From birth to death, people sing, as a rule, without thinking at all why they do it. Even if, as they say, there is neither hearing nor voice, they still sing: quietly or "from the heart", testing the patience of the household. Babies sing, testing their voices before they can speak. And I saw in the Arkhangelsk region an old woman one hundred and nine years old, who had already stopped walking, had almost forgotten how to speak and did not remember anything except the songs that she sang in her youth. And she sang like a nightingale.
Between a word and a howl.
Sometimes we sing, completely unwilling, in the wrong place, at the wrong time, repeating an annoying tune an infinite number of times. Sometimes we ecstatically sing in a language that we do not know, and for some reason this activity does not seem meaningless to us.
What is this strange property, what is the need of human nature, which seems to be in no way conditioned either by vital necessity or by social requirements. Love games can be associated with the need to procreate, a person's tendency to all kinds of competitions and competitions is explained, for example, by the primitive hunting instinct, but singing is absolutely meaningless and useless from the point of view of practical use. You will object to me: what about the enjoyment of art? Yes, many people enjoy the great creations of brilliant painters, but nevertheless, our experiences as draftsmen most often end with the transition to high school, when drawing lessons are completed. But we do not stop singing, even if the last singing lesson was fifty years ago.
The funny thing is that, despite these contradictions, singing, apparently, is such a natural state for a person that few of us seriously asked the question, why is it necessary?
"As perfect as the strings are, they cannot make the same impression on the listener as a voice that comes directly from the soul, like breath, and is brought to the surface through the mind and the vocal organs of the body."
ShusharjanS. V.
Music therapy and the reserves of the human body.
One of the main properties of singing is that it is a non-verbal, super-verbal expression of emotions. When the heart is overflowing with any feeling: whether it be glee or grief, deep sorrow or love, the soul longs to pour out this feeling, to manifest through external action - and it turns out that it is impossible to adequately express a strong feeling simply in words: no matter how emotionally a person pronounces them, everything seems to be insufficiently truthful and strong. You can, of course, just moan and scream (animals do this), but this turns out to be not enough: just sound is also not capable of reflecting human emotion. In a sense, singing stands between word and howl, between man and beast, between conscious self-expression and natural sensual impulse. Thus, singing is an instrument of self-expression and communication, necessary for the fullest, voluminous, emotional manifestation of the human personality.
"I believed harmony with algebra."
Of course, singing implies harmony and rhythm. By the words rhythm and harmony, we mean the structural organization of space, not necessarily sound. We can call harmonious a pleasant combination of colors, a pretty face, family relationships where everyone loves and respects each other ... The whole universe is built according to the same laws of harmony, the same numerical proportions underlie a beautiful melody, a correctly tuned instrument, a beautiful, solid building and laws by which the planets move. No wonder the ancient Greeks attributed music not to the arts, but to the sciences: it was part of the trivium "Astronomy, Music, Geometry".
The most prominent ancient Greek philosophers Pythagoras (VI century BC), Aristotle, Plato (IV century BC) pointed to the preventive and curative power of music. They believed that music establishes order in the entire universe, including disturbed harmony in the human body. It was noticed that music, especially its main components - melody and rhythm, change a person's mood, rebuild his emotional state.
In ancient times, people understood that as violation of the laws of the universe would turn space into chaos, as violation of the laws of geometry would turn a building into ruins, so violation of the laws of musical harmony deforms the human soul, his inner structure and his relationship with other people. In ancient China, a composer who wrote the "wrong" music was executed. In our civilized world, it is not customary to execute composers, but in vain. None of us thinks about what a colossal effect a constant musical background has on our life, which we are used to not noticing, but on which we often depend no less than nicotine smokers. The human need for harmony, like everything in our world, has become an object of manipulation. Repeating the "annoying melody of the day", a person plunges himself into a trance and becomes a piece of the mass consuming musical gum along with chips and Coca-Cola. A singing person will certainly be included in a powerful energy flow, instinctively feeling how his own spiritual strength and significance grows at the same time. But it can be both a stream of universal harmony and a sound garbage chute.
With the help of rhythm, a person also connects to the flow, but already rhythmic. Rhythm affects the psyche, perhaps even more strongly than harmony.
“One of the most important concepts in the ethics of Pythagoras was“ eurythmy ”- the ability of a person to find the correct rhythm in all manifestations of life: singing, playing, dancing, speech, gestures, thoughts, actions, birth and death. Through finding this correct rhythm, a person, considered as a kind of microcosm, could first harmoniously enter the rhythm of polis harmony, and then connect to the cosmic rhythm of the world whole. From Pythagoras came the tradition of comparing social life both with a musical mode and with a musical instrument. " Petrushin V.I.
