Monthly Archives: September 2013

Relaxation Music

?Meditation Music To Enhance Meditation

Today, most people are surrounded with demanding work and family responsibilities in everyday life. Folks in the city may be more prone to the stressful life within the buzz of the fast-paced city environment. Stress, anxiety, frustrations are common for people to experience everyday. Beside the exercise and healthy lifestyle for physical well-being, some people are enjoying the benefits of meditation and meditation music to ease negative thoughts and feelings in the brain.

Meditation is practiced by a person who want to achieve a level of deep concentration for a relaxed state of mind. This aims to eliminate the negative feelings, perceptions and vibes brought about by many factors in life. People may be feeling stressed from family and work responsibilities or taken over by depression. Money is also a big factor in the well-being of a person. Lack of money can result in intense stress and unhappiness of a person. Other factors include failed relationships, problems with relationships, work issues, physical and mental health and many others. The point is that life is full of problems. The challenge here is how to keep things in balance, work around the problems and improve outlook in life.

Many are getting concerned with the way their lives are going. They try to find ways or alternatives that will prove effective in helping them handle challenges. People can strengthen their physical and mental health in order to be strong enough to handle problems. Exercise and a balanced diet can improve physical fitness. On the other hand, one can try meditation to improve state of mind. Researches have shown that meditation can greatly improve the way of thinking of people. Some practice meditation regularly in few minutes or up to an hour. The people who have tried meditation say that it created optimism that was lacking in their lives before.

To enhance meditation process, meditation music provides better effect. To avoid distractions and background noises, meditation music can be played during meditation. It also helps you achieve a better level of relaxation and concentration. Whether you are seeking to remove negativity or to have time to relax, you can use meditation to provide peace of mind and positive outlook to strengthen your spirit.

Exercise and a healthy lifestyle may work to ease these negative feelings but a number of people are beginning to enjoy the benefits of meditation and meditation music.

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Relaxation Music

Beginners’ Guide On Buying Accoustic Guitars

It is up to your plan on using the guitar and your experience in ever using one to decide what acoustic guitar you should buy. A beginner should probably want a cheap one to try hard without the need to spend too much money. Getting these guitars damaged wouldn’t be too much either. At the start, every wanabe guitarists has the tendency to break, scratch and deforming their guitars. However, cheap doesn’t necessary mean low quality. The modern production of this product has proved to be good at look and sound without you paying too much.

 

On the other hand if you are a good enough a guitar player (or a guitar veteran), then you will probably not willing to settle for anything but the best. In this case you will not doubt have collected years of knowledge about guitars, brands, to do’s and not to do’s. In any case, in this article we shall cover all the essential basics that you should know about guitars so that your next purchase can be your best one yet!

 

Guitar Construction

This is really essential and you need to know what parts go into a guitar’s construction as this determines the quality of the guitar’s sound to a great extent. A guitar consists of:

 

a. The Body: this consists of the back, sides and top. The kind of wood that is used in the body has a big impact on the way it sounds.
b. The Bridge: This is the small panel which attaches the strings to the guitar’s body. The Bridge transfers the vibrations and the energy to the guitar’s top. In most cases the bridge is made of plastic or bone.
c. Top: The top of the guitar is the next most important determinant of how the guitar sounds. Energy and vibrations are transferred via the bridge to the top, which amplifies the sound.
d. Neck: The neck is attached to the body at the neck joint. In most cases the neck is fixed to the body meaning that it is glued. There are some guitars however, in which the neck is bolted.
e. Fret-board or Fingerboard: The Fret-board is a long thin piece of wood that is attached to the neck with little metal strips on it called “Frets”. This is also called the Fingerboard because placing your fingers on the Frets is what produces the different notes when playing the guitar.
f. Tuners: Also known as tuning keys help you adjust the tension and pitch of each string.

