Welcome to Classical Music Guide
NEW! Classical Music Videos
Classical Music Top Article
Music For A Better Life
Steve Gillman
Would you like to pop in a CD and have a better quality of life, and even self improvement? There are three ways you can use music to accomplish this.
Music For Motivation
Put on energetic music, and even doing housework seems less like work. Using music to motivate yourself or change your mood is an area where you can trust your experience and experimentation. When you find the msic that energizes you, relaxes you, or makes you happy, keep it ready for when you need it.
Music For Intelligence
Music creates neural pathways in your brain that stimulate creativity. Studies show that music trains the brain for higher forms of thinking. In one study, three-year-olds were split into two groups. The first had no special training in, or exposure to music. The second group studied piano and sang daily in chorus.
Eight months later the musical three-year-olds were much better at solving puzzles. They also scored 80% higher in spatial intelligence than the other group. There's also anectdotal evidence that listening to music, especially from Mozart's era, can help you study and learn better.
Hopefully there will be more research. In the meantime there's no reason not to do your own experimentation. I've heard that Stephen King writes with loud rock music playing, so the benefits of music may be according to your own tastes or brain-organization.
Music For Brainwave Entrainment
Want to listen to some music, and get smarter, or have instant easy meditation? There are products now that "entrain" your brainwaves, in order to put you in a meditative state. Music is embedded with beats and pulses that entrain your brain waves to a specific frequency. Put in the right CD or MP3 for your activity, and you get better brain function. Science? Partly.
Brain wave frequencies vary with mental state. Daydreaming and light meditation take place in the "Alpha" range of frequencies, for example. So if you listen to music containing beats at a frequency of 10 Hz you will generate more brainwaves at a 10 Hz frequency and enter a relaxed Alpha mental state. Do these things really work?
Yes. I've found two products that put me in a peaceful state unlike any other music or meditative practice. Studies will prove the effects (some have already), and disprove the wilder claims. Given my results, however, I wouldn't wait for more research. Many things work long before the scientific proof arrives.
If you are skeptical, you can wait for more evidence of the benefits of brainwave entrainment. Meanwhile, why not try classical music when you study, just to see if it helps? Experiment with music - Mozart isn't dangerous.
About the author:
Steve Gillman writes on many self help topics including boosting brainpower, losing weight, meditation, habits of mind, creative problem solving, learning gratitude, generating luck and anything related to self improvement. You'll find more at http://www.SelfImprovementNow.com
Classical Music Top News
Classical and Opera Listings - New York Times
Classical and Opera Listings New York Times, United States - The Latvian soprano Maija Kovalevska is an affecting Mimi, singing with a fluid, dark-hued voice, earthy timbre and powerful top notes. ... |
Pasadena orchestras' new boss sees a silver lining - Los Angeles Times
Pasadena orchestras' new boss sees a silver lining Los Angeles Times, CA - The three remaining classical concerts have been revised and programmed with music that can be played by smaller, and therefore less costly, ensembles. ... |
Music sales soar to 1.5 billion in '08 - Akron Beacon Journal
Music sales soar to 1.5 billion in '08 Akron Beacon Journal, OH - Album sales were down in every major genre of music. The biggest losers were classical (those old folks just keep dying off), which fell 26 percent and ... |
Bill's top CDs of the year ... in random order - Chicago Daily Herald
 Chicago Daily Herald | Bill's top CDs of the year ... in random order Chicago Daily Herald, IL - By Bill Gowen | Daily Herald Classical Music Critic Despite a growing trend toward digital downloads and rumors that the major labels will eventually leave ... |
Classical music: Top five concerts of 2009 - Telegraph.co.uk
 Telegraph.co.uk | Classical music: Top five concerts of 2009 Telegraph.co.uk, United Kingdom - “City of Dreams: Vienna 1900-1935” is a nine-month exploration of a rich period of music history, mounted by the Philharmonia Orchestra and its new ... |
The Best in Pop and Rock - Annapolis Capital
The Best in Pop and Rock Annapolis Capital, MD - By WALTER TUNIS, McClatchy-Tribune Did pop music go into hibernation during the last third of 2008? It sure seems that way. In compiling an annual list of ... |