Musical psychotherapy. - M., 1999 .-- S. 10.
The outstanding Indian philosopher and musician Hazrat Inayat Khan, revealing the mechanism of interaction between rhythm and the Universe, notes: “Trees happily wave their branches in rhythm with the wind; the sound of the sea, the muttering of the breeze, the whistle of the wind in the rocks among the hills and mountains, a flash of lightning and a thunderbolt, the harmony of the sun and the moon, the movement of stars and planets, flowering plants, leaf falling, regular change of morning and evening, day and night - all this opens for the one who sees the music of nature.<…>The infant responds to music before learning to speak; he moves his arms and legs to the beat and expresses joy and pain in different colors. "
Rhythm is the structuring of time, dividing the time continuum into different intervals. Each phenomenon, each nation, each person has its own rhythm, distorting which can be both destroyed and controlled. Pay attention to what kind of music, with what rhythm, experienced managers in their stores start up, stimulating the “groovy” mood with which purchases are easily made. Sociopsychologists know that with the help of certain rhythms it is possible to change the state and mood of the crowd. With the help of a musical rhythm, you can speed up or slow down the heart rate (this has always been used by shamans and healers), you can extend or shorten the life itself.
Rhythm can be both a medicine and a deadly weapon: ethnographers describe African tribes where criminals were executed by drumming.
We can say that rhythm and harmony is what is given to a person from above, what distinguishes him from an animal and makes him a spiritual being.
According to the German scientist and musician Athanasius Kircher, “the psychotherapeutic potential of music lay in its mediation between the music of the spheres (musica mundana) and that which lies in the movement of physiological processes in the body (musica humana). By aligning the latter with the former, music has a healing effect. "
In tune with the cosmos.
But there is something in singing that not only brings us closer to nature, but makes us a part of it, opens up the opportunity to use its resources. This resonance is the frequency coincidence of the voice with the sounds of the world, both audible and inaudible. If a person manages with his voice, body to coincide with the vibration of the physical space where he is, or to find such a frequency coincidence with the voice of another person, the effect of amplification, multiple multiplication of the strength of sound, its overtone richness and power of influence arises. Moreover, in the case of perfect resonance, this effect is mutual: a person receives natural power from the world, and he himself influences nature, controlling the elements with the help of voice modulations. The rituals of the Eastern Slavs of crying out spring or making rain are based on this effect. And the Hindus believe that if a person has a naturally strong voice, it means that at conception his parents were in harmony with cosmic forces. This belief is closely related to the belief that correct singing corrects life: for many peoples of India, singing is still a spiritual practice.
There are psychotechnics, using which, with the help of a voice, a person tunes his body, like a piano, entering into resonance with himself, imparting the correct vibrations to his own body, can raise his vitality, improve his overall health.
The famous French otolaryngologist A. Tomatis investigated the effect of high-frequency sounds on the human psyche. He showed that a person does not just hear: the vibrations perceived by him affect the nerves of the inner ear and, being converted there into electrical impulses, are sent to the brain. Some enter the auditory nerves and are perceived as sounds, while others enter the cerebellum, which is responsible for complex movements and a sense of balance. From there, they are transferred to the limbic system, which controls emotions and the release of biochemicals, including hormones that affect the body. The electrical potential created by sound also enters the cerebral cortex, which regulates the higher mental functions of a person, the conscious control of his behavior. According to A. Tomatis, the ear is one of the organs that form human consciousness. Before him, most researchers did not pay attention to the fact that hearing is only part of a larger dynamic process in which every cell of the body is involved. Sound is one of the energy sources of the brain and the whole organism. A direct connection was revealed between the range of a person's auditory perception, the range of vibrations of his voice and the state of health.
A world made by song.
Almost all peoples understand chanting as a manifestation of the Divine in man, and spiritual chants are part of almost every religious cult. In the Christian tradition, angels “ceaselessly sing a song to God”, and people repeat this song - “like Cherubim” (we are Cherubim). In one of the Christian fairy tales of Clive Lewis (The Chronicles of Narnia), the Great Leo Aslan creates the world with his song.
And this great gift - singing - each person receives from God at birth. This is the same property of human nature as the ability to walk, talk, laugh. There is no one who would have been initially deprived of this amazing and perfect instrument. And don't believe the scary stories about bears stepping on loud babies' ears. Do not believe your own mother when she says that "you never had a voice." Remind her better of how she told you: "Why are you yelling like that" or "When you finally shut up!" The proof that singing is a natural property of a person can be the fact that in the countries of traditional culture, in India or Africa, and in our native Russian village, there are simply no people who could not sing, "did not have" hearing and voices. Everyone has been singing beautifully since childhood, and without visiting any music schools. Why are we, civilized townspeople, so "not asked" that without special education we can not connect three notes? There are several reasons for this.
