Ok, here's the basics (visit the links mentioned in my
earlier posts to get a jump start or better
comprehension of what the heck I'm talking about).
Ok, anyone who proposes to write music specifically
engineered to tune the brain (likely alpha) waves of
the lsitener, should be careful. If you've read 'The
Battle for Your Mind by Dick Sutphen' which I linked to
in an earlier post, you will understand that these
techniques can be used for benign or malicious
purposes. God forbid televangelists figure out what
trance and raves do to people!!
Ok, 90% of your listeners will be experienced ravers.
They have experienced alpha states through going to
parties where the combined effects of over stimulation,
light and sound have already iniated an easy transition
from beta to alpha. Combined with the use of LSD or
just about any other drug, these people are unknowingly
becoming experienced alpha state travellers. Moving to
an alpha state is easier, the more it happens. Be
warned - excessive dwelling in an alpha state can
become permanent, even if it's through meditation or
music. We need all our states to be mentally healthy!
If you want proof of this 'ease of revisitation', just
look at the kids outside the rave - all they can hear
is the thud of bass and they're already getting happy
and relaxed. The mind is ready to get into a full alpha
state!
It should be noted that most promoters, DJs and
musicians have no idea what they're doing, they just
know that the music, beats and light create the desired
reactions.
Ok, the most obvious place to start experimenting is
with rythm:
Take your bass drum and count how many hits you have in
1 minute. Then divide it by 60 to get the hz (cycles
per second). Most of my tracks are about 2.5hz (welcome
to the delta state. Ever find some tracks make you
sleepy?). However - you can push this up higher with
other rythms, like hi-hats, or just a subtle modulated
drone in the background.
Next the less obvious: Notes themselves. Here's a table
listing the frequencies of the notes, assuming a is
440hz - http://oyt.oulu.fi/notfreq.html
However, We can create more subtle rythms by employing
modulation (not to be underestimated). By combining
notes, we can create a waver in a droning note that
will have the same effect as a pulse. This is very
powerful stuff, and you can accent peaks with your
percussion.
So what good is the melody if all you need is rythm?
Melody opens up the consious mind, keeps the interest
held while the rythms and drones go to work tuning the
brains own frequency, the firing of synapses. Once you
have the audience's attention, DON'T LET GO, or you
will break the trance. If the beat stops, breaking the
trance, the melody had better hold their conscious
attention.
I'm trying to find a link to a great trance theory site
I found once, that really explained the power of trance
quite well... my search engine is useless today.
Oh, here's the frequency ranges and characteristics of
the different states/ bandwidths:
BETA 13-40hz
Alertness, Concentration, Focus & Cognition
Alpha 7-12hz
Relaxation, Visualization, & Creativity
Theta 4-7hz
Intuition, Memory, Meditation & Vivid Visual Imagery
Delta 0-4hz
Deep Sleep, Healing & Detached Awarness
Ok, I'm tired of typing. I know this stuff seems
obvious, but if you experiment with it, you will find
that the reactions to your tracks will become extremely
favourable.
Hows about some feedback? Anyon