Sound as an Element of Music Therapy

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Reasons behind the use of Sound Therapy
Sound
Rhythm
Different Levels of Appreciation
Conclusion
Works Cited

Introduction

The analysis of Mrázová and Celec explained that music/sound therapy can create a positive effect on an individual since it helps to calm their nerves and induce feelings of relaxation, peace and security. This is one of the reasons why music/sound therapy has become an increasingly popular method of addressing the problem of stress caused by environmental sounds.

However, it must be questioned what aspect of music/sound therapy actually contributes the most towards a better mental state. In certain cases it has been shown that the higher the decibel level of the ambient noise produced (applied through music/sound therapy or even through the general environment), the greater the adverse impact on the human body.

This means that just because a person plays loud music to counter the ambient environmental noise does not mean that this constitutes proper music/sound therapy. It is based on this that this study will examine two characteristics of music/sound therapy, namely sound and rhythm. This study assumes that sound, while an important component of musical therapy is supplanted in its level of importance by rhythm due to the ability of the latter to induce positive psychological reactions.

Reasons behind the use of Sound Therapy

From the point of view of Maguire, daily sounds associated with human activity (i.e. ranging from the sounds of ship engines, the noise heard during the construction of a nearby building or the general environmental noise brought about by cars) can cause an adverse reaction in the human body (Maguire 947-961).

This is one of the reasons why the term “noise pollution” came into being within the past 40 years or so due to the effect that loud environmental sounds had on the human psyche and body. As a result, prolonged exposure resulted in a continued deterioration of an individual’s mental and physical health to the point that it can cause significant health problems in the future.

The O’Callaghan study which attempted to examine the problems associated with noise pollution stated that some of the common symptoms of sound induced psychological stress come in the form of higher levels of stress hormones as well as an increase in the amount of headaches a person gets (O’Callaghan 779-788).

It can also have an impact on the body creating issues with a person’s blood pressure, heart rate and has even been shown in the most extreme cases to cause strokes in the individuals that have been exposed to adverse environmental sounds (O’Callaghan 779-788).

Psychological symptoms often come in the form of anger management issues, high stress as well as being agitated easily (O’Callaghan 779-788). This was evidenced by the study of Mrázová and Celec which noted similar symptoms in animals that were in areas with high concentrations of predators and had to be constantly on guard against threats. (Mrázová and Celec 1089-1095)

Through such an analysis it can be assumed that if loud annoying environmental sounds can cause an adverse physiological and psychological reaction, then the reverse could also be true wherein soft, soothing sounds can create a positive physiological and psychological reaction (Mrázová and Celec 1089-1095).

Sound

Sound, within the context of music/sound therapy, is the backbone of the process wherein through the use of soft and melodious music; a person is invited to enter into a state of complete and utter peace. Depending on the type of sound utilized, ranging from sound waves, singing, violin playing and an assortment of other types of sources, sound can induce different kinds of internal psychological reactions in a person.

The study of Mrázová and Celec, which examined the effect of sound waves on children, showed that when exposed to different types of sound, children were more likely to express different emotional states. It was determined that loud sounds often annoyed children while on the other hand soft and melodious sounds usually calmed them down. Not all sounds though are created equal in terms of their positive impact on a person’s psychological state.

The music of Beethoven, Chopin, Mandel and other such composers supposedly help to calm the mind, however, the Abrams study stated that patients preferred the sound of gentle ocean waves, the soft strumming of a guitar or the sound of rain as a better method of relaxation (Abrams 114-119). The apparent basis behind these responses was explained by Abrams as being connected to the general rhythm and repetitiveness found in the sound of rain, ocean waves and the soft strumming of a guitar.

Rhythm

Rhythm, within the context of music/sound therapy, refers to the regulated movement of sound/music based on a series of successive strong and weak elements. In essence, rhythm refers to the way in which sound goes through a cycle of different beats, tempos and patterns to create a coordinated output.

When applied to music therapy, various researchers such as Cutshall explain that proper rhythm applied in sound therapy induces a more therapeutic reaction as compared to merely exposing a person to an assortment of sounds (Cutshall 16-23).

What Cutshall is attempting to say is that the different types of rhythm evident in various types of sounds can create differing levels of psychological reactions. This is one of the reasons why in the Abrams study the participants explained that they preferred the sound of rain, ocean waves and the soft strumming of a guitar as compared to the work of Beethoven, Chopin, Mandel and other such composers.

It is the general repetitiveness of the rhythm evident in the aforementioned “nature sounds” that is more appealing to an individual as compared to the overly complex sounds evidently found in the music of Beethoven (Sekiya 1). This is not to say that any type of sound would work, rather, when it comes to music therapy soft sounds combined with an equally soft and steady repetitive rhythm seems to work better than overly complex music (Sekiya1).