First, the sound space of the city is so far from the natural that it actually has a destructive effect on the human's auditory abilities. The hearing of an urban child is formed differently than the hearing of village children, for whom the usual sound space is the voices of birds and animals, the noise of the forest and the river. In addition, a child who grew up among singing people learns to sing from them implicitly, without thinking that he is learning, adopting traditional singing techniques.
Secondly, the conventions of modern civilized society are such that it is considered indecent to directly express their emotions. Demanding the observance of public order, parents, and outsiders, shriek even at small children, whose sonorous voice stands out from the general background sound. Since childhood, a person is afraid to "sound" - not just to sing, he begins to speak in a low voice. Try ringing in a modern small-sized box with thin walls or in public transport - such an “individual manifestation” by neighbors will be perceived as a personal insult.
And after a child almost from infancy was forbidden to express himself with the help of his voice, he began to "teach" singing at school. The voice, which is a reflection and continuation of a person's personality, begins to "process", unify, and not letting it sound. As a result, there is a certain bias: both physiological and psychological. Something similar happens, for example, with "retrained left-handers" who, contrary to their nature, were forced from childhood to hold a spoon and write with their right hand, due to which they could not use 100% of the capabilities of their body and mind.
But the fact that you have never fully used your voice - this unique instrument given to you from birth - does not mean that you “do not have it”! You just need to “get it out of the closet”, clean it, set it up and learn how to use it. Of course, this is not a matter of one day: first, the voice must be freed from old clamps, then "pumped up", restore the muscles of a half-atrophied organ, then develop flexibility, coordination with body movements, learn to listen and hear.
Why would a person own his voice? "Taking possession" of the voice, you not only enjoy singing, not only straighten and free your body, but also acquire a powerful instrument of communication. No wonder they say: "enchanting voice", "imperious voice", "truthful voice." Often the first impression of someone we get only thanks to his voice, without even realizing it.
Psychologists say that the effectiveness of communication in 55% depends on visual representations related to the appearance, expressiveness of poses, facial expressions, gestures of the speaker, in 38% it is provided by the quality of voice, modulation, the use of pauses, clarity and accent of speech, and only in 7% is determined by semantics words that are spoken.
A person with a naturally sounding voice always attracts attention in a conversation, and someone who still knows how to control his voice, owns the audience, easily displays any shades of his thoughts and moods, with one intonation he can say something that cannot be expressed in any words.
Unfulfilled desires do no good to anyone: they spoil the mood, cause aggression, and so on. But, unfortunately, our desires do not always coincide with the possibilities, and a person perfectly understands this. For example, many people love music, adore singing along with their favorite performers, maybe even write songs themselves. And only one cruel joke of nature prevents them from being happy: they got neither voice nor hearing.
There are also people who have quite good vocal abilities, but banal indecision and shyness prevent them from singing in someone's presence. Be that as it may, you do not need to deny yourself the desire to perform songs, because you can sing in the shower for yourself. In addition, the bathroom is the best place for singing, this is where the desire to perform something most often arises. There are several reasons for this.
A voice that no one hears
Psychologists assure that people hear and see themselves completely different from what they really are, so a singing person may not even notice that he has an unpleasant voice or hearing loss. However, households: parents, spouse, children - it is still unbearably unpleasant to listen to the singing of a person who was unlucky with voice data. It is easier for someone who lives alone: the main thing is not to raise his voice enough to disturb the neighbors. Those who are afraid to harm the hearing of the household with their desire to perform a recently heard song should take a shower more often - because there you can sing for yourself, without disturbing anyone and without being ashamed of your voice.
People tend to belittle their dignity, so sometimes a person thinks that he sings badly, but in fact his voice is better than that of many pop singers combined. It can be difficult to stop being ashamed of yourself, a person is simply pinched and lost if he has to perform a song in front of someone. But he is alone in the shower stall, which means he can feel calm and sing, knowing that he will not receive unflattering comments.
Cleansing Bad Thoughts
People relax in their souls: dirt and sweat come off them, warm water relaxes muscles. A person is good and free, he is practically happy. And happy people or those who are just in a good mood love to sing. Psychologists assure that people who are satisfied with their lives sing much more often than those who are constantly tired or nervous. The shower cleanses not only the body, but also the thoughts, it relaxes a person, and in this state people often think about the pleasant. Therefore, at this moment they want only one thing - to sing and feel even happier.