 

Woods

The kind of wood that is used in the guitar has a great impact on how it sounds. As each wood tends to have a different tonal quality, it helps if you know how the different kind of woods which are used in the making of a guitar. The most commonly types of woods used in the making of a guitar are

 

Cedar: Is mostly used in classical and finger-style guitars for its emphasis on the upper registers.

 

Ebony: Is a preferred wood for fret-boards.

 

Koa: Which being a rare wood is used in some of the more expensive variety of guitars, tonally it emphasizes a mid-ranged spectrum.

 

Mahogany: Mahogany is mostly used in the neck and bridges of acoustic guitars.

 

Maple: is used in the side and back of theguitar of acoustic guitars and generates a dry tone.

 

Rosewood: is typically used in the side and back of acoustic guitars. Rosewood is best known for its added resonance and beautiful mid and low ends.

 

Ovangkol: Is an African wood which is increasingly becoming popular for making acoustic guitars. It offers quality of both rosewood and mahogany.

 

Sapele: this is also known as African mahogany and is used in the side and back of an acoustic guitar.

 

Spruce: Spruce is generally used in the top of an acoustic guitar. It offers great resonance and also good sustain and clarity.

 

Walnut: Walnut is often substituted for mahogany in acoustic guitars as its tonal properties are very nearly identical.

 

Body Style Characteristics

Selecting the right body style can seem confusing at first, however with a little knowledge about how guitar bodies are designed and what purpose they serve, you can find a body type which is best fitting to the kind of music that you want to play.

 

There are three body types which are commonly available for you to go by, The Dreadnaught body style which has a large Soundboard (or Top), the Jumbo and Grand Concert body styles which have a narrow waist styles with a large Soundboard for better playing comfort.

 

One guitar make which is pretty different from the traditional from the traditional acoustic guitars is Ovation. Ovation significantly differed from its predecessors in that it chose to use a specially developed fiberglass for the body called Lyrachord which had good reflective properties and was also resistance to heat and humidity. Despite being criticized by guitar purists, the brand remains successful for 35 years now.

 

12 String Acoustic Guitars

As intimidating as it sounds, a 12 string guitar is actually played just like a 6 string guitar. The 12 string guitar incorporates one extra string below each of the traditional strings tuned to the same note but one octave higher. This creates a doubling effect when you play the guitar thanks to the extra, one octave higher string.

 

Acoustic Electric Guitars

These are traditional acoustic guitars with an added pickup connected to an amplifier so that the player can move about freely without needing to stand in one place all the time. The most common pickups in use are the Piezo pickups which are essentially crystalline structure which sense changes in sound compression and emit a matching electrical signal.

 

Final Notes

The most important thing that you need to consider is obviously the kind of tunes that you will be playing and you playing style. Be sure to get a guitar that you are comfortable with. Again, if you are staring out then it is highly recommended that you start off with a reasonably priced guitar which is not too much on the pocket. You can always the high end Gibsons and Fenders when you are ready for them. I have personally seen too many people getting awestruck when they see a musician play, get the most expensive guitar they can get and then lose interest a couple months down the line.

 

Gear-Vault is one of the most respectable guitar review websites on the entire interweb. Read their professional and comprehensive guitar and amplifiers reviews before you buy your next guitar or piece of musical equipment. Looking for a guitar or amp? Check out the Guitar Finder website.

If you found this article helpful and would like to read more buyers guide tips, check out: Guitar Amplifiers Buyers Guide.

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Relaxation Music

What Leads To Drug Addiction?

Habits usually do not form overnight. I have often heard this popular quote repeated, though the source is unknown: “Watch your thoughts, they become words. Watch your words, they become actions. Watch your actions, they become habits. Watch your habits, they become your character.

Watch your character, it becomes your destiny.” By this statement, it is clear that people do things habitually after a process that begins in our thought patterns. The whole sequence takes time, and it’s usually a negative thought or idea that leads to a negative habit. Habits, when not checked or balanced, become addictions; and addictions are the hardest habits to break.

