The Sound of Silence

I have been making an attempt to have & experience more silence lately. Maybe that is why I have not posted here in a few weeks ;-) It may seem strange for a musician, but someone once said very eloquently that music is contained in the space between the notes. How true!

Now, I enjoy my iPod as much as everyone else. It allows me to take with me not only my purchased music, but also my own compositions & drafts, so that I can listen to them in various environments. This generates many more musical ideas. While I enjoy silence, I am not talking here about an anechoic chamber (sound-deprivation chamber), even though I’d love to experience that sometime soon. If anyone knows how to get me some time in one, I’d be forever grateful.

What I am referring to here is more akin to listening to our surroundings. When I exercise outside, I listen to the immediate sounds around me, instead of my mp3 player. I quite honestly have never been able to exercise with one, not that there is anything wrong with using a music player. When I am out in nature though, or open a window at home early in the morning, I enjoy the seeming cacophony out there. The sunrise & sunset are the two busiest “sound” times in nature. Nocturnal animals go to sleep before or at sunrise, while diurnal animals, like most humans, get to start the day. The process reverses itself at sunset. Sometimes there is a deafening level of sound, & then quickly shifts as everyone goes about their business (or is it “busy-ness”?). Try it sometime!

An aspect seldom talked about in all the discussions regarding our disappearing ecological environments, is that our soundscape ecology is also disappearing with them. Once a natural environment is gone, its unique sounds are lost forever, as no two environments are exactly alike. This is similar to no two music performances ever being exactly alike, even when played by the same musicians, at the same venue. I have also been thinking more about what a healthy sound environment does to our own health. I cannot help but notice how my indoor cats glue themselves to the open windows at home, listening to & admiring everything outside. I have also noticed this effect, to a much lesser extent, when I play a nature recording inside of my home. It is a distant second choice for the cats, & for me, but better than no nature sounds at all, especially in the middle of the winter here in New England, when we remain mostly indoors.

I’ve long admired & listened to the work of Bernie Krause with his nature recordings. You can check them out at
Wild Sanctuary . He truly has made excellent nature recordings & is helping preserve a shifting soundscape.

Another area where silence plays a central role in my life is in my meditation practice, as well as in my mantra chanting practice. During meditation, the focus for me becomes my breathing. As my mind & breath quiet down, I can start to feel & eventually hear the pumping heart, & the blood rushing through my veins. When doing chanting, often we focus on the sounds of course, but there is an interesting experience of silence afterwards, while there seems to be the sound energy still floating around after we stop.

I welcome your thoughts & experiences with sound.

Blessings,

Eduardo

The Sound Gathering Recordings

(Update 9/15/09: I have now placed an audio file player directly on this website/blog with my recordings, so you'll be able to find everything right here.)

I have now added a link to the right of this post, titled TSG Recordings @ Wellness thru Sound & Music (or click text), with past recordings made at a The Sound Gathering sound & drumming circle. Some/many of you were present during this recording in 2002, at the Illuminations bookstore, in Westford, MA, USA. I also uploaded one of my music pieces, titled "Serenity", for your enjoyment.

The Wellness through Sound & Music is part of the Healing Music Organization, & now they have this website as a social/networking site. It allows me to upload many more audio files, & much larger, than let's say MySpace, so I'll be using each for slightly different purposes. Watch out for more music postings.

Blessings,

Eduardo

Fostering Creativity: The MacDowell Colony

I had the opportunity to attend the MacDowell Colony’s Medal Day & Open House this past Sunday, Aug. 10, 2008. It was an amazing opportunity as the MacDowell Colony is only open to the general public once a year, including the artists’ studios. The colony, which resides in Peterborough, NH, is an artist colony, where artists from various disciplines, & from all over the world, apply for residencies of between three to eight weeks in length. Financial assistance is even offered to those that couldn’t otherwise attend.

