Language
Natural Language (Music)
Meaning is a function of dissonance between frequencies.
Example: two notes sound pleasing together -> low dissonance.
Example: two notes sound terrible together -> high dissonance.
Music = Harmonic language.
We experience meaning from the “feelings” of notes played together or in sequence.
Constructed Language (English, Mandarin, etc.)
Meaning is a function of tonality, clicks, and other rhythmic sounds.
Example: Mandarin derives meaning through the way a sound is made.
Example: English derives meaning from explicit tones/rhythms.
Non-Harmonic Language = Most Human Languages
We derive understanding from the pre-defined meaning behind sounds, such as letters and words.
How Music Communicates
Music = Natural
We intuitively understand the feeling (meaning) of harmonies.
Ex:
Perfect 8th (octave) = low dissonance = “pleasant”
Ex:
Minor 2nd = high dissonance = “nasty”
You naturally understood the “message” of this music. A musician can convey emotion/feeling/meaning through harmonies.
Natural communication.
On the contrary, constructed language, such as English, is not intuitive. We are taught the defined meaning behind letters and words.
Not natural communication.
Comparison
Music : Implicit Meaning -> naturally understand meaning
Words : Explicit Meaning -> learn definitions of meaning
Music : Emotion/Feeling -> harmonies transfer feelings (happy, sad)
Words : Thought/Idea -> words transfer a thought and often little else
Music : Inclusive -> all humans understand, and many animals
Words : Exclusive -> only certain groups can communicate together
Music : Experience -> long songs convey an emotional rollercoaster
Words : Idea -> paragraphs convey depth/breadth of an idea
These comparisons are NOT mutually exclusive. Music can convey ideas and words can convey experiences, but only in a limited sense. The list compares the dominant characteristics between two types of language.
Engineered Experience
I. Variance
Music, particularly long pieces, carry the listener along a journey. Classical music, such as Beethoven’s and Mozart’s compositions, carefully construct an emotional experience.
Music was an engineered experience.
Today, many new songs lack this engineered quality. An artist creates a catchy melody, and an entire song is created to revolve around this repeated musical phrase.
Listen to any dance/pop song created since 2000, and notice how the chorus will repeat 2-4 times.
Chorus = Catchy Melody
New music preys on this addiction to a catchy melody and abuses its power. Like a junkie continually opting for another hit, we listen to this catchy tune repeatedly until we are sick of it.
If we treat music as a language, listening to a chorus 2-4 times per song is like a presenter repeating the same paragraph 2-4 times in a five minute speech. Seems ridiculous, no?
II. Duration
Classical pieces were often >5 minutes.
Modern music is almost always <5 minutes.
Composers, such as Beethoven and others, created preludes, sonatas, and sections of larger performances that totaled more than 2 hours of music. Musical performance was similar to theatrical performance.
Shakespeare : Hours of Live Acting
Avengers : Hours of Movies
Without digressing too much, this began with the advent recorded music.
Records could not record hours of music, so pieces were shortened. Then producers encouraged density of music, so albums were created. With a fixed amount of recording capacity, this meant the duration of songs were reduced even more so.
There is a scene in the movie Bohemian Rhapsody, where the Freddie Mercury, the leader singer of Queen, is arguing with his producer. Queen created the now-infamous song Bohemian Rhapsody, which is over 6 minutes long and incorporates classical styles. The producer disliked the song because it did not fit the style of “rock” and it was too long to fit on a record.
Ad Naturam = Return to Nature
Tell me reader have you listened to a great song that transports you into the experience? You are fully immersed in this ecstasy of sound, and just as you get situated in your new world, the song abruptly ends?
Music is an experience. Personally, my greatest experiences were all longer than 5 minutes! Saturation, like marinade on steak, only occurs with time. We must bring back long pieces, expansive journeys, immersive experiences that transport listeners to a new world.
Join me on my mission to do so. I will guide you.
III. Personal
True music, good music is a personal message. A composer shares their internal experience with the world.