For example, the unique aspect of the song “Drifting” by Andy McKee is that even though he is merely using a simple string guitar he is able to derive a variety of different tones from a single instrument. There is no singing, no overly elaborate background music, no wailing, shouting, or cursing rather the entire song is the embodiment of simplicity with just one person plucking away at a single instrument.

Yet, despite the utter lack of accompaniment the very texture of the song is vibrant, at times overwhelming yet calming. It distinguishes itself from other songs in that the melody is a combination of short plucking combined with idle strumming. It could be considered slightly repetitive due to the rhythmic quality of the plucking involved however this is accompanied by several incorporations of slight strumming which helps to break the repetitive quality of the plucking.

It is this very repetitiveness that makes the song easy to remember and identifiable with a conjunctive motion that helps to develop its melodic quality and likeability. Doing a brief YouTube search of the song and merely listening to it is evidence enough of how simplicity in sound and repetitiveness in rhythm help to immediately calm a person down.

Different Levels of Appreciation

Before proceeding, it was determined that a brief overview should be done regarding the different types of musical appreciation out there and how this impacts the ability of a person to actually be affected by certain types of music therapy.

First and foremost, different genres of music appeal to different listeners and different time periods in music appeal to fans from different time periods. Rock music was adopted by teenagers due to its apparent “shock value” to older generations due to the overtly sexual, anti-establishment and aggressive quality of the songs.

Rock music was used as a means of distinction, a manner in which teenagers at the time defined themselves as being separate from the distinctions associated with older generations. As such, rock music composers followed this trend by composing songs in such a way so as to incorporate aggressiveness, anti-establishment and sexuality in the way the songs were sung or played.

The reason rock music is mentioned is due to the fact that music created by Beethoven, Chopin and Mandel may not be as appreciated or liked by members of the current generation as compared to the previous generation (Rapoport, Eliezer and Blass 37-60). Thus, if such music is used in their music therapy sessions, it is unlikely that it would be as effective due to the lack of general appreciation the current generation would have towards the music (Rapoport, Eliezer and Blass 37-60).

This particular piece of information helps to support the argument that focusing on rhythm instead of sound in music therapy is more important since sounds related to falling rain, ocean beaches and the light strumming of a guitar helps to cross the generational barrier resulting in more or less equal levels of appreciation.

Conclusion

The issue with high pitched, loud or otherwise annoying environmental sound has been determined by Maguire to be a form of stressor. This can be defined as an outside factor that impacts the ability of normal individuals to continue on with their daily tasks due to increased mental stress which can cause an adverse psychological and physiological reaction over the long term.

The inherent problem with the modern day environment is that in most cases you cannot simply turn off the ambient environmental sounds off with a switch. The perceived physical and psychological reactions brought about by high levels of ambient environmental sound has been theorized as a holdover phenomenon from humanity’s evolution wherein perceived loud noises acted as an external trigger reaction towards a predatory presence.

This is where sound therapy enters into the equation. Based on the findings of this study, it was shown that sound, while an important component of musical therapy is supplanted in its level of importance by rhythm due to the ability of the latter to induce positive psychological reactions.

This shows that merely exposing a person to loud sound would be the same as noise pollution and, as such, music/sound therapy needs an appropriate rhythm to the music/sound that is being played to be effective. The reason why this examination was done was so that better processes in music/sound therapy can be created so as to improve the rate by which patients are helped.

Works Cited

Abrams, Brian. “Understanding music as a temporal-aesthetic way of being: implications for a general theory of music therapy.” Arts in Psychotherapy 38.2 (2011): 114-119. Print

Cutshall, Susanne. “Effect of the combination of music and nature sounds on pain and anxiety in cardiac surgical Patients.” Alternative Therapies in Health & Medicine 17.4 (2011): 16-23. Print

Maguire, Melissa. “Music and Epilepsy: A Critical Review.” Epilepsia 53.6 (2012): 947-961. Print

Mrázová, Marcela, and Peter Celec. “A systematic review of randomized controlled trials using music therapy for children.” Journal of Alternative & Complementary Medicine 16.10 (2010): 1089-1095. Print

O’Callaghan, Clare. “Music’s relevance for pediatric cancer patients: A constructivist and mosaic research approach.” Supportive Care in Cancer 19.6 (2011): 779-788. Print

Rapoport, Eliezer, Smadar, Shatz, and Noa Blass. “Overtone spectra of gongs used in music therapy.” Journal of New Music Research 37.1 (2008): 37-60. Print

Sekiya, Yoshimasa. “Using fractal music as sound therapy in TRT treatment.” Audiology Online (2013): 1. Print

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