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NATURE OF BAROQUE MUSIC:
Baroque music is a particular kind of music written by composers of music in the 17th
and 18th century. Some of the composers include Vivaldi, Telemann,
and Bach. Their music was composed using specific formulae passed down to them
from the music guilds of ancient times. This music brings about vast changes in a
person’s cognitive and physical abilities.
However, in the scope of music therapy, there are certain Baroque pieces which have the
greatest effect. Those pieces having slow tempo beats of about 55-65 beats a
minute in Baroque concertos are best suited in Music Therapy
The instruments used often by Baroque composers to achieve this soothing sound include the
violin, guitar, harpsichord and other string instruments.
WHAT ARE THE FIRST PHYSIOLOGICAL CHANGES TO OCCUR DURING A
BAROQUE LISTENING SESSION?
1) Listening to soothing Baroque music causes a lowering of blood pressure and slows down
the heartbeat.
2) An EEG monitor displays changes even in your brain waves. The fast, beta waves
gradually decrease by about 6%, while the alpha waves of relaxation increase by about 6%.
3) There is a synchronization between the right and left hemispheres of your brain.
Synchronization of the right and left brain hemispheres stimulates increased productivity
of the brain. This synchronization, which has been propounded by Zen Buddhists since long,
can be achieved within minutes of listening to Baroque music!
Contrary to popular belief, a calm state causes the body to function more efficiently on
less energy. This causes more energy to be available to your brain. People who have
phenomenal memory retention are also able to slow down their brainwave activity to the
slower alpha level (7-13 cycles a second).
Thus, the physical body may be at rest, but the mind is racing ahead!
AMAZING FACTS ABOUT BAROQUE MUSIC:
Sound therapy and Baroque music are effectively being used in hospitals, schools, business
offices and treatment centres with amazing results. We have already read about the
benefits of music therapy in this website. It is no wonder then, that Baroque music is
making waves throughout the globe. Research experiments by Maya Pines years ago proved
that slowing mind and body rhythms of lab animals doubled their rate of
learning. At St. Luke's Hospital in Cleveland, patients who hear Baroque and high
frequency music need lower dosages of painkillers. People who listen to such music for a
period of time make do with less sleep, because they now have a much more deeper and
concentrated sleep, since the mind and body are continuously being recharged through the
music. Such supersleep can extend life by many years. Subjects listening to the 60 beat
music have reported a sense of time expansion as their mind and body rhythms slow down in
synchronziation with the music. Subjects were able to study much more efficiently, learn
graphic skills in less than half the actual time required, were able to drive through
traffic with less tension, and even cut down on alcohol and cigarettes drastically since
their stress levels reduced. All the other benefits of music therapy mentioned before are
obviously received by listening to Baroque music. It can be listened to while studying,
cooking, cleaning the house, driving, learning a new skill, or just about anything.
Some music which is beneficial in sound therapy includes compositions by Vivaldi, Mozart,
etc.
Click below to view some music pieces which help in sound therapy.
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