This was a serendipitous day trip for me, as I engage often in thinking & researching creativity, & what fosters it, in my own music & artwork, as well as the work of others. I have noticed that creativity cannot be “forced” to happen, but there are certain elements that can foster it: time, space, financial means, an emotionally nurturing environment, amongst others.

The elimination of distractions is another element. I visited around 15 artist studios on Sunday, & invariably heard often that one of the biggest advantages of being in the colony was the elimination of such time wasters as TV, & access to the internet. The residents do have access to the Internet in the main hall, but not in the studios themselves. I for one, have notice this in my own creative life, where having internet access is a blessing, if used effectively, or a potential timewaster if used unchecked (endless email anyone? :-).

Another interesting fact about the colony is that its tax-exempt, non-profit status was legally challenged a couple of years ago by the Peterborough Board of Selectmen (local town government), looking to collect property taxes from the colony. The high court system as well as the New Hampshire Supreme Court sided with the colony, stating that their work of offering artists residencies was of benefit to the local society, as well as society in general. Indeed, art is essential to our society’s well being, they stated. The residents often end up working/playing with local residents & organizations, exposing them to the various aspects of their art, & even performances.

My focus was of course the studios of the various composers presently at the colony. Of note, Michael Klingbeil had also created some custom computer software to analyze & modify recorded sounds, called “Spear”, which I found very interesting & have started using. Michael offers the software as a free download. Thanks Michael! Download directly from Michael’s website.

Blessings,

Eduardo

The Sound Gathering @ Circles of Wisdom, Andover, MA, USA

We now have a permanent sound/drumming circle location for The Sound Gathering! It is @ the Circles of Wisdom Bookstore, in Andover, MA, USA, the 2nd Sunday of each month, 7-9 PM, starting on September 14th, 2008. This came about in a truly amazing way. Right after I sent my original message to the group, I also asked Sarah Fletcher (Westford, MA) to please forward it to her healing mailing list, which she did. Well, that same day, Cathy Levine, owner of Circles of Wisdom, had sent me an email, I visited her wonderful space the next day, & we agreed harmoniously to all the details on the spot! Synchronicity at its best! Besides providing us with a wonderful & spacious room, Circles of Wisdom also has a large mailing list for Mass., as well as New Hampshire, so we can benefit with additional participants & visibility. So thanks to Sarah & Cathy for helping co-create our sound gatherings. Please visit this link to the Circles of Wisdom for additional details. There will also be a The Sound Gathering circle ceremony on November 30th, at 4PM, to close the open house (pun intended :-) for Circles of Wisdom (well, all good events must come to an end too ;-). Join us during the day if you can, & you can learn about all the other wonderful events & resources they provide!

Blessings,

Eduardo

World Music: A Steady Diet

Welcome to this installment of my blog. I thought to share some world music I have been listening to lately. First, what is "world music?" I believe all music is world music, as in we are all one. But the more common definition can be handy when referring to music from other parts of the world besides the United States. Well, I find inspiration pretty much everywhere, including listening to world music, both familiar & unfamiliar. The dilemma we have here is that we can be somewhat insulated sometimes, while the rest of the world is indeed singing! To that effect, I recently embarked on listening to various sources of world music, both live & prerecorded.

- National Geographic Channel's Nat Geo Music Series: I found by coincidence this world music TV program while keeping company to my recently adopted feral cat (my fourth, but that is another blog altogether, maybe ;-) very late one night. By the way, a little Animal Planet & National Geographic channel TV time has been a great way to get my feral cat, Baraka, used to both animal sounds & sounds you’d find in a home (because of the commercials). Here in New Hampshire where I live we have Comcast, & one of their cable TV channel lineups includes the National Geographic Channel. Basically, it is a series of music videos from around the world, but that you’d probably not see on MTV, or elsewhere. Some of the videos are composites of different world locations, for the ultimate armchair travel experience, that is if you can stay in your chair & not dance. Check your cable or satellite TV listings in your area. In mine the series is on for 3 hours, between 3A.M. to 6A.M., so thank you DVR :-) (Digital Video Recorder, or TiVo, if that is what you use). The whole National Geographic World Music Home webpage is full of free features, videos & audio, as well as the Nat Geo Music TV webpage. Follow this link I also found on the Nat Geo website for a very interesting idea on how to finance your next music or CD project.

