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 super sleep 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 synchronization 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.
