The word music comes from the Latin word, to think. The ancient Greek culture had two main parts to their education, music and athletics. Music was for the development of the mind, while sports developed the body.
We encourage students in our music school in Midland, Texas to actively engage their minds in their musical development.
Pythagoras, the mathematician and philosopher, developed an understanding of the overtone series that is highly informative not only to sound but also to the subject of frequency, in general. His findings gave us a musical system of tuning known as Just Intonation.
The subject of frequency is universal. Modern physicists believe that the entirety of the universe is vibrating strands of energy. Indeed, our galaxy is spinning, while our solar system rotates and earth’s seasons are rhythmically predictable. Our cultures celebrate the seasons of planting and harvesting and our religious observances give markers throughout the year, highlighting various themes and thoughts.
Our own bodies function in a variety of rhythmic patterns, whether it be sleeping or eating. Our brain waves can be measured at certain frequencies, while awake, and different slower frequencies, at different stages of our sleep cycles.
Music can be seen as various manipulations of the use of frequency. Most people are somewhat aware of the different components of music: melody, harmony, and rhythm. Yet, many musicians are unaware of how rhythm, tempo and frequency are inter-related in one macro-scaled system.
When studying music, it is common to measure notes (known as pitches or frequencies) in beats per second, while the subject of tempo is set to the metronome as beats per minute. Pitches are measured in Hertz, while Tempos are gaged as BPM. What has been before our very eyes for centuries is that these two measurements are part of the same frequency system.
At our music school in Midland, Texas we teach students about the unity of pitch and tempo.
The lowest perceivable pitch to the human ear is 20 Hz, so what happens when people are exposed to 10 Hz? They stop hearing it and begin feeling it in their bodies. This, of course, correlates to what is known as rhythm. Rhythm is still frequency, it is just felt in our bodies, instead of heard with our ears.
When structuring music, from the lowest frequencies up, the bassline is at the bottom extreme of what can be heard and has wide intervals and usually less active chromaticism. Doing this keeps the music stable and with a foundational relationship to the overtone series. We like to call it, ‘space in the bass.’
Next, moving a bit higher in the frequency range, chords are used to create harmonic progressions, slightly more chromatic and complex than that of the bassline.
Then, finally, the melody sits on top of the rhythm and harmony, having a contour of its own, moving horizontally against the vertical rhythm.
We help students at our music school in Midland, Texas identify the various components of the music they play or sing, helping them to understand the theory of music.
Rhythm makes us want to move our bodies, while we feel harmonic motion in our emotions. Major chords sound, ‘happy,’ and minor chords sound ‘sad.’ Melody seems to float above both of these elements, having its own unique quality to convey a message distinct from rhythm and harmony.
Each of these elements correlates to our previous discussion (in Chapter 4) of body, soul, and spirit, respectively. We are moved by the frequencies in each of these areas of our awareness.
The opening passages of the Bible, in Genesis show the introduction of frequency in universal structure:
Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. (Gen. 1:3)
Light is also frequency-related, as is electricity and magnetism.
Albert Einstein is well-known for his work in physics. He was seeking to unify various elements of scientific knowledge into an integrated theory, known as Unified Field Theory. He sought to combine all understood forces of nature, such as gravity and electromagnetism, into a single theoretical framework. What most people don’t know about Einstein is that he was also a violinist and enjoyed playing string quartet music.
Is it any wonder that today’s far-reaching physics of String Theory and Quantum Mechanics, standing on Einstein’s work, views the universe as vibrating strands of energy?
While science is still studying the effects of highly organized music on human behavior, there is much anecdotal evidence for what is known as the Mozart Effect. There have been studies that show students who listen to Bach or Mozart before an exam do better academically. The highly structured patterns in the music seem to affect and stimulate their brains in beneficial ways.
While we help students learn a wide variety of styles, we help them learn core disciplines, that can be applied to any style, from studying Classical music.
While it is still a developing field, the study of Music Therapy shows promise that music can have a dramatic effect in helping patients deal with PTSD or other neurological anomalies.
The use of music involvement in the aged shows improved cognitive functioning. The Berkeley Wellness Letter published an article several years ago about the effects of music on the human brain, citing ‘brain plasticity’ as a benefit for all people, particularly in the elderly.
I recently spoke with a neurosurgeon about the subject and he agreed. He added that anything that encourages the use of hands increases helpful brain activity.
Indeed, using both hands to play the piano or other instruments activates both sides of the brain, left and right. Crossing over between the two hemispheres seems to be particularly beneficial.
The way we teach students at our music school in Midland, Texas to play with both of their hands doing something entirely different by isolating the activity of both hands, then combining them. This develops coordination.
The Berkeley article went on to summarize that learning music, especially for the aged, is like learning a new language, challenging the mind to stay active and youthful by learning new patterns.
The patterns music creates are sometimes accidental, however, skilled composers have used the process of motivic development for centuries. Taking themes and developing them into entire masterworks is standard in Classical music.
I once took a car trip with my father, who was a symphony conductor for the majority of his life. He taught me how to compose music at an early age. His first lessons with me were on the subject of motivic development. He always made learning fun, and he took the opportunity of a long car trip to my benefit. Most families would play the game, “I Spy” to find something out the window of the car and make the other person guess what it was. (This was before there were mobile devices to occupy children on road-trips). My father, however, challenged me to come up with all the ways thematic development could be used to create a musical composition.
My initial thought was, “This isn’t going to last long.” However, after several hours, we were both coming up with new possibilities.
I remember, as a child, looking down at the keys of our grand piano, noticing that there were a finite number of notes available. I naively asked my parents, “Is this the number of songs there are in the world?” I couldn’t believe their answer, “There are endless numbers of pieces of music that can be created with just 88 notes.”
Indeed, the variety of patterns and sequences we are capable of creating and enjoying, as humans, is endless and eternal.
But we were made for such.
At our music school in Midland, Texas we hope to inspire students to see beauty of pattern and design that can be found in great music that has come before us.