Acoustics
In the bathroom, the acoustics are often different than in other rooms, so the sound is also completely different. This means that it is easier to imagine that you are not singing at home, but somewhere at a concert. All you have to do is close your eyes and you can imagine a crowd of fans, so why not perform something for them that they will definitely enjoy?
Imagination
For many people, water reminds of a kind of music - iridescent, slightly monotonous, but music. And when music is playing, people want to sing more than anything else. A shower head, with proper imagination, may well pass for a microphone. In his soul, when a person is not focused on problems requiring urgent solutions, his imagination works better, which means that it is not difficult for him to recreate the desired conditions for himself from improvised means and imagine himself as a completely different person. For example, a world famous singer.
Boredom
Even those who do not know how to relax at all can sing in the shower, albeit for a completely different reason. People who are accustomed to constantly doing something are madly bored in their souls, because there you can neither watch a movie nor read a book. This does not mean at all that people have lost their taste for life, since they do not know what to do with themselves. It's just that this is the type of people: they simply cannot do only one thing at a time, and the shower stall does not give them much choice. There is only one thing left - to listen to the music and sing along with it.
People sing in the shower because this is the ideal place: it is deserted, capable of creating interesting acoustics, and allows you to relax. In addition, there are no listeners there who could ruin the whole mood, and a person can enjoy what he likes without fear of hearing something unflattering in his address.
Have you ever tried singing?
It is necessary to sing
because the song is beneficial and helps us in life ...
M.R. Hoffman
People sing from birth to death, often without thinking at all about why they do it. There is a popular opinion that a person sings with happiness, but why then do they sing at a funeral? Many sing today to make money, but children don't sing for money. It happens that we sing, absolutely not wanting it, repeating one annoying motive an infinite number of times. Mothers lull their children to sleep with lullabies, and adults repeat the melodies of songs written in a language that they do not understand at all, but this activity does not seem meaningless to anyone. Having fun, people who have no ear for music sing in karaoke, and those who lack the spirit are screaming in their car. And, of course, many sing in the bathroom under the shower.
During the life of a child, you need to teach reading, writing and drawing for a long time. But the first thing that a baby, born into the world, does on his own is tries his voice, and only then learns to see and coordinate his movements. They tell about an old woman in the Arkhangelsk region, who in her more than a hundred years had already stopped walking, almost completely forgot how to speak and did not remember anything except the songs that she sang in her youth.
Most of a person's inclinations are easily explained by instincts. For example, the courtship process can be associated with procreation, and the desire for competition is justified by the hunting instinct. Singing is absolutely useless from the point of view of practical use. Singing is sometimes cited as an excuse for the recreational function and enjoyment of the arts. Many people enjoy the great creations of painters, while their own experiences as draftsmen ended with their school lessons. However, we do not stop singing, even if the last lessons were learned fifty years ago. What is this amazing property, what is this incomprehensible need of human nature, which, it would seem, is not at all conditioned by vital necessity and social need, but persistently demands its realization.
Usually a person knows little about this skill and does not think about its nature. Yet why do we like to sing, and is singing always a song? What is the person trying to express through singing? Why is singing a part of almost every religious cult? Why own your voice? How does singing affect the singer and those around him? Why do people who have no ear for music like to sing? There is no definite answer to the questions posed in any textbook. And yet, let's try to figure them out. First of all, let's understand why a person sings, because it is obvious that the ability to sing and the reason for singing are not the same thing.
WHY PEOPLE SING
Musical understanding of the harmony of space since ancient times has been the basis of the picture of the world. The luminaries of the ancient world, Pythagoras (570-490 BC), Plato (428-348 BC), Aristotle (384-322 BC), argued that music establishes order and balance in the universe and recreates harmony in the physical body. The ancient tradition traces the ability to sing to the time of human origin on earth and connects it with the previous civilization, from which we received this inheritance.
In 1952, a German physicist, professor at the Munich Technical University, Winfried Otto Schumann (1888-1974), who was engaged in the study of a physical phenomenon called "resonance", suggested the presence of natural electromagnetic oscillations of the planet Earth, later named after him - "Schumann Frequency" ... The frequencies of this resonance coincide with the rhythms of the brain, which indicates the primary connection of living beings with the Earth and enables a person, using singing and meditative techniques, to heal himself and gain access to unusual abilities. Working in the same direction, the outstanding Indian philosopher and musician of the twentieth century, Hazrat Inayat Khan (1882-1927), revealed "the mechanisms of interaction between man and the Universe with the help of rhythm."
