Music and healing are part of each other, and current research is pointing to that more and more. Recent studies have shown that music can slow down and help balance brain waves, reduce tension and stress by affecting endorphin levels, reduce physical tension by changing the vibrational frequency of cells, and even evoke feelings of love and inner peace.

Of course, if music can slow down your body’s rhythms and effect soothing, peace and healing, it can also have the opposite effect. A well-chosen set of music can help energize you and prepare you to work hard and be creative. Studies have also shown that athletes working out and practicing to music use more energy, stretch themselves further and burn more calories than those who work without music.

There’s a great deal of information available now about music and healing. Sound healing, music therapy, and the power of sound to effect changes in the mind, body and spirit are becoming more and more accepted. It’s sometimes difficult to tell how much is true and how much is marketing hype.

I became interested in the healing power of music as a by-product of trying to produce the most beautiful music possible. Years back, Leonard Bernstein invited me to perform as concertmaster in the world premiere his production of Mass. While there, he invited me along to speak with management and producers in the recording industry.

I learned from them, to my surprise, that the violin, the instrument that I consider the most beautiful and evocative of any, was not considered by the recording industry to be a marketable sound – that people would not buy recordings that featured the violin.

That piece of news amazed me. To me, the violin is the most beautiful, evocative and versatile instrument ever created. In the hands of a skilled musician, the violin can gloat, laugh, exult or cry. It can express nearly any emotion that humans can feel in their hearts and souls. I challenged myself then to produce works of music that presented the violin as I know it – the evocative and expressive voice of the soul.

That was the beginning of my own music label and catalog, Li-Sem Enterprises. As it grew, I began to hear from those who work in the fields of healing, both the traditional hospitals and doctors’ offices, and those working in CAM (complementary and alternative medicine), telling me that they were using my music in their practices, to enhance meditation, focus awareness and evoke emotions.

Perhaps the most potent, powerful story that I heard was that of a teenage boy diagnosed with schizophrenia who did not speak at all, but who, while listening to my CD Fragrance of a Dream, looked up and said, “This music is so beautiful it breaks your heart.”

Those stories and touches from others led me to begin exploring the world of healing with sound and music, and what I find both amazes me and confirms my own belief that music is one of the most potent healing tools the world has ever possessed. I am still very much a student, a pilgrim on a quest to learn all that I can about the ways that different tones, vibrations and sounds can affect the body and attune with the emotions and the spiritual.

It is a wonderful journey, and one that I intend to share with as many people as I can. As a beginning of that sharing, here are some things that I have learned, and that I believe about how music helps to heal and regenerate the body.

1. Your body will heal itself if you give it the right tools. I believe that some music can help your body to heal by helping it to realign its balance. At the same time, it is far too early in the research for anyone to tell you which musical selections will heal a specific medical condition. I would be irresponsible if I recommended that music replace other more traditional forms of healing and therapy. Music is a complementary way to give your body the tools that it needs to help itself heal.

2. One of the most important and effective things that you can do for your body is to help it relax into a meditative state. There is a great deal of research to support that a state of meditative calm inspires your body and your mind to renew itself.

3. Sound is one of the best tools for inspiring the meditative state in which your body is receptive to healing and renewal – but it is important to choose your music carefully. Some music – classical music in particular – seems to go there instinctively, but most music was not designed to relax you.

We are barely beginning to understand the ways that music affects us and effects healing in us. The research is exciting and ongoing, and I spend a great deal of time working with different bodies of healers in various fields to aid this research in all the ways that I can.

I incorporate what I have learned into the production of the titles and arrangements chosen for every new Li-Sem Catalog release in the hopes that this wonderful gift that I was given, the gift of making music, can become a gift to others – one that helps heal and refresh and renew, and in the process becomes part of a positive change in the world.

There are different types of meditation however, and different types of music are appropriate for each. A relaxing meditation is intended to help you slow down and release stress, so the best music is easy to listen to and has elements that embody peace and harmony. The instruments and type of music are those that you associate with these qualities. This can differ from person to person. For example, you might associate flute music with lilting tunes and it might then invigorate you, while someone else may equate flute music with peaceful forest scenes or waterfalls.

Positive music is the best kind for meditation because it has beneficial qualities and is emotionally and spiritually uplifting, many believe even healing. Additionally, it can be relaxing, calming, or even physically and mentally stimulating. Positive music is not about lyrics, but about the music itself.

