Close-up on 7 ways of coping: Music and sound

Coping Strategies
Part 11 - Close-up on 7 ways of coping

Music and sound

(iii). Music and sound

The definition of resonance is when the vibrations of one external force cause another to move in a rhythmic way. This is more likely to happen if the two forces share a similar, natural frequency.

Finding types of music and sound that match our own vibrations – that can resonate with us at an atomic level – is of real importance to our well-being. Similarly, cutting out music and sounds that are unpleasant, upsetting, clashing and disharmonious (otherwise known as dissonance) can also be of great benefit to us.

Listening to music has all sorts of therapeutic benefits. It reduces stress and anxiety levels. It can improve your mood, your heart rate and your blood pressure. Music helps to develop cognitive skills such as attention and memory. It can also give you a sense of control, by providing you with a sense of the familiar and a grounding in reality when you feel disconnected. It also influences your metabolism, sleep, respiration and helps reduces fatigue.

Q:	How do we know which sounds make us well and which make us ill?
A:	We find out. We go on a journey of discovery. We look for clues. We start with what we already know.

Different types of music

It may be worth splitting music into sub-sections.

If we are interested in being able to study and concentrate or to use music to help us sleep, monophonic music works wonders. Monophonic music contains one melodic line without the harmony, for example Gregorian chanting. This type of music helps to preoccupy our subconscious mind, so that we can focus our attention elsewhere.

Polyphonic music contains multiple instruments, or voices and harmonies, that are played at the same time, such as Johann Pachelbel's Canon. Polyphonic music is complex and demands concentration; it can completely absorb us, challenge us, and plant all sorts of imagery into our subconscious that in turn can stimulate creativity.

Homophonic is where vocals and instruments complement a dominant rhythm or repetitive beat, and which constitutes most pop music. For many Western people this music is very straightforward and easy to grasp as it played everywhere. It is the music that is most likely to make you dance.

Heterophonies can be heard in bluegrass and Cajun and in many non-Western types of music. Here there is one melody played out by two instruments (say fiddle and banjo) at the same time, without necessarily being perfectly synchronised, which creates a natural texture to the sound.

Polyrhythms. This is where two or more separate rhythms combine and conflict with one another. The origins of this music are African. If played over a long period of time, the effects of this music can be hypnotic and transcendental.

Would it be useful to you to listen to music that you have never heard before, to find out if it has an impact on your well-being?

Music and sound questions

What types of music do you enjoy?

What sounds do you enjoy?

Is there a common theme to your choice of music and sound? E.g. the pitch, the frequency, the rhythm?

Is there a musical instrument that you particularly like?

What type of voices/singers do you like?

What music do you not enjoy?

What sounds do you not enjoy?

Is there a common theme to your dislike of the music and sounds? E.g. the pitch, the frequency, the rhythm?

Is there a musical instrument that you dislike the sound of?

What type of voices/singers do you most dislike?

Do you reach for music when you are upset?

Does (or could) music connect you to the world?

In relation to sound, what environment do you work best in?

What songs make you want to dance?

What songs would you chose for your own funeral?

Do songs need to have a meaning for you before you can engage with them?

How aware are you of everyday sounds?

Which sounds are you more aware of than others?

Are you likely to notice pleasant sounds or irritating sounds?

Resonance exercises

1. Using only yourself and your own body, find ways of making sounds that resonate with you.

2. Using items from your own home, find ways of making sounds that you like.

3. Take a walk in your neighbourhood, listen out for sounds that resonate with you.

4. When you are away from your natural habitat, listen out for new sounds that you may like.

5. If you do find sounds that you like, make a note of them (or record them) so that you can produce or hear the sound whenever you need to.

My resonance discovery notes:

Iso-moodic principle

According to the principles of music therapy you can change your mood, as well as calm your body, by listening to a certain number of songs in a certain order or sequence, so as to transport you, step by step, into whichever mood you want to go to.

Iso-moodic principle is “a technique by which music is matched with the mood, then gradually altered to affect the desired mood state. This technique can also be used to affect physiological responses such as heart rate and blood pressure.”
William B. Davis, Kate E. Gfeller, Michael Thaut, authors of An Introduction to Music Therapy.

To some people this idea may seem somewhat counter-intuitive. They may ask, “If I’m in a bad mood and I want cheering up, why would I want to play a song that is miserable? Why not play something that is happy?” To which the answer would be: playing a happy song when you are miserable will not have any meaningful effect. Only by matching your mood do you then get to alter it, step by step.

So, for example, if you wanted to move from angry to happy, you may need to find music (or sounds) that takes you along the following pathway:

Angry → Serious → Majestic → Passionate → Happy

or

Angry → Sentimental → Serene → Playful → Happy

In order to use this concept as a coping strategy, you will need to set up a whole host of playlists or categories that are unique to you and your moods. This may require a fair amount of trial and error. You can either start the matching process (i) by finding out which music/sounds resonate with your current mood at any given time or (ii) by playing lots of different types of music/sounds and finding out what mood they put you in.

The chart below is incomplete. You may wish to add your own mood words at the bottom, along with the matching sound/music. Put down as many tunes or noises as you want.

My mood	My matching music/sounds playlist
Happy
Playful
Serene
Dreamy
Gloomy
Serious
Majestic
Passionate

The mood wheel

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