Based on the research of these scientists, we can conclude that singing is a physical way of transmitting and receiving information, as well as the ability to contact not only with their own kind, but also with the Universe with the help of intonation, timbre, rhythm and frequency.
EFFECTS OF SINGING ON THE HUMAN BODY
“Since ancient times, mankind has known that singing is capable of curing diseases, affecting our psyche and consciousness. It can become a real weapon in the hands of a warrior, it can motivate or oppress large masses of people. " Eastern medicine, for example, sees the cause of disease in the blockage of energy flowing in the body. And by freeing, with the help of singing, the blocked channels through which vital energy flows, a person feels healthier and happier. Aesculapius treated with music. Pythagoras began and ended his day with singing, he discovered that music has an effect on the excitement of various emotions in a person.
To explain the effect of singing on the human body, let's start with the element of water. Our body is 70-80% water. It is known from school lessons that water is an ideal conductor. If we act on the body with sound, then the body will show certain reactions to this sound. The Japanese researcher, Dr. Masaru Emoto (1943 -), in his scientific works clearly demonstrated exactly how this happens. He influenced the crystals of freezing water with music and words, while photographs of the entire process of exposure were taken. The results were overwhelming. Under the influence of sounds and vibrations, water crystals changed their shape. In his book Message from water, Masaru Emoto writes: “Now I know why there can be no life without water, why there are alternative ways treatments and why they are effective. ”Modern equipment allows you to take photographs of the human aura. Research carried out in this area has recorded a change in the color of the aura of specific people after vocal exercises. In the relatively recent past in Germany, venerable doctors measured the immunoglobulins circulating in the blood. It turned out that after singing, the amount of immunoglobulins increases, that is, the body's immune defense improves. All this explains the reasons for using singing, both solo and choral, for the treatment of ailments.
Many historical records of the medicinal use of singing have survived to this day. The ancient Egyptians cured insomnia with their voice and all peoples, without exception, understood that singing helps to fall asleep, hence the lullabies. Pythagoras strongly recommended singing as a cure for insanity. Celtic peoples have used "song spells" in therapy. In China, singing was used to treat nervous disorders. In New Zealand, special songs were sung to ease the pain of a woman in labor. In Russia, a sick person was placed inside a circle of singing people and danced around him.
Singing is working with rhythm, sound and vibration. It is known that only about 20% of the sound reproduced by a person is directed to the listener, to the outer space. 80% goes inward. What happens then? The timbre of the voice contains certain frequencies and vibrations, and when we sing, the internal organs vibrate, that is, a kind of internal massage takes place that improves blood circulation. The vibrations that arise with the correct handling of the voice relieve inner tension, therefore, singing is an excellent sedative, and with its help neuroses, mental disorders and depression are treated. Such "sound internal massage" is very useful for expectant mothers during pregnancy. Audio frequencies, arising from singing, activate the growth and development of the child, his brain. For example, in France, the famous obstetrician, Michel Auden (1930-), for this reason creates whole choirs of pregnant women. A musical rhythm selected in a certain way is able to normalize the biological rhythms of the body. If the rhythm of the music is less frequent than the rhythm of the pulse, it has a calming effect on the body, and if the rhythm of the music is faster than the pulse, an exciting effect occurs.
At the end of the twentieth century, the possibilities of science in the study of the process of musical perception increased significantly. A narrow line of research appeared - music therapy. Scientists have found that singing and music actively affects the functions of all physiological systems and processes: respiration, cardiovascular system, blood circulation. In the early 60s, thanks to Laurel Elizabeth Keyes, a special method of voice treatment called "Toning" appeared.
Singing has several types of effects on a person at once: physiological (body functions), psychological and aesthetic (associative, figurative), vibrational (biochemical processes at the cellular level).
Scientists in China have even developed a healing system based on the effects of sounds when singing:
"AND"- relieves nasal congestion, heals eyes and ears.
"BUT"- relieves spasms, acts on the heart and gallbladder.
"U"- useful in the treatment of the uterus and prostate gland.
"E"- helps in the work of the brain.
"Sh"- heals the liver.
"X"- dumps negative energy.
In the East, since ancient times, they knew that the vibration of sound can tune the spirit and mind in various ways. The technique of such an adjustment is Mantra - pronouncing sounds in a specific sequence. Each mantra has an impact on the body, affects the psyche, has a sacred spiritual meaning.