The music of the ’50s was almost all positive, so much so that there was no need to call it that, as there was no “negative” music to speak of. Today’s music is much different; heavy metal, grunge, punk rock, and other genres all contribute to a large body of negative music, music that expresses and evokes images of anger, fear, ugliness, hatred and pain. Even classical music written with a lot of discord can be considered negative. In the early 20th century, the works of Arthur Schonburg were rejected and in some instances almost caused riots amongst concert goers. Since then discordant music has been accepted and incorporated by modern music composers and music schools.

Negative music has become a part of modern tv and movies, forming the basis of music scores that evoke terror, suspense, and fear, and thereby helping to shape modern culture.

Positive music, on the other hand, has been present through all time, and thanks to modern media, people are becoming aware of positive music forms they never even knew existed before, examples of which are Gregorian chants and ancient Jewish and Arabic music. Positive music has the ability to transform and uplift, infuse people with feelings of content and wellbeing.

This is not to say that sad music is negative. I’m thinking specifically of the music of Sarah McLachlan when I say that a singer/songwriter can reach deep and then soar, and leave you with a feeling of being understood in your sadness, yet uplifted with comfort and hope. There is rock music such as the music of the Moody Blues or U2 which can evoke images of angels.

This is not a statement about any particular genre of music in its entirety, just that if you listen carefully, you will recognize whether the music you are listening to is positive or negative by the way your mind, body, emotions and psyche react. When you are practicing a relaxing meditation, you can learn to choose the right music, and positive music is a great place to start.

is also well accepted and admired by the music listeners across the globe. This highly melodious and mellifluous form of music is awesomely pure and subtle. Unlike the conventional pop and metal music, this genre is known for its flawless and soft rhythms that are soothing to the ears and pleasant to the soul. Many popular artists have given amazing performances and great albums that have remarkable influences from this music. These albums have achieved admirable success and recognition from the listeners.

Country music is a remarkably enticing genre of music that focuses on the melodies and the rhythms. It is identified by its immensely mellifluous tones and upbeat numbers. It is a blend of various distinctive music forms from across the world and mainly has influences from the music that was originated in the southern parts of the United States and the region of Appalachian Mountains. Around 1920, this category rapidly evolved and gained popularity among the masses. This kind of music has its roots in the various traditional and classical types like folk music, old times music, Celtic music, gospel and the blues. In the southern United States the various ethnic groups created music of different styles and the combination of all these styles emerged as the Western Music that comprises a major part of the country and western music.

There have been a number of artists and performers who have gained immense popularity with this genre of music. Elvis Presley, who was earlier known as The Hillbilly Cat was one of the biggest pop icons in the history of music. He won recognition through his immensely admirable country music performances. He was featured on the radio program Louisiana Hayride where he used to give amazing performances based on this music. Similarly Garth Brooke is one of the most appreciated country based music artist whose albums were chart toppers. He made short debut in other genres too. This genre saw its greatest high in the year 2006 when the country albums sales increased by the 17.7 percent to a whopping 36 millions.

The country pop has its roots in the soft rock and the country-politan which emerged as a sub genre of this music in the 1970’s. It was well accepted by the wide variety of audiences during the same decade. The singers like John Denver, Glen Campbell and Anne Murray were some of the most admired artists of this genre. “RhineStone Cowboy” by Campbell is amongst the best and biggest crossover music hits. The songs in this music CD are still hummed by the teenagers and youngsters. Olivia Newton John is considered as the best female country vocal performer.

Outlaw country revolutionized this genre of music completely with the derived Honky Tonk sounds of late 1950’s. After 1935, the Western Swing Big Band leader Bob Willis used drums as the major instrument in his band Texas Playboy. The drums were readily used by the country musicians and the rockabilly groups till 1955. Later, they became significant in the country bands also. The electric guitar was used in the bands that were originated in the beginning of 1938. Arthur Smith achieved immense success with the Guitar Boogie a MGM records album that declared the beginning of guitar as the most influential instrument in the country band.

According to research, music has an intense effect on the human body and mind. Music has healing properties that help ease muscle tension and lift depression. It has been used to help cancer patients, people suffering from post operative stress and even children with ADD. In recent years, music has been used as a powerful tool in therapy sessions to calm the mind and body of patients. Today music is one of the most effective tools for inducing relaxation.

In the current scenario as more and more people fall victims to negative stress, there is high demand for an effective stress management tool that people can use on a daily basis. This is where music comes in. Unlike other stress management tools like meditation, yoga, counseling or massage, listening to music does not require any special time or investment. This is one of the reasons for its popularity as an effective stress management tool.

