For me, although voice is my first instrument, sound is more than singing.
It is drumming and chiming and striking and stroking and plucking..
I sound because it is my spiritual practice.
I sound because it nourishes my soul and makes it glow.
I listen deeply to the known and the mystic and
I sound to give 'voice' to the sonic mysteries swirling through the cosmos.
Sounding gives me roots to ground and wings to soar.
Sound brings me back to harmony when I am out of tune.
Sound brings me balance.
It reaches out to all the places I have stretched myself and offers
an alchemical container where I can return to my peace in the chaos.
Life is my altar and my body is not a temple to sit with hard, structured
boundaries unused waiting for a moment of occasional spirit ritual.
My body is my instrument. Constantly tuning and adjusting to life's symphony.
I chant it. I dance it. I sing it. I make mad passionate love to it. I breathe it.
Sound is my song, it is my dance, it completes me.
Sonic Blissings, Anny
Showing posts with label listening. Show all posts
Showing posts with label listening. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Overtone Harmonics
We hear sound as a whole experience, body, mind and spirit. When a note or tone is sounded, either instrumentally or vocally, we hear more than the fundamental note.
Overtones, or harmonics are a series of barely audible tones that originate from the fundamental note, creating harmonies.
The word ‘harmony’ was originally defined as a tension of opposites creating a whole. What would that sound like? If you were to strike a key on the piano to create a sound, a string would vibrate. If you looked closely, you would see that the tension causes other strings to resonate in harmony to the original string.
The complementary strings follow a pattern called the ‘harmonic series’ which was originally discovered by Pythagoras. The harmonic series, also known as the golden mean, follows mathematical proportions that can be found in the structures of all life; in sound, music, the human body, planetary orbits, in the sacred architecture of Egypt, Rome and Athens to the way in which leaves are spaced on a tree. Harmony represents the innate perfection at the very core of life.
An overtone defines the depth, timbre (acoustic quality) and colour of a sound. It is like when light passes through a prism or crystal and what is reflected on the surface is a beautiful rainbow.
The beauty of overtones is noticeable when you hear two voices singing the same tone. The same frequency will sound different because each singer’s overtone structure will be unique to them. It is like a genetic blueprint, a voiceprint which can be heard even when we are speaking.
The human body is a resonating chamber waiting to be sung. A singer can develop their overtones with a variety of techniques such as sustained toning, adjusting the shape of the vocal chamber and placement of the sound in the head or throat.
Benefits of Overtones
~ Gives the body an internal sound massage
~ Harmonizes body, mind and spirit
~ Develops a fuller more resonate presentation voice
~ Gives us an opportunity to surrender to the sublime bliss of sound
Overtones are a wonderful way to make your sound more resonant.
~ Sonic Blissings, Anoushka
© 2004 Anny Fyreagle
Overtones, or harmonics are a series of barely audible tones that originate from the fundamental note, creating harmonies.
The word ‘harmony’ was originally defined as a tension of opposites creating a whole. What would that sound like? If you were to strike a key on the piano to create a sound, a string would vibrate. If you looked closely, you would see that the tension causes other strings to resonate in harmony to the original string.
The complementary strings follow a pattern called the ‘harmonic series’ which was originally discovered by Pythagoras. The harmonic series, also known as the golden mean, follows mathematical proportions that can be found in the structures of all life; in sound, music, the human body, planetary orbits, in the sacred architecture of Egypt, Rome and Athens to the way in which leaves are spaced on a tree. Harmony represents the innate perfection at the very core of life.
An overtone defines the depth, timbre (acoustic quality) and colour of a sound. It is like when light passes through a prism or crystal and what is reflected on the surface is a beautiful rainbow.
The beauty of overtones is noticeable when you hear two voices singing the same tone. The same frequency will sound different because each singer’s overtone structure will be unique to them. It is like a genetic blueprint, a voiceprint which can be heard even when we are speaking.
The human body is a resonating chamber waiting to be sung. A singer can develop their overtones with a variety of techniques such as sustained toning, adjusting the shape of the vocal chamber and placement of the sound in the head or throat.
Benefits of Overtones
~ Gives the body an internal sound massage
~ Harmonizes body, mind and spirit
~ Develops a fuller more resonate presentation voice
~ Gives us an opportunity to surrender to the sublime bliss of sound
Overtones are a wonderful way to make your sound more resonant.
~ Sonic Blissings, Anoushka
© 2004 Anny Fyreagle
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Giving into the Music
What happens when we give into the music?
