Many ancient cultures and indigenous people believe that Sound is the creative, generative force that brought the universe into being. In Hindi tradition, ‘Ohm’ was the sound intoned by the deity Brahman that initiated creation. Western modern science has provided convincing evidence of the power of sound to not only create, but also shape and transform matter. This is the basic theory behind its healing potential. We know that everything in the universe is made of vibrating atoms. It follows naturally then that if our bodies are a vibrating mass of atoms, they are likely to be affected by vibrating stimuli like sound.
One definition of ‘healing’ – my personal favourite – is returning to a sense of wholeness. When we sing, play an instrument or listen to specific music, sounds and frequencies, we are facilitating this return to the harmony of our origin. An origin that is free and spacious. As a child, I often felt lonely and (unconsciously) used singing as a tool and portal to connect with myself in a very simple yet profound way.
Over the years and a rock band later, I started playing ukulele to accompany my singing. Disliking the typical plinky-plonky ukulele sound, I adjusted the strings and standard tuning to optimize a harmonizing effect. Other instruments I have since collected are a shruti box, a handpan, a tonguedong drum, a shamanic drum, a thunder tube, a rain stick, a maraca shaker, a tuning fork, a flute, a tuning fork and chimes (see photo). My intention is to bathe listeners in the enchanting vibrations of sound to – paradoxically – soothe body, mind & soul into a deep state of inner stillness.
My personal sound journey started with singing and playing ukulele or the handpan during the final pose ‘savasana’ in my yoga classes. Then I started participating in sound baths as a singer and eventually started conducting my own. More recently I’ve started to incorporate instruments into my massage sessions, and you’ll also find me busking out on the streets with my uke and amplifier. Glad I always held on to my mike from the rock band years – I suspected it would come in handy some day. I sing in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch and Sanskrit. Mantra’s, medicine songs, and indie/pop/jazz/soul covers are part of my repertoire. I’ve discovered I tend to lean towards songs with bittersweet melodies/lyrics as they help me digest my emotions, my life. ‘Angel of Montgomery’ by John Prine is one of my favourite songs to sing (see video).
At the moment, I’m really into the most recent addition to my musical collection, which is a handmade tongue dong drum (see photo). The drum has 8 tones, of which 5 are Solfeggio frequencies which are said to have specific healing effects as they interact with
the vibrational energies of the human body. I bought it especially to use for integration purposes during/after massage therapy, and clients are loving it.
Tech specs for the sound geeks: The handpan is a SYNC handpan C#-Amara. The shrutibox is C 432 hz. The ukulele is a concert with a low G string, and tuned half step down and in 432 hz. The tuning fork is a 50hz, the ceramic Innato flute has 3 chambers and tuned to Am. The wind chimes are the Zaphir Crystalide (G A B D A G B D), and Zaphir Twilight (E G B C E G B C). The amplifier is the Roland Mobile Cube. My uke is acoustic, so I use a piezo transducer pickup (Harley Benton TrueTone T-20) and it works perfectly. No buzz or hum whatsoever, yay!
Have you ever experienced a sound bath, sound journey, sound therapy sound/healing or sound massage? How was it?
xxx Thalien