You\u2019ve known forever that music makes your heart ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.carouselandrockinghorses.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/05\/brain-music.jpg\" "\\"brain-music\\"")
go pitty pat, right? Did you know it makes your brain do the same? It\u2019s true. When we hear music with a great beat it\u2019s all but impossible to keep from toe-tapping, finger-rapping, gum-snapping in time to the beat. The thing is, the brain likes to try to copy the rhythms that it hears. People have understood for millennia that music provides a way to manipulate your brain into different states of consciousness.<\/p>\n
The problem is, the beats we use in even the coolest music aren\u2019t at the right frequencies. The brain has its own natural rhythm, which can be seen in the brainwaves it emits naturally \u2014 those are the signals an EEG machine detects and records. When your brain changes mood, what really changes are the combinations of rhythms of the brainwaves it emits.\u00a0 For example if you\u2019re asleep \u2014 you do<\/em> sleep, right? \u2014 the brain\u2019s frequency is a lot slower than when you\u2019re, say, playing some one-on-one on the basketball court.<\/p>\n If you could change your brain\u2019s rhythm on command, you could actually push your brain to enter any specific state you want, from sleep, to deep meditation, to intense focus and concentration, to wide awake and alert. And you know what? A certain type of music can help you do exactly that. Suppose you\u2019re getting down to writing a new article or say even starting on a new book. The thing is, that\u2019s the kind of task that needs focus and concentration, right? Scientists have figured out what combination of frequencies corresponds to that state of intense concentration \u2014 and it\u2019s never just one beat, but a combination of many frequencies. In any event, there are now CDs you can buy that have these special frequencies laid down as tracks underlying music.<\/p>\n There is a problem, however. Almost all the useful brainwave frequencies \u2014 the ones that put you into interesting states of mind \u2014 are below the level of human hearing. So you can\u2019t just listen to a music track with \u201cbrain beats\u201d on it and accomplish anything. But fear not\u2026there\u2019s an app \u2014 or at least a fix \u2014 for that.<\/p>\n You have to listen to these special brain music CDs (or MP3s) in stereo, preferably over headphones or with ear buds, like on your iPod.\u00a0 If you can\u2019t arrange that \u2014 or if you want all family members to listen in \u2014 at least arrange it so everyone is sitting between the speakers, so they hear the music in true stereo, with the left speaker distinctly separate from the right. The music has slightly different brain tracks for the left ear and the right ear. Say, for example, that it\u2019s intended to induce a 6 beat-per-second rhythm (that\u2019s a frequency the brain emits strongly when you\u2019re meditating), way below what people can hear.\u00a0 But by putting in, say a 100 beat-per-second signal in one ear, and a 106 beat-per-second signal in the other ear, what the brain perceives isn\u2019t 100 or 106 \u2014 it interprets those two inputs as the beat <\/em>frequency\u2026 the difference between them, or 6 beats per second. Thus, the brain gets tricked into hearing a sound that doesn\u2019t actually exist on the recording.<\/p>\n The brain frequencies are also generally embedded into a little bit of white noise, so these brain music tracks, if you analyze them closely, look like they have a slight hiss (though only real music perfectionists will notice that). If you take the \u201cnoise\u201d out, you\u2019re also dumping the brain signals, so don\u2019t do that \u2014 and don\u2019t use noise cancelling headphones either!\u00a0 The other thing to know is that it doesn\u2019t matter what kind of music you put these brain signals on. Any music will do, though it\u2019s probably not real smart to put a heavy metal track with a set of signals designed to put you to sleep.<\/p>\n I know of two good sources for this kind of CD. Several dozen titles of varying types of music are available from Monroe Products \u2014 look for their \u201cMetaMusic\u201d titles. Be sure the description of what you want to do matches their description of the signals on the album so you\u2019re not buying a CD designed to help you sleep when you want to write. While these list for $20 each CD, if you check on eBay or other online sources you can find them for a lot less. The other really good set of brain CDs are ones from Jeffrey Thompson. He has various sets out; look for ones on creativity or clarity and focus. The \u201cAwakened Mind System 2.0\u201d for example, retails new for only $11 from Amazon and you can again find it for less<\/p>\n While the music on any of these brain-CDs won\u2019t exactly blow you away, you\u2019ll be astounded at what a difference they make in your ability to concentrate on what you\u2019re doing.\u00a0 Whether you want to concentrate, meditate, or simply relax, these albums can help you get to whatever brain state you want.<\/p>\n Maureen is a skilled freelance writer working for a professional writing and research agency www.BestEssayHelp.com<\/a>. When she\u2019s not busy helping people edit and revise their writing pieces, she spends her time joining a team of top article writers<\/a> in pursue of completing original and interesting articles on virtually any topic.<\/em><\/p>\n