Last week I had a phone with Cindy, who asking me about sound, healing and voice. After our conversation, something happened. Suddenly she could hear the music.
Cindy: My Fan in my bedroom sings to me now. I started to hear it after we talked. It is a two tone melody. Like a choir
I adore hearing stories like this. It's as if, suddenly, you've uncovered the veil and see, or in this case hear a whole new universe. The one that is making music all around you.
I explained that when you 'tune into' the sounds that surround you, you entrain to them, you find their 'groove'. When sound becomes a rhythm and rhythm becomes a pattern, you have music.
Cindy: If I just listen, I just hear it and it's going back and forth but when I relax I actually hear the music. I can't hear the music all the time though, just when I give into it. But the fan does have it's own music right?
Yes it does. Of course it does. Anything that vibrates on a molecular level makes sound. The fan is moving air which is creating sound. It becomes music when you can hear it's patterns.
Cindy: I swear it actually sounds like a huge church choir, it's volumes is tremendous. It sings me to sleep
Anny: Think of it as the Universe signing you a lullabye
Cindy: It's lovely, now I will start seeing what else I can hear. Thanx, for opening me to the music!
And THAT...is music to my ears!
Last week I had a phone with Cindy, who asking me about sound, healing and voice. After our conversation, something happened. Suddenly she could hear the music.
Cindy: My Fan in my bedroom sings to me now. I started to hear it after we talked. It is a two tone melody. Like a choir
I adore hearing stories like this. It's as if, suddenly, you've uncovered the veil and see, or in this case hear a whole new universe. The one that is making music all around you.
I explained that when you 'tune into' the sounds that surround you, you entrain to them, you find their 'groove'. When sound becomes a rhythm and rhythm becomes a pattern, you have music.
Cindy: If I just listen, I just hear it and it's going back and forth but when I relax I actually hear the music. I can't hear the music all the time though, just when I give into it. But the fan does have it's own music right?
Yes it does. Of course it does. Anything that vibrates on a molecular level makes sound. The fan is moving air which is creating sound. It becomes music when you can hear it's patterns.
Cindy: I swear it actually sounds like a huge church choir, it's volumes is tremendous. It sings me to sleep
Anny: Think of it as the Universe signing you a lullabye
Cindy: It's lovely, now I will start seeing what else I can hear. Thanx, for opening me to the music!
And THAT...is music to my ears!
Friday, June 1, 2007
a song can shift a mood...instantly
it can bring peace........effortlessly
A song can stir your soul.
Bring a tear to your eye.
Move your spirit to dance.
A song can enfold your heart.
When I’m not listening to music, people that know me well ask me if I’m okay. Yet, people laugh when I say that I’m addicted to sound. After four years of making sound in therapeutic and ritual situations suddenly, circumstances gave me a dry spell. I listen to music constantly and yet no amount of playing music on my stereo, discman or computer filled a need inside me that was aching for attention. I asked my mentor, a wise man, why regular music couldn’t replace my need for live, organic sound and his answer was “good question!” Turns out he’s a wise guy.
And like the dedicated sound explorer that I am, off I trekked in search of an answer.
While spelunking through nooks and crannies, I discovered the three Rs on a cave wall. No, not reading, writing and rithemtic (whoever came up with that obviously hadn’t mastered the writing yet). The three Sound Rs....
• Ritual • Resonance • Receptivity
Of course! Suddenly it all made sense to me. Rituals are created out of seemingly simple things. We create ritual by focusing our attention to a set time and space. Ritual becomes our cycles in life. We all have our morning ritual that we follow and like all things in life, even our rituals flow and change into new ones constantly. Sound becomes ritual when we set aside the time for its practice. It reaches us when we set aside the stresses of everyday life, turn off the computers, televisions and cell phones and allow ourselves to be moved into the bliss of sound’s offering. Through ritual, we connect to the spirit, the miracle that gives us life. It’s our direct plug-in to the Universe (One Song).
Resonance takes us back to the basic physics. Our bodies are a collection of molecules bumping into each other in space creating a mass. We are actually 90% space. The kinetic energy of these active molecules creates vibrations. The essence of sound is vibratory and our physical bodies are vibratory. Our skin is a perfect medium for sound receptivity. When we listen to sound, our bodies get a vibratory massage which can be easily felt with a buffalo drum. When our body vibrations blend with sound we create our own unique songs.
Receptivity requires deep listening. Our receptivity increases when we are in ritual space. We tune our listening ears, our listening hearts and our listening bodies to the caresses of sonic expression that we make and receive. With our attention focused on sound making we become more aware of the harmonies, dissonances and blends with the sound of others.