What Habits Lead to Drug Addiction?

A person might try their first drug after a dare or a little pressure from their peers, in an attempt to fit in and look cool. Others try drugs when they are depressed, sick, or at a weak moment in their lives; looking cool is the farthest thing on their minds. Some might try it for no particular reason at all, other than out of curiosity. Kids who have access to drugs (prescription or otherwise) through parents or peers sometimes experiment, even using cough syrups, cold medicines, and other household products to get high.

It doesn’t help that drugs and alcohol are glamorized in the media, in music videos, movies, and in advertising. Print ads tend to be sleek and alluring enough to draw someone in. The drug, alcohol and tobacco industries are some of the richest businesses in the world, thriving even in tough economic times.

Unfortunately, there are some people who have an immediate strong reaction and addiction to a drug, while others seem unaffected until larger doses are taken. Some drugs are more potent and addictive than others, so one dose can get a person hooked. Ten-time Grammy winner Natalie Cole recalls in the movie, “Livin’ for Love: The Natalie Cole Story,” how her very first encounter with heroin at a house party got her hooked. She had taken other drugs before but had never had such an intense reaction.

Prescription drug addiction can begin by accident, especially when they are narcotic painkillers. These kinds of drugs are known to be addictive, but also effective at relieving pain. Patients are simply seeking pain relief, while their bodies are gradually building up immunity to the drugs, rendering the drugs less and less effective. As a result, they take greater doses and more pills to ease their pain and an addiction forms.

No matter why someone gets started taking drugs, taking them habitually usually leads to addiction; and once they are addicted, it usually becomes a lifelong struggle to break free and stay free.

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Relaxation Music

Meditation And Meditation Benefits

Broadly speaking meditation can be defined as a self induced change of state of mind for the purpose of heightening certain awareness or attention, or for emotional well being.

However, the narrower definitions vary according to the beliefs surrounding them.  As beliefs differ among different people, so the understanding and practice of meditation differ just as greatly.

Some of the more commonly known types of meditation tend to be the legacies of the Eastern religions, but there are aspects of it in many of the Western beliefs as well.

From prehistoric times, ritualistic repetitive movements and chants were discovered to induce a state of conscientiousness which was believed to appease the supernatural that they worshipped.  It usually went alongside offerings and sacrifices to the gods.

When it became apparent that these spiritual rituals seemed beneficial to the people who performed them, they began to change and develop them in order to realise the self, but generally still for religious purposes.

The Oriental religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism refined meditation as a means for achieving a higher state of spiritual growth and goodness.  The word for ‘meditate’ is ‘dhyana’ in Hinduism and Buddhism and is derived from the Sanskrit root word ‘dhyai’.

The Western religions were divided in their approach to meditation.  Those that included repetitive words or actions formed one school of thought, while those that didn’t formed another.

The English meditation comes from the Latin ‘meditari’ which means ‘to think, contemplate, devise, ponder, meditate’.

The original Western Christian meditation was merely an aspect of worship that included reading, pondering, prayer and contemplation.  Although a deep calm and concentration was induced, no repetitions, specific postures or rituals were included.

Later in some branches of Christianity, there was a movement away from the more pragmatic type of Christianity towards an attempt at a mystic communion with God. This led to rituals, chanting, repetitive prayers and a euphoric state.

A modern and far more emotional approach in some churches has brought about deeply rhythmic music, clapping and swaying.  Supremely hypnotic states, such as ‘talking in tongues’ have emerged from the emotional states induced.

The Jewish and Islamic religions tended more towards the original Western style of prayer and meditation, but here also there were some groups such as the Jewish Kabbalah and Islamic Sufism that branched off towards the more Oriental form of mind control and meditation.

Today meditation is a world wide phenomenon and found in many forms.  It is practised less for religious purposes and more for the practical applications that it offers.