Nothing can fabricate raw human experience. Nothing.
Unfortunately, modern music focuses on the monetization of music, rather than the meaning. The next “hit song” is manufactured in pieces.
Artificial, empty, inhuman.
Example:
A ghost artist creates a repetitive “beat,” a soundtrack.
A producer repeats the track and adds/removes pieces.
An “artist” is brought in to record vocals.
None of these people may ever meet.
Where is the expression of experience? Fake. Music.
Ad Naturam
Return to Nature.
Imagine ancient humans gathered around a fire. Armed with animal bones leftover from today’s hunt and their vocal cords, one begins to bang a bone against a fallen log. This piques the interest of another who excitedly begins to smash his bone against the ground. Finally, a third feels an energy bubble within; the third begins to grunt. The remainder of the tribe experiences this corporeal sensation—the Power of Music.
One child frantically twists his body. Feeling the groove, his sibling starts to jump around. Others begins to join the banter. High yells, low moans, loud chants fill the air.
By the end of it all, every hunter, mother, elder, and child exist as one.
The rhythm, the harmony, the vibration has brought everyone to the same place.
This journey, this experience, this adventure does more to bond humans than any other activity.
Music = Momentum
Music = Meaning
Music is universal expression.
The birthplace of culture, the origin of language, the foundation of humanity began with music.
Speak the Language!
Are you musically literate?
Can you speak the Language of Music?
You may listen, as many of us do, but can you speak?
Compare to word-based language.
Many of us listen to a playlist of set songs. We repeat our favorite tunes ad infinitum. This is analogous to listening to your favorite podcast episode on repeat. The same conversation, the same idea, the same experience.
We often listen in the language of music to these famous people. These strangers.
But do you ever have a conversation with your neighbor, your friend, your family?
We are capable of communicating thoughts and ideas with these people, but how easy is it to express raw feelings and emotions?
Opening up to others, even those we are “close” with, is difficult.
Words do not do it justice. We can not adequately explain our experience.
Now listen to the song that relates most to your emotions. Listen to it in the company of a loved-one.
Music abolishes judgment and removes inhibitions to emotional behavior.
If you still do not understand, go watch your favorite movie without music.
Try crying, getting angry, or smiling now. Music makes the experience tangible.
Music communicates experience; music is audible emotion.
Sharing Consciousness
Music = Audible Emotion.
Audible Emotion = Experience
Experience = Life
Life = Consciousness
Music = Consciousness
If this train of logic does not convince you, let me share anecdotal evidence.
I have played grand piano in a pitch black auditorium for hours on end. By myself. No crowd. After hours. When I finished it felt as though I had mediated for hours, swam in a cold ocean, and finished a psychedelic journey. I was reborn.
Turn out a building employee listened to me. She was in tears.
This happened again with another employee on another day. He was brought to tears.
My heart felt the pain of losing my grandmother. I felt the power and energy of imagining my dreams. I felt the joy of love and satisfaction.
The woman shared feelings of love towards all people after hearing me.
The man shared childhood memories of music with his father.
I created this. Music transmitted this. They received it.
Music. Conveys. Consciousness.
If you are so inclined, here is a 30 minute piano improvisation session. Recorded on September 17, 2020, the day my great-uncle died.
"For Jack 9.17.2020 (Google Drive File)
Binaural Beats
Binaural = “Two Sounds”
Two different tones are played into each ear. The brain hears the difference between the two.
In this example, the binaural tone is (450 Hz - 440 Hz) = 10 Hz
Why is this important?
Effect: Sub-Perceptive Audio
Human hearing range is 20 Hz - 20,000 Hz.
We can not hear from 0-20 Hz.
Most of our brain activity occurs in the 0-30 Hz range.
Binaural Beats allow the brain to perceive frequencies below the “audible” range.
Example:
Left Ear = 100 Hz
Right Ear = 104 Hz
You hear 4 Hz which is < 20 Hz.
Application: Brain Training
Our brain experiences a “Frequency Following Response” or FFR.
