What is Calming Music
The term ‘New Age Music’ has become really overused and is loosely applied to a full array of diverse styles. Fundamentally it is relaxing music intended to generate positive feelings, inspiration and relaxation.
The style initially appeared in the 1970’s in Asia with artists like Kitaro creating what was at that moment spacey sounding futuristic compositions by using banks of synthesizers. Kitaro would repeatedly render performances of the impressionist music of Debussy.
Today, the typical calming sound is perhaps made up of sustained synth pads with sequenced runs repeating in the background, this is regularly accompanied by an underlying drone bass or pedal giving a somewhat spellbinding and calming effect.
This is the class of music usually used for massages, healing sessions or other therapies.
There can be though loads of more diverse styles that come bundled together in the New Age Music genre. There is a large amount of melodic music, some piano based or maybe around some other solo instrument. There is a growing trend of using classical instruments alongside the dreamy sythesized sounds. This is occasionally referred to as neo-classical.
The ‘New Age’ label has become a genre group of its own encompassing a number of of the subsequent sub genres;
Alternative
Ambient
Celtic
Energy Healing
Ethnic Fusion
Healing
Nature
Neo-Classical
New Age
Progressive Electronic
Self-Help
Solo Instrumental
Space
Techno-Tribal
As you can see the term ‘calming music‘ has grown to be somewhat overworked and these days the term encompasses a great deal more than merely the typical ‘wallpaper’ music that it has become famous for.
Musician and composer Andy Bramhill writes about soothing music on his blog where you are able to get the latest details on his own CDs now available for download.
http://andybramhill.com