- A second source of world music for me lately has been the excellent UK magazine Songlines(click on link to subscribe). Each issue includes a compilation CD with tracks from various different world musicians & CDs. Subscribing to the magazine is like buying the compilation CDs & getting the magazine for free! It is a great way to listen & then decide if/which CDs to independently buy.

And for my favorite, live music:
- The Nashua Public Library has a Bach Lunch Concert Series on Wednesdays at noon, & the Summer Concert on the Plaza Series on Thursday evenings (click here for calendar). Neither focuses exclusively on world music, even though they have plenty of it. Here I was just introduced to the fascinating & beautiful music of 35th Parallel (Mac Ritchey & Gabe Halberg), described by the Nashua Public Library website as: "Take a musical journey through the Middle East, North India, North Africa, and the Mediterranean. Gabe Halberg and Mac Ritchey play instruments ranging from the Middle Eastern oud to the Indian tabla, from tar and jaw harp to bouzouki and didgeridoo." I’d add that they play both original compositions as well as traditional songs, with a strong emphasis on hand percussion. Quite a treat. You can purchase their Green Vine or Crossing Painted Islands albums (CDs here, mp3 downloads here). Make sure you visit their informative website too, at 35th Parallel.


- Lowell Folk Festival: Free, huge, full of ethnic music, food & fun! Do I need to say anything else? ;-) This festival just passed, so mark your calendars for the last full weekend in July of 2009 for the next installment. This year highlights included the Dance Pavillion (highlighting Puerto Plata, 85 years young! & his latin music group), with its various dance music acts, Balla Kouyaté (virtuoso player of an ancient instrument called the balafon, the West African ancestor of the marimba, the xylophone, the vibes, and a host of related instruments), Helder Moutinho (Portuguese fado male singer - a rarity for fado, since most are females), Pilon Batuku (Cape Verdean funana), & many more.

Hope you enjoy a dash of world music in your music diet, to liven things up!

Blessings,

Eduardo

Joy through Breath, Movement & Sound

This is an article I wrote some time ago, but more recently I have given much thought to this information, as I deeply integrate all three techniques in my sound healing practice. I am a certified T’ai Chi instructor, as well as a long-time meditator & sound healing practitioner, so breath, movement & sound blend easily in my classes. Enjoy, & I’d love to hear back from you.

Blessings,

Eduardo

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Joy through Breath, Movement and Sound

by Eduardo Martinez (Creative Commons copyright Eduardo Martinez; see sidebar for specific license)
Spirit of Change Magazine, March/April 1997, pp. 36-38 (Minor revisions July 2008)

Introduction
A human being is one of the most amazing energy transducers around. We convert food, oxygen and sunlight into energy through biochemical processes in our bodies. Emotions, thoughts and feelings also contribute. We can also garner and bask in the energy of the universe. Called Chi, Ki, Prana, or simply "life force", this universal energy permeates all of creation.

Energy is energy is energy. We are often tempted to categorize energy as physical, mental and spiritual, but these are just the expressions of the same universal energy. The source is one and the same. It is that thread that connects us with All That Is in the universe.

So how can we learn to flow with the life force, so more of it is available to us? The experience of harmony is one of those conditions that facilitate communing with the life force. That surge of energy when we are at peace within ourselves, with our Higher Selves, with others, and with the natural rhythms around us is an exquisite state. Things, situations, people and experiences all "flow" in our lives. So we can say that the experience of energy in us is enhanced by harmony, flow, joy, fun, and "effortless ease." This is quite contrary to what we have come to believe: work hard to accomplish more.

Ok. So if energy is so abundant, how come we don't have more of it? How come we don't have more of it with joy and ease, instead of working so hard to get it? The three techniques explained below will give you some ideas. There are more similarities than differences between them, if you peek underneath the veil. And remember, always have fun and joy when doing them!