Literally, our brain follows the binaural beat.
Within minutes of listening to a binaural beats, our brain will tune in to match the binaural beat.
Music trains the brain. Music conveys consciousness.
Try It Out!
Theta (7 Hz)
First, breathe to calm your body and mind.
In for 4
Hold for 2
Out for 10
Hold for 2
Repeat 20 times.
Bonus:
Try humming along to the frequency. This resonates your body with your brain. Personally, enhanced the experience by an Order of Magnitude!
Brain States
Modes of consciousness operate within frequencies ranges.
Common brain states we experience almost every day:
Deep Sleep (Delta) = 1-4 Hz
Meditation (Theta) = 4-8 Hz
Relax (Alpha) = 8-14 Hz
Logic (Beta) = 14-30 Hz
Expanded Consciousness
Notice two brain states I did not mention:
Epsilon <0.5 Hz
Gamma >40 Hz
Rare states of consciousness. Difficult to achieve.
Gamma = Outward -> infinite dimensions, beyond the self
Epsilon = Inward -> intuition, creativity, deeper level of self
Mysticism: What Happens?
deep meditation
mystical visions
out-of-body experiences
awareness/insight/creativity/intuition
How to Get There
Deep Meditation
DMT (inhalation, injection, or Ayahuasca)
Binaural Beats? (needs further research)
Ayahuasca decreases Beta and Alpha waves which are more reality-based awareness. Thinking, processing, and being “here” in 3D space.
Ayahuasca increases Delta and Theta waves which are more mystical states. Dreaming, meditating, deep relaxation.
Subjects were injected with DMT, which tends to last <20 minutes.
This is a heat map of brain frequencies. Blue is dead, yellow is active.
Theta (8-14 Hz) -> increased within 5 minutes
Delta (1-4 HZ) -> minutes 1-6 showed activity
Epsilon (<0.5 Hz) -> occurred the entire trip!
Frequency of Reality
Did you notice that Gamma and Epsilon cause Out of Body experiences?
Gamma = high Hz
Epsilon = low Hz
But the effect is the same?
4D Reality
Alpha (8-14 Hz) -> relaxation, day-dreaming
Beta (14-30 Hz) -> thinking, doing activities
Beyond Reality
Theta (4-8 Hz) -> dreams
Delta (1-4 Hz)) -> deep, non-dream sleep
Epsilon (<0.5 Hz) -> out of this universe experience
Gamma (>40 Hz) -> out of this universe experience
Theory
We are “here” experiencing 4D reality while in Alpha and Beta.
Alpha = 8-14 Hz
Beta = 14-30 Hz
Brain Frequency: 8 Hz < x < 30 Hz
We are “gone” experiencing dreams or infinite consciousness while in Theta, Delta, Epsilon, and Gamma.
Theta = 4-8 Hz
Delta = 1-4 Hz
Epsilon = <0.5 Hz
Gamma = >40 Hz
Brain Frequency: x < 0.5 Hz or x > 40 Hz
“Frequency of 4D Reality” = 8-30 Hz?
“Rest of Reality” = beyond this range?
Trifecta of Tools
Mind : Meditation
Body : DMT
Soul : Sound
Trifecta of tools to explore higher dimensions of consciousness.
Hypothesis:
Can we predictably induce expanded states of consciousness?
Test:
Mind : Meditation
Test experienced meditators, such as monks.
Body : DMT
Ingest DMT to explore expanded consciousness.
Soul : Sound
Binaural Beats to induce brain states:
Theta (4-8 Hz)
Delta (1-4 Hz)
Gamma (>40 Hz)
Epsilon (<0.5 Hz)
Man’s first great frontier was earth. Next we mastered the high seas. Now we are reaching for the stars in an attempt to answer life’s biggest questions.
What is life, what happens after death, why are we here?
But modern man has lost sight of the ultimate frontier.
Ancient questions have ancient answers.
The answer to the question of life lies within, not beyond.
Safe Travels,
@BowTiedBreath