Most of us live in stressful environments.  In olden times stress came and went in small spurts throughout life.  Today it is just a steady day to day stream of stress pouring on most of us without let up.

This can be a disaster for our blood pressure, cardio-vascular systems, and just about everything else concerning our physical and mental health!   Wherever you find great stress pressures, there you find a desperate need for an island of peace and calm.

People are turning more and more towards meditation for a way to find that oasis in life.  There is ample medical evidence that prayer and meditation benefits have healing and soothing properties.

The tranquility and peace that you find in nature have much the same effect, but it is just not often available to people living in crowded cities, as most of us do.  The alternative as a newbie to meditation is to find out how to meditate for beginners, especially loving kindness meditation.  The world will be a better place for us and for everyone who knows us.

http://www.meditationbenefits.us includes sites related to meditation beneifts you can access from here and also How to Meditate For Beginners

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Relaxation Music

Relief For Drug Addicts

The sole purpose of any good rehab program is to free an individual from the asphyxiating bonds of drug and alcohol abuse. These programs help enable an individual to live life to its fullest and enjoy its many joys without the influence of either drugs or liquor. You must know that addiction is a disease and it is curablevarious successful drug and alcohol rehab and dual diagnosis programs stand testimony to the fact. In this article you will find some useful information about these programs.

If you have either drug abuse problems or alcoholism or both you must consult a specialist for the best dual diagnosis or rehab program suited for your condition. In view of this consultation, your case is studied by physicians and addiction specialists and they will subsequently perform tests to pin-point the right program for you. Since each addict is unique (as the origin of the addiction is unique) every person has his/her own tailor made rehab program. For example, mens drug rehab program differs greatly from womens drug rehab. Men require more treatment as their cases are more frequent in number. Several programs and processes are employedresidential treatment, detoxification, counseling, diet, meditation, exercise, physical activity etc.

Depending on the history and severity of the case, specialists might advise what processes need to be included in your rehab program. For example, a recent history of addiction requires outpatient treatment whereas a prolonged one requires rigorous inpatient therapy.

If you have had just a recent case of drug abuse with no past history and wish to emancipate yourself from it then outpatient treatment is the best. Patients receive guidance and counseling which works better than any forms of medicine. This form of treatment is only suitable when the addiction is in its primary stages. These are for those individuals whose personal and work lives have not been affected by drug abuse and they show a strong determination to quit. Drug rehab California treatment centers have expert and experienced outpatient departments.

But if you have been in the clutches of drug addiction for too long and it is starting to affect your job, social, marital or love life then it is time to stop and get yourself into an inpatient treatment center. The inpatient treatment consists of detox and many other procedures. It is an extremely effective method which is usually followed by counseling and guidance on how to avoid temptations in the future.

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Relaxation Music

Healing Our Body Through Relaxation Music

“One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.”

– Bob Marley

Ancient Greeks were of the belief that music had the power to heal the body as well as the soul. The power of meditation was also discovered millennia ago when the early man stared into the flames of fire and entered into a peaceful state of mind. Meditative or relaxation music is a combination of two such powers as mighty enough to deliver individuals from their mental as well as physical problems. Although discoveries were made ages ago, it was only in the 1940s that medical experts and scientists started to research the influence of music on the human body and its assistance to overcome various ailments.

Music has been used as a therapy tool by doctors for several years. Relaxation music allegedly distracts patients from their pain and helps them calm down in troubled times. However, scientific evidence from the Research Center at the Utah University has confirmed that music can help divert patients’ minds to lessen their pain. A musician and university professor, David H. Bradshaw, noted an affirmative connection between relieving pain from headaches and practicing music through personal experiences.