Energy in Our Bodies
The energy in our bodies moves through the path of least resistance. When we are in harmony, loose and relaxed, the life energy swirls through our meridians and chakras, visits our organs, and is available to help generate positive thoughts and feelings, just the way energy was meant to do. What happens when we are tense, in disharmony, or have a disease? In these situations energy is either absent, "pinched" or "blocked" in certain parts of our bodies. Anyone that has ever received a massage knows very well how soft tissue can store tension (pinched energy), and how relief is achieved by helping relax the affected area, thus restoring the normal energy flow. Bodywork is a wonderful way to maintain the flow of energy in us. Other beneficial methods include acupuncture, acupressure, as well as the multiple energy/healing methodologies, like Polarity Therapy, Reiki, Therapeutic Touch, etc.

I like simplicity, and suggest that we practice the basics before anything else. Any form of therapy will be enhanced if we breathe and move correctly. Oftentimes these techniques by themselves will bring about the much-sought increase in energy and well-being. Sound can also be utilized as a tool for awareness and as a form of therapy, adding tremendously to the joy and fun. Sound is energy in the form of a vibration that can travel to any part of our being to bring about healing where it is most needed.

Breath, Movement and Sound
All three are ancient techniques spanning diverse eras, continents, philosophies and cultures. Yoga, Qi Gong and T'ai Chi (a form of Qi Gong), among many others, utilize the centuries-old basic principles of correct breathing, correct movement and sound vibrations to bring about balance and harmony to ourselves and our surroundings. It is interesting to note that the creation of a sound requires breath and movement. Practically every major civilization and culture, and many smaller ones, have sought to increase their well-being through a combination of these methods. So what makes them so effective and timeless?

For one, there is a simplicity about how these techniques work that brings about a "recognition" within us, a sense of "having come home." And this is important to understand, because the correct way to breathe, to move, and to generate sound are all very natural to everyone, or at least they were once. Our lifestyles, stress levels, diets, job environment, leisure activities, societal pressures and busy family lives have all contributed to us forgetting how to breath, move and generate sound effortlessly (remember "effortless ease" from the Introduction above?). If you have any doubts, observe a newborn. Savor how he or she moves, breathes and babbles freely. Also feel that somewhere within us we know how to do all of these. We just have to remember...

The Joy of Correct Breathing
There is no question about it. We all have to breathe, twenty-four hours a day, all of our lives. So how can there be anything else but "correct breathing?" Well, first, breathing is mostly an automatic, or autonomic function of our bodies. We don't have to think about breathing, for the most part. Imbalances in the body, as well as stress, affect our breathing patterns. Shallow breathing, mostly in the chest area, is the norm for many people. Normal breathing, on the other hand, is deep, relaxed, and carried out with the chest and the abdomen (there is movement, right there). Our full lung capacity is exercised when we take a deep breath and feel our lower abdomen section move in and out.

Over time we have forgotten to breathe correctly, thus neglecting possibly the fastest and easiest way of generating energy. Ancient wisdom has it that energy is a function of oxygen and interest, or ENERGY = OXYGEN + INTEREST. This is the "body/mind connection" at its best, where the body contributes to the energy available to us through correct breathing, while our mind, or what we are interested in, contributes the focus and attention that makes possible the flow and effortless ease in what we do.

We can remember how to breathe by bringing awareness into this otherwise automatic activity. Another potential benefit of aware, correct breathing is to experience the "gap" between the inhales and exhales. In traditional meditative practices, it is at this time when activity ceases, and inspiration, peace and harmony come pouring in to our souls, that moment when we are most connected to everything that exists. Each breath is how we invite the world in.