Considering the above arguments, the number of long-livers among the great singers is less surprising: Lemeshev lived to be 76 years old, having only one lung, Italian tenor Benjamino Gigli at 70 sang on stage as a young man, the strongest bass Mark Reisen celebrated his 90th birthday on stage Kozlovsky and Mikhailov survived to their venerable years.
RELATIONSHIP OF SINGING WITH HUMAN PSYCHE
In addition to the physical impact, singing has a strong influence on the psycho-emotional sphere. The emotional-figurative content of singing affects both the one who sings and the one who listens. Moreover, if the word is addressed to a person's consciousness, then the timbre, emotional coloring, musical accompaniment - directly to the subconscious.
Sociopsychologists know that using the rhythm you can change the states and moods of both an individual and a crowd. Using the rhythm, it is possible to speed up or slow down the heartbeat, which has always been successfully used by shamans and healers. Timbre, rhythm and harmony can be both a medicine and a deadly weapon: ethnographers describe African tribes where criminals were executed by drumming. There are techniques in which a person tunes his body by singing, like a piano. Entering into resonance with oneself, imparting certain vibrations to one's own body, a person can raise his vitality. When we start singing without having the mood for this, singing gradually changes our state, arises Feedback, joy comes. Similarly, neuropathologists treat their patients: they make them smile. A smile - usually a consequence of a good mood - becomes its cause. Therefore, it is no coincidence that a person sings. This supports emotional and mental health.
In singing, a person can express many emotional states and thereby relieve stress, throw out unnecessary negativity and excitement. As a result, singing can help in the treatment of depression, neuroses and nervous diseases and provide a harmonious emotional state to the one who uses the magic of the voice. The famous French otolaryngologist, professor of psycholinguistics, Alfred Tomatis (1920-2001), in his book "Ear and Voice" describes the effect of high-frequency sounds on the human psyche. He proved that a person does not just hear sounds: vibrations perceived by the sense organs affect the nerve endings and, being converted into electrical impulses, enter the brain. Some are perceived as sounds, while others enter the cerebellum and are transmitted to the limbic system, which is responsible for emotions. The electrical impulse created by sound also enters the cerebral cortex and participates in the regulation of higher mental functions of a person. According to Alfred Tomatis, the ear is one of the most important organs that shape human consciousness.
Of course, singing presupposes harmony and rhythm. These concepts are usually understood as the structural organization of the space-time continuum. The entire universe exists according to the same laws. Equal proportions underlie planetary movement, solid building and beautiful melody. It was not for nothing that the ancient Greeks ranked music not as an arts, but as a science: it was part of the triumvirate: “Astronomy, Music, Geometry”. Since ancient times, people have understood that just as violation of the laws of the universe can plunge space into chaos, disregard for the laws of geometry will turn a building into ruins, so failure to comply with clear laws of musical harmony destroys a person's soul, his inner structure and his relationships with other people.
“The most important concept in the ethics of Pythagoras was“ eurythmy ”- the ability of a person to find the correct rhythm in all manifestations of life: singing, speaking, dancing, playing, gestures, thoughts, actions, birth and death. By defining this rhythm, a person could connect to the cosmic rhythms of the world as a whole. " Rhythm is the structuring of time, dividing the time continuum into certain intervals. Heart rate, breathing rhythm is the basis of life. Physiologists have found that the number of heartbeats during the life of a mouse, an elephant, or a person is approximately the same. Each phenomenon, people, person has its own rhythm, which can be distorted, both destroyed and controlled. Pythagoras, Plato and Aristotle pointed to the preventive and curative power of singing. They believed that singing restores order and disturbed harmony in the human body, changes mood, and rebuilds the emotional state.
With the help of his singing apparatus, a person tries to express certain processes taking place inside him. To explain this, it is necessary to turn to modern research in the field of psychology. Singing is a conscious process, and our consciousness consists of three active interacting structures: the psyche, led by the awareer, the mind, the intellect, which is an expression of spirituality, the sensory sphere, which is a reflection of the nervous system of the organism. The interconnection of these elements is carried out by the "personal I", which transforms the impulse influences of all systems into a cause-and-effect series and forms our knowledge of reality into a certain picture of the world.
Our physical body is only concerned with the "conscious" state of mind, while there is a huge realm of "subconsciousness" in which we cannot use our five senses. However, being in a meditative state or in a dream, we can “hear” and “see” some shadow processes and images that cannot be felt in the conscious field. Returning to a conscious state, our "I" is trying to repeat and visualize the experience, using the available tools. That is, in order not to forget what consciousness was able to pull out of the subconscious, a person fixes it with the help of special signs. For example, waking up and vaguely recalling some images and sensations, the composer hums a melody, the poet composes a poem, the artist paints a picture. This is how composition, painting and poetry are born.