Engaging in the three Sound Rs is an extra ordinary experience. On a regular basis it can definitely become addictive. But I can’t think of a better addiction to have than sonic bliss.
~ Sonic Blissings, Anoushka
it can bring peace........effortlessly
A song can stir your soul.
Bring a tear to your eye.
Move your spirit to dance.
A song can enfold your heart.
When I’m not listening to music, people that know me well ask me if I’m okay. Yet, people laugh when I say that I’m addicted to sound. After four years of making sound in therapeutic and ritual situations suddenly, circumstances gave me a dry spell. I listen to music constantly and yet no amount of playing music on my stereo, discman or computer filled a need inside me that was aching for attention. I asked my mentor, a wise man, why regular music couldn’t replace my need for live, organic sound and his answer was “good question!” Turns out he’s a wise guy.
And like the dedicated sound explorer that I am, off I trekked in search of an answer.
While spelunking through nooks and crannies, I discovered the three Rs on a cave wall. No, not reading, writing and rithemtic (whoever came up with that obviously hadn’t mastered the writing yet). The three Sound Rs....
• Ritual • Resonance • Receptivity
Of course! Suddenly it all made sense to me. Rituals are created out of seemingly simple things. We create ritual by focusing our attention to a set time and space. Ritual becomes our cycles in life. We all have our morning ritual that we follow and like all things in life, even our rituals flow and change into new ones constantly. Sound becomes ritual when we set aside the time for its practice. It reaches us when we set aside the stresses of everyday life, turn off the computers, televisions and cell phones and allow ourselves to be moved into the bliss of sound’s offering. Through ritual, we connect to the spirit, the miracle that gives us life. It’s our direct plug-in to the Universe (One Song).
Resonance takes us back to the basic physics. Our bodies are a collection of molecules bumping into each other in space creating a mass. We are actually 90% space. The kinetic energy of these active molecules creates vibrations. The essence of sound is vibratory and our physical bodies are vibratory. Our skin is a perfect medium for sound receptivity. When we listen to sound, our bodies get a vibratory massage which can be easily felt with a buffalo drum. When our body vibrations blend with sound we create our own unique songs.
Receptivity requires deep listening. Our receptivity increases when we are in ritual space. We tune our listening ears, our listening hearts and our listening bodies to the caresses of sonic expression that we make and receive. With our attention focused on sound making we become more aware of the harmonies, dissonances and blends with the sound of others.
Engaging in the three Sound Rs is an extra ordinary experience. On a regular basis it can definitely become addictive. But I can’t think of a better addiction to have than sonic bliss.
~ Sonic Blissings, Anoushka
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Less is More
I've spent a weekend immersed in sound. Friday night I went to a concert of crystal bowls, paiste gongs and a variety of instruments. What struck me, literally, was that vast soundscapes one can paint with just two, or sometimes even one instrument.
Another very striking thought was that there is an invisible quality to true music, that which sets music apart from simply noise and that is blending. It a challenging concept to explain but it allows each individual sound to be uniquely different and yet they are all part of everything else that is going on. THAT is what I listen for.
This struck me again Saturday afternoon listening to a master didjeridoo player at a didj workshop. With what to most people is nothing but a hollow log and a simple rattle, he took me on a journey that set the mood for the entire afternoon. I felt the sound move me. Not the outside of me. The inside of me. That's where I was listening from.
When we listen from that place deep inside us, we can find where we need to be, what we need to be doing. That place is where we find our true selves. Some of us can hear from this place. Some of us hear it and ignore it. Some of us hear it, acknowledge and carry on with 'real' life and some of us don't hear it all, which would be a very sad life.
I've enjoyed my weekend sonic 'vacation' immensely and hope to do it again soon. It was very refreshing for my soul.
Sonic Blissings, Anny
© April, 2007 Anny Fyreagle
Another very striking thought was that there is an invisible quality to true music, that which sets music apart from simply noise and that is blending. It a challenging concept to explain but it allows each individual sound to be uniquely different and yet they are all part of everything else that is going on. THAT is what I listen for.
This struck me again Saturday afternoon listening to a master didjeridoo player at a didj workshop. With what to most people is nothing but a hollow log and a simple rattle, he took me on a journey that set the mood for the entire afternoon. I felt the sound move me. Not the outside of me. The inside of me. That's where I was listening from.
