Mindfulness in Music

“TO BE MOVED AND MESMERIZED BY BEAUTIFUL SOUND IS TO BE HUMAN. IN MUSIC WE CAN FIND SOLACE AND INSPIRATION APLENTY; THOUGH BORN INTO THE MATERIAL WORLD, WE LOOK TO MUSIC FOR INSPIRATION TO HELP US REACH BEYOND ITS MORE OBVIOUS DIMENSIONS.”

Whether you have a well versed musical vocabulary or not this is a pleasing read and a very interesting take on mindfulness. With plenty of mindful books with a concentration on Buddhist teaching, MINDFULNESS IN MUSIC was a nice step away into a new approach using mindfulness through the medium of music. Mark Tanner, a well-known pianist, offers great insight from multiple perspectives as it relates to music. Whether you are a musician or a listener, there is plenty that is offered within these pages for you.

“…MUSIC HAS THE POWER TO RECALIBRATE OUR EXPECTATIONS AND AT THE SAME TIME HELP US TO MAKE BETTER SENSE OF OUR COMPLEX LIVES.”

At 144 pages, this was a quick read that was not short on thought-provoking information.  Broken down into six parts: Music as Mediation, The Rhythm of Life, Sound & Sensuality, The Language of Music, Parallel Universes, and The Art of Possibility; I especially loved the chapter Parallel Universes and its inclusion of music as a sixth sense. I could not agree with this sentiment. The pages are also peppered with activities, or ideas, on how one can practice mindfulness through music.  I also really enjoyed that splattered among the pages were music-related quotes from famous composers, physicists, etc. 

“MUSIC EXPRESSES THAT WHICH CANNOT BE PUT INTO WORDS AND THAT WHICH CANNOT REMAIN SILENT..”

While getting into this book I instantly wanted to pick up THE MINDFUL PIANIST, also written by Mark Tanner. MINDFULNESS IN MUSIC is so beautifully presented with very high-quality pages similar to that of cardstock. I cannot stress enough how in awe of how beautifully put together this book was. This was a very engaging and thought-provoking read and I would recommend to anyone with an interest in a new approach to mindfulness and digesting music.

There's something for everyone here, whether you only listen to music or you perform, amateur or professional. Most of the book is geared toward amateur musicians and avid listeners. (There's plenty for professionals to enjoy, but the concepts aren't new to most of us.) Topics include mindfulness when listening, creating, and performing as well as a nice dose of music appreciation. Love the focus on listeners being a vital part of the live music experience!

Astonishing book that develops a new way to listen to music. I am not even sure I understood everything but what I got was very interesting. A recommended reading.

Libro molto affascinante che sviluppa un nuovo modo per ascoltare la musica. Non sono sicura nemmeno di aver capito tutto, ma quello che mi é rimasto in mente é veramente interessante. Una lettura obbligata.

THANKS TO NETGALLEY FOR THE PREVIEW!

Thank you to Quatro Publishing and Netgalley for an ARC of this book in return for my honest review.

This was an interesting book to understand how music can be incorporated mindfully into daily life. I look forward. to listening to some of the music referenced in this great little book and to take more time out in life to enjoy music in a different, more mindful way.

Every music lover thinks for a moment to play music, even when you're not talented enough but, when you realize that, you throw away that dream and decided just to live your live by how the music plays...and this book works for all the people who loves music, 'cause that's more that just listening, is about every feeling that music create, is all the moment that increase when you had a song attached to it, is like the beauty loneliness that created....and this book shows all that aspecs and guide you to accomplish exactly that.