My “New Age Music” Style
My new age music is a little different from the majority of music in the genre. Many times I haveglanced at the description of a new age album cover, tantalised by the evocative descriptions of themusic's character, such as “gentle”, “flowing”, “calming”. On listening to the music, however, itsounds more like “elevator musak”; it is so shallow it washes over one's head. Music for accompanying meditation, Qigong and similar activities should flow
through
you not over you. Itshould go deep inside and pass into the chakras / maridian channels. New age and healing music islike food; we eat not because it tastes nice but because it nourishes the whole body. Similarly, trulyhealing music must be good for the whole body, not just sound nice on the ears.
Philosophical influences
I have been a Tai Chi Chuan practitioner for most of my adult life. Taoism and Eastern energysystems in particular interest me. I also have a keen interest in the general esoteric nature of music,including Hermetic and metaphysical systems and the teachings of Plato and Pythagoras on music.
Musical Influences
Welsh chapel hymns; my grandfather was a choirmaster and composer of hymns so from from anearly age I was engrossed with the particular melancholy charm of four-part harmony. This gaveme an appreciation of the emotional depth of music. New age electronica. Landscape electronic pads providing feeling of depth and distance, other-worldliness, expansion of consciousness and other-worldliness.Minimalism; the circular nature of patterns (like the Chinese Wand Qigong exercises) where theenergy from the music does not dissipate but is re-circuited round the body.My new age music has a quality difficult to define in words; it is a sense of uplifting heroism, anaural greatness; an unfolding drama seems to be in progress; an expression of the “wider picture”;the greater universe beyond our human world; the “broad canvas” or “big idea”. Yet is also provides the listener with deeply emotional and psychological “gates” to uplift the spirit, opening awindow to look beyond the physical world.
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