https://padlet.com/stephanierutherford/bnh5wboe66d5 Our Musical Element en-us 2017-12-09 21:52:29 UTC 2025-12-27 23:47:08 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Balance.png stephanierutherford https://padlet.com/stephanierutherford/bnh5wboe66d5/wish/214752642 Have you ever had a bad day? You find yourself just wanting to lay down, stick in your earphones, and just relax? Many times when we listen to music we think a lot about how it makes us feel. We will often associate certain music with certain feelings that we have and this is what makes it special. But more specifically, music can sometimes be used as a technique for relaxation for some people, or for everyone. Let's focus on what specific relaxing elements exist in music. The short, simple answer is that t’s basically relatively slower tempos and sounds in songs that tend to calm us down and mellow out our moods. It is quite literally music to our ears when we hear a series of beautiful, harmonizing melodies that are associated with moderate to slow, rhythmically sensible tempos, and consonant chords. Relaxation is something that we need in order to function fully as human beings. We stress, we cry, we get angry, and we get happy. Our lives can sometimes turn out to be emotional roller coasters, sometimes too much to handle. An overabundance of stress in one’s life can be critical, and quite lethal if it is not taken care of or balanced out by a sense of calmness and peace. If relaxation is something we need, why not combine it with something we love?... MUSIC.]]> 2017-12-09 23:52:55 UTC https://padlet.com/stephanierutherford/bnh5wboe66d5/wish/214752642 stephanierutherford https://padlet.com/stephanierutherford/bnh5wboe66d5/wish/214752989 A musical piece that, in my opinion, is among some of the most relaxing songs ever is “River Flows In You” by Yiruma. This piano piece is one that I feel is very successful in providing just the right amount of relaxation when I need it. When I listen to this song, I feel as though I go through many different emotions; and the emotions I feel usually correlate with how I am feeling at the time of listening to the song. I think its ability to do this is amazing, and is something that I rarely encounter in music. Sure, I've been able to feel different emotions throughout other songs before, but with this particular piece, I am able to feel them all at one time. A blogger seems to think the same, that the artist plays beautifully “With delicate and beautiful notes that fit perfectly in place, Korean pianist, Yiruma, sends chills up my spine”(Teen Ink Blog). It is a beautiful, moving piece that is conveyed so smoothly and with a lot of feeling. This song’s ability to make me feel the way it does is why I think it exemplifies relaxation. To me, finding relaxation with music is finding myself in the music. With “River Flows In You”, I can make it appeal to any of my emotions…this is a special and very unique attribute in a song.]]> 2017-12-10 00:05:15 UTC https://padlet.com/stephanierutherford/bnh5wboe66d5/wish/214752989 stephanierutherford https://padlet.com/stephanierutherford/bnh5wboe66d5/wish/214753370 Another song we felt exemplified the concept of relaxation is “Angels” by Khalid, I feel almost an overwhelming sense of relaxation. The song opens with a piano playing slowly and some vocals in the background. We then hear Khalid’s voice come in with the piano following his voice underneath. Musically, the song exemplifies relaxation in that in most cases, our ears and our minds appeal to the instrument because of its relaxing sound. The piano soothes us, especially when it plays chords and musical lines that make sense to our brain. During the chorus of the song, listeners can hear the artist’s voice in the background, harmonizing with his own voice. This makes for a relaxing element because it is very simple; there’s nothing too complicated in terms of adding too many things to the music. It’s almost just like it’s Khalid and a piano. Rhythmically, we are relaxed due to the song’s slow tempo, along with the fact that it never builds in tempo and there are no huge impacts, except when there is an occasional crescendo in the song. When talking about his song and its meaning “Angels”, Khalid says “I felt like it was more me talking about guardian angels…. They’re close. They’re in my space. They’re around me. I know I have someone I can call who will answer me and help me out. These people were placed in my life for some reason. They were there to help me” (Genius Interview). Knowing the meaning behind the song provides the listener with a sense of comfort. No matter what we could be going through, the song can remind us that there’s always someone around to help and be there for us; with this, we can relax.]]> 2017-12-10 00:21:39 UTC https://padlet.com/stephanierutherford/bnh5wboe66d5/wish/214753370 stephanierutherford https://padlet.com/stephanierutherford/bnh5wboe66d5/wish/214753461       The power of relaxation in music is something amazing. Music is very effective for managing the stressors in our lives and helping us to relax . If you are stressed about something, it is likely that your problems, worries and concerns occupy a lot of your brain time making you tired and irritable – classic symptoms of stress. However, music is something we can use as a cheap and healthy escape that lifts our mood and often puts a smile on our face.
       Relaxation uses many different activities that are meant to bring balance into your life, something that is needed as we are made to deal with certain things throughout our lives. We need to put in the time it takes to take care of not only our body, but also our mind. The main point of relaxation is that we stop worrying, stop working, and even stop interacting; focus on ourselves and begin to spend more time on this than anything else. I promise, it’s okay to be a little selfish sometimes. Maybe you have a lot of questions about yourself: Who are you? Do you enjoy what you do? What makes you happy? Take some time out to look for these answers; do it through music. This is what makes it so special. We can use it to better ourselves and better our health. It simply makes us feel good. That is in one of the true, and one of the greatest powers of music; the power of Relaxation.

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