But singing is not a song, drawing is not a picture, and text is not a book. Sometimes these images add up to a single whole and songs are born, that is, poems set on a melody or scripts, where pictures are accompanied by lyrics and music. This is real creativity, in which each creator is unique from start to finish. And this is the fundamental difference between the creator and the artisan, who skillfully performs his work according to a ready-made template invented by someone.
Singing and modernity
Research into the phenomenon of singing and its possibilities is being actively investigated by many scientists in various fields. Specialists discover and record new properties of the voice. Various institutions are being created to study the effects of singing on humans. Music therapy today is an integral discipline at the intersection of neurophysiology, reflexology, psychology and musicology. It is increasingly being established as a universal educational system that optimizes the process of a person's personal development in the difficult conditions of modern social life. Music and psychotherapy centers have emerged and gained popularity in the countries of Western Europe and the USA. There is also a music therapy center in Russia, headed by Dr. Sergei Vaganovich Shushardzhanyan, an opera singer with a conservatory education.
Modern psychologists argue that The best way improve the quality of your life - just start enjoying it. Singing is exactly the instrument that allows you to “get” the joy of life. According to experts, it is included in the "antidepressant package" along with yoga, sports and psychotherapist sessions. In recent years, more and more adults, successful, serious people have been learning to sing. Not so much for the sake of a mythical professional singing career, but to solve specific problems - psychological and physiological. There is undeniable logic in this, as vocals liberate, help to better understand yourself and your body. The person becomes calmer, happier and happier.
From the point of view of physiology, vocals are real fitness, since the whole body works from crown to heels when singing. Out of habit, novice singers get tired of their legs, back, abs, even jaw. The abdominal muscles are actively involved. Work on breathing saturates the blood with oxygen, improves the work of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. In addition, vocals teach you to own and manage your emotions.
Various branches of science in every possible way confirm the beneficial effects of singing on the body and soul of a person, however, it is important to know the "dosage", harmful and useful types of singing, since singing can be harmful. Research conducted at St. Lux-Roosevelt Hospital Center has shown that certain singing techniques, characterized by prolonged breath holdings, have a destructive effect on the brain, lungs, larynx, and cardiovascular system. The postmortem examination of the famous Tuvan khoomeiji Gennady Tuman, who died at the age of thirty-three, showed that the singer "practically had no lungs left." In Mongolia, there is even a law according to which throat singers are equated in professional harm to miners and can retire early.
Today, official science recognizes the existence of three main singing techniques: throat, trance and classical. There are other techniques, for example, screaming (from the English scream - "to scream") and growling (from the English growling - "growling"). Growling made Louis Armstrong popular, now he is used in blues, hard rock and other heavy genres. Screaming is practiced by vocalists of "metal bands". When choosing in what technique to sing, it makes sense to listen to the opinion of professionals who believe that academic singers can perform both folk and pop music due to serious preparation. But on the contrary - it is unlikely to succeed. In any case, technique is a matter of taste. The singer himself decides what and how he should tell people with his creativity.
As in any form of human artistic activity, in vocal it is necessary to distinguish between amateur singing "for oneself", necessary for a person, like air, but not an art, and singing as a performing art, which has its own laws.
Summing up the conclusions made earlier, we can conclude that:
Singing -the earliest and most important area of human musical life. It is capable of influencing the physical body of a person, has strong psychotherapeutic properties and expresses the phenomena hidden in the subconscious.
Studies of the phenomenon of singing and its possibilities go back to the musical-philosophical systems of ancient Greece, which, in turn, synthesized them from musical practice and the musical outlook of the eastern civilizations of the ancient world.
Currently, a person's ability to sing is being actively explored by scientists of various directions, who reveal more and more new possibilities inherent in a person's voice. Various institutions are formed to study its properties and impact.
Being engaged in the development of the vocal apparatus, it is extremely necessary to have a correct understanding of the mechanisms of its work, directions of use and possible negative consequences in case of improper functioning and excesses.
02.03.2015 2015-03-02
People cannot live without air, water, food and ... singing! From the very childhood, kids "purr" their favorite songs from cartoons, even if they don't really know how to talk.
Someone sings just for the soul, someone as part of their work, since singing is his profession, someone uses their chants for spiritual and health practices. One way or another - everyone sings. Let's take a look at the benefits of singing and why we enjoy singing so much.
The desire to sing appears from a very young age.
... because it's a tradition
There are thousands of cultures in the world with their own traditions and rituals, with their own unique history, painting and cuisine and, of course, their songs. If you want to get to know a culture better, just listen to its national motives. They will tell all about the intricacies of the soul of this people.