Study Proving the Influence of Music on Pain

Intrigued by his curiosity, he joined forces with four other university doctors – from the University of Utah’s anesthesiology department and used more than 150 healthy volunteers to confirm his theory. The subjects were divided into two groups and each group received shocks or painful stimulations of varying intensities from electrodes on the tip of their fingers. One group went through the mild pain in an environment where music was being played in the background while the second group was delegated with several musical assignments of differing difficulties. The tasks involved recognizing the changing directions of a melody or the identification of deviant tones. The harmonies used for the research were the compositions of Miguel Chuaqui – the head of the university’s School of Music’s composition program.

When the subjects received shocks, researchers found that there were quantifiable electrical potentials within the subjects’ skin conductance, pupil dilation, and nervous systems. Using this data, the researchers measured their subjects’ peripheral and central arousal, or the level of pain they experienced. Based on the study, Bradshaw’s team uncovered that the alterations in stimulus arousal or net engagement related to the performance of musical tasks decreased when the difficulty of tasks increased. The research team proved, through the test, that the subjects’ overall pain decreased when they focused on the music and the task at hand.

The Magic of Relaxation Music

The sensory channels in our bodies are activated by music. They provoke emotional responses and captivate mental attention to fight against the pain channels. The synergy of music and pain therefore reduces our bodies’ response and increases tolerance. However, the magnitude of pain reduction differs among individuals owing to personality traits such as their ability to focus on a particular activity and their anxiety levels.

Relaxation Music Therapy to Help People with AIDS and Cancer Patients

Music’s influence on pain has extended its use into several fields in terms of health and well-being. Music therapy is becoming increasingly popular and emerging as a whole new field in itself. The AMTA (American Music Therapy Association) reports that music is useful in addressing social, physical, emotional, and cognitive needs. Treatment does not only involve listening to music, but also singing, creating, and moving to music. Alleviation of pain, management of stress, improvement of communication, and enhancement of memory can be successfully completed by using music therapy.

Many recent studies have been conducted in different parts of the world to test the influence of music on people with personal issues and illnesses. The Drexel University’s researchers, for instance, discovered that music can improve the BP levels in cancer patients and also elevate the moods of people suffering from AIDS or Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers at Sweden’s University of Gothenburg revealed that relaxation music not only helped subjects relax when listening to it, but also proved that they experienced a flurry of positive emotions at a higher frequency and with higher intensity. In addition, the same subjects showed signs of lower stress and their cortisol levels (stress hormone in humans) also reduced significantly.

The Findings and Revelations of the American Cancer Society

The ACS (American Cancer Society) denoted that relaxation music can help in reducing heart rate, breathing rates, and blood pressure. It can also lower the symptoms of insomnia, anxiety, and depression to a great extent. Patients who receive chemotherapy and anti-nausea drugs in high doses can ease vomiting and nausea by using music therapy. Relaxation music also helps relieve the short-term pain experienced by cancer patients.

The ACS indicated that hospice patients such as those suffering from cancer or AIDS improved their quality of life through the power of relaxation music. Music therapy has helped in improving their relaxation and comfort levels while also aiding in pain control. In some patients, relaxation music has dilated veins and relaxed muscles, which has significantly helped decrease the discomfort experienced during invasive procedures.

Impact of Meditative Music on People Suffering with Alzheimer’s disease

People suffering from Alzheimer’s disease can make the most of relaxation music to achieve assistance in daily life. Even during the latter stages of Alzheimer’s disease, a patient’s ability to engross in musical activities and interact with rhythmic cues remains intact. The cognitive functioning necessary for the processing of these cues is impaired during the late stages, so unfamiliar relaxation music can help in relaxing patients by inducing sleep and managing stress. Sedative or meditative music with no syncopation or percussion and slower tempos has the potential to help people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease change the routines which cause agitation and go to bed with relative ease.

Relaxation music has the ability to put listeners into a calm state of mind. Whether it involves stimulating a patient affected by dementia, retrieving memories, relieving pain, or soothing an individual who has had a long day, week, a month, or a year, relaxation music possesses the kind of healing power that arguably goes beyond scientific reasoning.

“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the minds, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” – Plato

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