Breathing Exercise; An Exercise in Awareness
Sit down on a comfortable chair with good back support, in a quiet, peaceful place, both feet flat on the ground or floor. If you have a door in your office, this can be a very invigorating mid-day break from your work routine. Place the palm of your right hand on your lower abdomen, just below your navel. Have your back against the back of the chair. From this position become aware of your breathing for about five minutes, with no effort to change or modify how you normally breathe. For most of us, we realize that there is little movement of the lower abdomen. So we first relax the muscles in the abdomen as we progressively breathe deeper and deeper with our stomach area, for another five minutes. The Chinese call it the lower T'an T'ien (pronounced "dantienne"), and is located about two inches below the navel. It is the residence of the original Chi, or energy, and is the primal vitality center in the body where energy is developed and stored. It is very common to become aware of other parts of our bodies that are tense. Just relax them and continue concentrating on the breathing. Feel the freedom and joy that come with each breath. Feel the energy rushing in. With time and practice you can do this simple exercise in the middle of your day while doing other activities, without anyone noticing.

The Joy of Correct Movement
Movement is a somewhat more active way to generate and move energy in our bodies. The real secrets of movement are harmony, balance and ease. There is a delicate interaction between breath and movement. Observe yourself the next time you walk down the hallway.

Correct movement balances the life force in us. Disciplines like T'ai Chi and Yoga emphasize correct posture, slow, smooth and continuous movements, total relaxation, physical and mental coordination, grounding, balance, natural breathing, lightness and suppleness.

One of the main principles is that of Yin/Yang, the eternal opposites that exist in balance (see figure 1. Yin/Yang symbol), and that contain some of each other (the dots within each one). As an example, in T'ai Chi, when we move forward, we become aware of the shifting of our weight from our back leg to a neutral, balanced point, and then completing the weight shift to our front leg. We refer to the weight bearing leg as the "full" leg, while the other leg is "empty." It is only through contrasts that we come to know our world. We appreciate light because we know darkness; we refer to high and low, female and male, fast and slow, tensing and releasing, softness and firmness, inhale and exhale, doing and being, as opposites, but upon closer examination, each represents the other side of the same phenomenon. One cannot exist without the other.

How did we forget or favor one aspect more than the other? This we call lack of balance or harmony. Somewhere along the path we forgot how we were meant to move, quite often for the same reasons that we forgot how to breathe correctly. Correct movement is our birthright, not something that we have to spend years learning how to do. Yes, we do get more sophisticated as we grow up. We go from not moving much, to kicking and waiving our arms, to crawling, to taking a few steps, to running. But for most of us, we forgot to do it all with effortless ease.

Correct movement allows the energy to flow in our bodies in balanced, complementary ways. Left and right, distal and proximal, upper and lower body, all take turns to host the life energy whirling by. Movement becomes graceful, purposeful and effortless. And in this process we allow more and more energy to move through our beings, in an eternal dance with the life force. But how do we get started? The above mentioned techniques are extremely powerful tools to remember how to move correctly. Awareness of how we move can be the starting point, the same as with correct breathing. This is no small coincidence.

Movement Exercise; Another Exercise in Awareness
The best place to do this one is probably in nature, or at least outdoors. This is somewhat difficult to do sometimes during the long New England winters, but watch out for those clear, crisp, sunny days. Find a trail where you will not be disturbed. All that is required in this exercise is to be aware of your walking. Be consciously aware as you take each step, as you shift your weight forward, as you breathe in. Speed is not a requirement; it might even spoil the fun. Become aware of any physical discomfort. Ask yourself, "Am I moving with ease and joy?" If not, slow down, and continue to focus on your every step. Cherish the fact that you are performing with each step a feat of balance and grace. The first time you do this exercise you might not experience much, but as you practice, your body will tell you how it feels. All you have to do is listen, and move accordingly. The miraculously things is that each individual moves somewhat differently. Each of us is unique in our movement, and the correct movement techniques, like T'ai Chi or Yoga, should be adapted to the individual, and not the other way around. The "correct way to move" is nothing more than a template that we look at and then conform to our physiology. Be unique and have fun while you are doing it.

The Joy of Sound
Sound is a vibration, a form of energy that travels in a wave form, through a medium, like air, water, living tissue and our bones. The sounds we hear are brought to our ears by the surrounding air, which causes pressure changes within our ear. If our ears are capable of detecting sound, why not the rest of our body?