... because you need to relax
Psychologists advise singing a couple of your favorite songs before an important event or a serious conversation. This is necessary in order to abstract from problems and other annoying factors. While singing, we immerse ourselves in our own unique world, leaving everything unnecessary "overboard".
You can relax with singing. ... because it improves health
Scientifically speaking, singing is the extraction of sound through rhythmic exhalations with the participation of the respiratory system (oral cavity, lungs, trachea, vocal cords, diaphragm). If you regularly practice vocals or go to a karaoke bar with friends every weekend, then you are guaranteed to feel better. In addition, vocal lessons (at home or in a professional studio - it doesn't matter) form a beautiful posture.
The benefits of singing were discovered recently - just a few decades ago. There is documentary practical evidence of this. Thus, the positive effect of singing was found in patients suffering from diseases of the upper respiratory tract, as well as in children with stuttering problems and patients after stroke.
Sing to your health! Physiotherapists, along with yoga teachers, actively use singing for maximum relaxation, because in its process endorphins are released, as a result tension is relieved, human defense mechanisms are stimulated and the pain threshold decreases. In particular, the famous psychotherapist, Dr. Gertrude Berka-Schmid, speaks about this.
... because I had to
Sometimes we really have to sing. For example, at someone's wedding or birthday. Moreover, it often happens that what began with great reluctance develops into a real pleasure, and we can no longer be stopped!
... because I really want to
Have you ever had such situations when suddenly there was an irresistible desire to sing? And you couldn't say with certainty where it came from. It is quite possible that you simply do not have enough positive emotions, and the body tries to compensate for their lack in this way. Don't argue with him and sing a couple of your favorite songs. Experienced vocalists say the pleasure of singing in karaoke can be compared to the pleasure of a massage or yoga session.
Singing in karaoke means getting rid of emotional stress
If you think that karaoke is a hobby exclusively for young people with an active lifestyle, you are wrong. Recently in Russia serious adults have also begun to get involved in singing "for themselves". For them, karaoke is a way to relieve emotional stress, relax and better understand their body.
... because it is fashionable
Indeed, today music has become a real trend. We watch popular performers, we want to look just as fashionable and stylish, but most importantly, sometimes we think that we can sing like them, or even better.
Fashionable motives that sound from each player firmly "settle" in our memory. Why not sing a popular song, especially since the words are spinning in the language?
Sometimes you don't need a microphone to sing ... because it's romantic
Every couple (or almost every one) has their own song or melody. Someone kissed her for the first time, someone made an offer, and someone just saw their soul mate, say, in the subway. The details are not so important, the main thing is that the blood boils in the body, and the heart beats faster, and it does not matter how old this song is, because it reminds you of one of the eternal feelings - about love.
... because it strengthens patriotism
From time immemorial, soldiers performed patriotic songs, and they did this not only before battle or during training, but also on vacation. Military musical motives instilled confidence in victory, and sometimes frightened the enemy.
Today, national anthems, which strengthen patriotic feelings, are usually performed only standing up and in all honesty.
Thanks to the grandfather and the song for the victory!
…Because it's funny
In the moments of the most unrestrained fun in any company, there is a character who remakes the lyrics of the song. Yes, yes, he changes words, making a real pun out of the sometimes tragic composition, which delights everyone around him. A good mood at such a party is guaranteed!
Singing is a great way to spend time with friends. ... because it helps organize your leisure time
Even in the busy life of the busiest person in the world, there are still days / hours / minutes when there is absolutely nothing to do. There is neither a book nor an interesting film at hand, and then karaoke will come to the rescue.
According to statistics, not only women but also the stronger sex like to hum their favorite tunes in their free time. The spread in the percentage is not so great: 65% / 35% in favor of the ladies.
The way out of any incomprehensible situation is to sing in karaoke And yet why do people like to sing in karaoke? Everyone has their own reasons, and maybe even several of them. The main thing is clear: “the song helps us both to build and to live”! It is simply impossible to imagine that we will not have our favorite musical compositions and the opportunity to have a good rest, singing heartily about love, happiness, grief or betrayal.
Do you want to choose a karaoke system? Singing with friends and getting vivid impressions? Come to the Madboy showroom (Moscow, shopping center "Leningradsky"). Here you will find all karaoke systems: from budget options to premium models for installation in elite country houses and even karaoke clubs. You can perform your favorite songs for free on professional karaoke equipment. In addition, we regularly hold master classes with experienced vocalists. Admission is free for everyone.
We are waiting for you at any time!