We all like music. Even a new born baby responds to sounds and music. Right from the child to a grown-up everyone relates to music in one or the other way. Ever wondered why?
Further, different moods attune to different music. And tunes are potent enough to change the mood - from sad to cheering, from party to meditative! How does this happen? How does music remotely control a fully aware and intelligent individual?
To know, let's trace the link between music and biochemistry since the human system is biochemistry.
To start with, music is composed of notes and rhythm which we also refer to as Svara and taala in Sanskrit. These notes (sa, re, ga, ma...) are in themselves sound frequencies. When we play an instrument or sing vocally these sound frequencies are activated and received by the ears both ours and the hearer's. Upon reception these sound frequencies cause changes to the brain and the brain sends signals to the rest of the body to respond to the stimulus. Depending upon memory associations and perceptions different music has different effects.
Whenever a certain chosen tune is played it causes a change in the shape/symmetry and hence alters the way molecules interact. This changes the way cells respond to stimulus and is manifested as an effect which we witness on the body. The famous water experiment conducted by Japanese scientist Masaru Emoto (July 22, 1943 – October 17, 2014) further confirms the correlation between sound and form. He studied the effect of music on water molecules. He observed that different frequency sounds gave rise to different crystal structures in the water molecules visible beneath the microscope. So, sound creates form!
Pythagoras was the first to identify the relation between music and geometry i.e sound and form. He observed that basic geometric shapes produced tones in a pattern creating musical octaves.
The basic forms of geometry are the triangle, square, circle, pentagon, hexagon, septagon and so on. These shapes are identified with a particular number - the sum of their interior angles. For a triangle, the sum of all the interior angles is 180 degrees. Likewise for the other shapes as following: Square=360, Circle=360, Pentagon=540, Hexagon=720, Septagon=900 and so on.
When a musical chord is plucked using these numbers as cycles/sec we get a pattern that perfectly fits an octave in the F# major chord. Here we have forms revealing music! Surprising isn't it?
F# major chord – F – G – A B – C – D – E – F corresponds to Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Da Ni Sa the basis of all music.
So the link appears both ways: sound creates form and forms reveal music!
Later, Plato took this concept further from 2-dimensional to 3-dimensional geometry and observed the 3-D shapes to be part of all forms seen in nature from petal pattern of flowers to spiraling pattern of sea shells. This concept of 2-D & 3-D shapes constituting everything in nature can also be found mentioned in our ancient scriptures. In fact, sound has been alloted a very special place in spiritual practices. This may be why music is used for meditation and healing. In fact, the Veena is considered symbolic of the human brain and spinal cord.What wonder then that these two should link to spirituality! Goddess Saraswati, the Shakti of Lord Brahma the creator, is depicted as holding the Veena...she is the origin of all sound and thus all form that we see in the universe.
Music is embedded in the very existence of all life. Each of us is music, a song, a story in itself created by the creator. And together we create harmony! Music is universal, so is biochemistry crossing the barriers of age, language & gender!
As there are so many variations of symphony, so there are variations in biochemistry, so there are variations in individuals. Yet, the building blocks remain the same. Isn’t this true Unity in Diversity? conversely, Diversity in Unity??
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