When we listen from that place deep inside us, we can find where we need to be, what we need to be doing. That place is where we find our true selves. Some of us can hear from this place. Some of us hear it and ignore it. Some of us hear it, acknowledge and carry on with 'real' life and some of us don't hear it all, which would be a very sad life.
I've enjoyed my weekend sonic 'vacation' immensely and hope to do it again soon. It was very refreshing for my soul.
Sonic Blissings, Anny
© April, 2007 Anny Fyreagle
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Improvising in Sound and Life
Sound vibrations surround us continously and can affect our thoughts, feelings and how we experience the world. Stop for just a moment and listen to the sounds around you. Notice their affect...are the calming, neutral or irritating?
For millenia rhythm, melody, and harmony have as natural as breathing and talking. For centuries the world over we have created music around our work, celebrations, and ritual. Our songs can moderate our passions or shatter the energy around us. They can reduce stress, provide comfort, create joy and wonder. They balance us and brings us into harmony with our surroundings.
Improvised sound is a dance with the unknown. It calls to all of our senses using body-based impulses, providing a perfect container into which obscure thoughts and feelings can be externalized and transformed through a symbolic language. We dive in with complete surrender and reclaim the hidden heart, the voice of the self, the innocence and imagination of a child who had no qualms about creating reality. I marvel constantly at the weaving of childrens’ improvised tales of mermaids, princesses and dancing bears.
As a natural element, improvised sound allows us the freedom to call out with rapture, grief, terror and bliss without engaging the thinking mind. It offers us a safe space to approach the unknown with curiosity and teaches us to trust that the path will be revealed.
It is about listening and exploring the dynamics of our inner music, putting us in the pregnant moment of the now, and resonating with the life that surrounds us bringing us into harmony. We surrender to the music that is genetically encoded in our bones.
As the oldest instrument in the world, the human voice is extrememly powerful and sensitive because it will resonate with the intention put into it. A word spoken in anger or in love can change our entire lives in an instant. The human voice has overtones, textures, colours, dynamics, and emotions creating an artistic collage of meaning and effect. The sound of our voice reflects our personality and our very soul. It is versatile and alive. It is breath and life.
Benefits of Vocal Improvisation
The more you can express yourself through musical improvisation, the more the self comes alive and contributes to your well-being and wholeness. Learning to improvise vocally will reverberate into other areas of your life, in how you listen, blend, stand out, find your groove or surrender to yourself.
Singing is one of our most creative acts.
It links us to our underlying substance and being because it involves the use of our whole self.
The singing voice is the breathe of life touching the heart of the listener.
~ Sonic Blissings, Anny
© 2006 Anny Fyreagle
For millenia rhythm, melody, and harmony have as natural as breathing and talking. For centuries the world over we have created music around our work, celebrations, and ritual. Our songs can moderate our passions or shatter the energy around us. They can reduce stress, provide comfort, create joy and wonder. They balance us and brings us into harmony with our surroundings.
Improvised sound is a dance with the unknown. It calls to all of our senses using body-based impulses, providing a perfect container into which obscure thoughts and feelings can be externalized and transformed through a symbolic language. We dive in with complete surrender and reclaim the hidden heart, the voice of the self, the innocence and imagination of a child who had no qualms about creating reality. I marvel constantly at the weaving of childrens’ improvised tales of mermaids, princesses and dancing bears.
As a natural element, improvised sound allows us the freedom to call out with rapture, grief, terror and bliss without engaging the thinking mind. It offers us a safe space to approach the unknown with curiosity and teaches us to trust that the path will be revealed.
It is about listening and exploring the dynamics of our inner music, putting us in the pregnant moment of the now, and resonating with the life that surrounds us bringing us into harmony. We surrender to the music that is genetically encoded in our bones.
As the oldest instrument in the world, the human voice is extrememly powerful and sensitive because it will resonate with the intention put into it. A word spoken in anger or in love can change our entire lives in an instant. The human voice has overtones, textures, colours, dynamics, and emotions creating an artistic collage of meaning and effect. The sound of our voice reflects our personality and our very soul. It is versatile and alive. It is breath and life.
Benefits of Vocal Improvisation
The more you can express yourself through musical improvisation, the more the self comes alive and contributes to your well-being and wholeness. Learning to improvise vocally will reverberate into other areas of your life, in how you listen, blend, stand out, find your groove or surrender to yourself.
Singing is one of our most creative acts.
It links us to our underlying substance and being because it involves the use of our whole self.
The singing voice is the breathe of life touching the heart of the listener.
~ Sonic Blissings, Anny
© 2006 Anny Fyreagle
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