on traditional instruments.  Then over the following decade, I embraced global j...