As a matter of fact, our whole being does respond to sound, from an ultrasound wave being reflected back to the medical instrument after reaching a particular organ, to the emotions and physical sensations triggered by our favorite musical composition. Vibrations exist at a cellular level. The utilization of sound through history as a healing modality is as extensive, if not more, than that of breath and movement. Music consists of sounds and silences organized in time.

Sound therapy is currently used in hospitals, schools, psychological treatment programs, and even corporate offices as an effective tool to reduce stress, alleviate pain, improve coordination, movement and balance, increase production, and treat learning disabilities. Certain sounds can slow our breathing rate and heart rate, sooth our emotions, decrease muscle tension and improve our sense of well-being. But how does this happen?

Entrainment is one of the ways in which sound affects us. This process refers to the phenomenon by which one rhythm aligns or synchronizes with another rhythm. A baby's heartbeat matches the mother's when resting on her chest and our breathing slowing down as a result of listening to soothing music are two examples. In the case of sound healing, when an individual projects a tone on another, sound healer and client entrain to the basic vibratory nature of the expressed tones.

Another phenomenon is resonance. Resonance refers to different parts of the body vibrating according to different tones and frequencies. Science has documented the resonant frequencies of the different organs and tissues in the human body. They are usually given as a frequency range, allowing for individual variations. Cymatics therapy uses a computerized instrument that generates resonant frequencies to positively affect unhealthy tissue in our bodies, returning it to its natural resonant frequency. This technique does not affect healthy tissue. We can think of our beings as having a "signature" frequency, which is a composite of all the frequencies present in our bodies. Like fingerprints, no two signature frequencies are exactly alike.

One of the most simple and effective ways to utilize sound to generate and circulate energy is to simply tone. The human voice is not only a magnificent instrument, but it also carries pure intention with it. Martial artists utilize the "kia" sound, along with a strong exhale, just when they are striking because of the increased energy and focus it brings to their movement. We can experiment in the comfort of our homes with different vowel sounds and tones to increase our health, energy and harmony. It is hard not to giggle in the beginning, but after all, laughter is sound!

Sound Exercise; Still Another Exercise in Awareness
Sit in a comfortable chair, with both feet on the floor. The first part of this exercise consists on focusing our attention on a specific part of our body, like a shoulder, or the heart area, and to start generating tones (elongated vowels, like "aaahhh") with our voices. Experiment with different tones and volume levels until you feel sensations on that part of the body. Continue for five to ten minutes. Louder is not necessarily better. Some people might experience heat, or a tingling sensation, and others just an intense awareness of the area. Remember that sounds are energy. We are just becoming conscious of what sounds affect us in what ways. Try different areas of your body on different days. The second component of this exercise is to tone a sound that comes to mind, and sense where in your body it is traveling to. Try different sounds on different days, and even on different times of the day. Play with it.

Conclusion
The three techniques explained above work beautifully well when done simultaneously, or separately to complement each other. All three come together in harmony, for the creation of balance, as self-awareness tools, and as tremendous generators of energy. Some of the principles that make them effective independent of each other, like entrainment, also work to synchronize their use. As an example, when doing a movement technique, like T'ai Chi, breathing becomes an integral part of the movement. As we breath and move synchronously, adding soft music in the background will affect the pace and intensity of our practice. Our thoughts slow down. Breath, music and movement occupy the same time and space. We can also tone while practicing any movement technique, and we find very quickly that tone, movement and breath also share a dance. One becomes the others. Singers know about the coordination of breath, sound and movement.

Energy is physical, mental and spiritual in nature. It is available everywhere, to everyone. When dealing with the life force, we can allow it to flow where it is most needed at a given moment, be it moving a hand, helping another individual, treating a disease, generating a thought or a feeling, or feeding our soul. And all with a sense of joy and fun, knowing that it is inexhaustible and life-sustaining.