According to doctors, relaxation music CDs and video can stimulate activity corresponding to its beats in the brain. That is why soothing music encourages contemplation and relaxation. The alterations in brain activity caused by music lead to widespread changes in other bodily functions. Thus music has an impact on breathing and heart rate. Listening to relaxation music CDs and video leads to the activation of relaxation response in the body.

Music effectively counteracts the damaging effects of extreme stress. It can reduce blood pressure, boost immunity and relieve tension in the muscles. Slower breathing and relaxed heart rate brings about relaxation in the body. It is even believed that music has the ability to reduce the risk of stroke and heart related problems. These healing properties of music explain the frequent use of relaxation music CDs and video in therapy and counseling.

There is another reason why music can be effectively used for relaxation. Research has shown that the change music brings in brainwave activity makes it easier for the brain to shift into a calm and meditative state more easily on its own when the need arises in future. Therefore, music has a lasting impact on our response to stress. The power of music does not stop there. People battling with high amounts of negative stress often feel frustration and anxiety. These negative stress responses can wreck havoc on the body, mind and life of people suffering from it. Music can be used to encourage a positive state of mind in people who are stressed out.

With so many beneficial effects on the body and mind, it is little wonder that music is finding a place of pride and importance in mind therapy. Different kinds of music are used for different types of therapy. The music used for relaxation is generally mild and soothing, and it has a calming effect on the body. You may choose instrumental music or music interwoven with positive affirmations to help you ward off the detrimental effects of negative stress. Whatever kind of music you use, it is obvious that music is one of the easiest, most affordable and effective forms of relaxation available to us.

Free Downloads are Not Usually Best

Most people who want to download music first look for a website that offers free music downloads. Unfortunately, people who download music from free sites usually experience a number of problems, including a limited catalog of songs to choose from, terrible sound quality, slow download speeds, downloads that never fully go through, and opening up their computer for hackers, spyware, adware, malware, and virus attacks.

Most free music download websites are file-sharing websites where users open their computer up to other users to download music from. Opening up your computer to others is dangerous. When something can be downloaded, something can also be uploaded. This means, when a user taps into your computer to download one of your songs, they can also upload a number of harmful things that could crash your computer.

In addition, free music download websites are usually illegal due to copyright violations. Unless you are comfortable with the potentially dangerous situations of giving people access to tap into your computer and having illegal files stored there, free is not usually best.

Downloads vs. Streaming

There is a difference between downloading and streaming. With streaming, you simply click onto the music website and listen to music played from the website. The music is played live and you can usually select which songs you want to hear.

When you download music, you actually copy the music file from the website into your computer where you save it to your hard drive. Downloads offer you the convenience of listening to music whether or not you are connected to the music website.

Downloads can also be different from each other. Some music downloads protected by digital rights. Even after downloading, you are limited in what you can do with digital rights protected music files. You cannot usually burn these music files to a CD or transfer them to some other sort of copying device, such as a USB memory stick.

Permanent downloads, where you have full rights, allow you to burn the music onto a CD or a portable music player. This means you are not limited to listening to music straight from your computer and offers you the ability to listen to your download music anywhere.

If you plan to start a music collection or want to take your music with you, permanent downloads are the best option for you. If you just want to listen to music while working on your computer, streaming is your best bet. Many websites and radio stations even offer streaming music free.

Other things to consider when choosing a website to download music include:

Lifetime membership fees, subscription fees, or pay per download fees

Free trials and music samples

Technical support and customer service

Free software for downloading and burning

An easy to use format with clear instructions

Safety from adware, spyware, malware, hackers, and viruses

With Lycos music download service that is totally legal, all music lovers are now able to enjoy high music quality downloads from Lycos, which already has to its credit the popular Lycos Radio Network. For music lovers, the Lycos music download service offers more and advanced features than its competitors. For easier searching and downloads, Lycos has incorporated its own MP3 database offering a huge collection of music, mostly in MP3 formats.

Lycos online music service is called Lycos Rhapsody. To avail of the service, users need a subscription which grants its subscribers access to its huge database containing more than 10,000 albums in CD quality. To cover all types of contemporary music in its music download services, Lycos has included music from all major record labels including BMG, EMI, Sony Music and Warner Music.

Users who want to download music from Lycos are lucky that before buying music from their service, they can obtain the latest information and ratings about Lycos music from Lycos own music communities. Lycos also takes care in providing and updating news and reviews relating to the music contents offered for download. One of the unique features provided in the Lycos music website is the Listening Room which is dedicated for all new music releases. The service is unique in that it enables musicians to upload their songs online for the common public to download. Musicians are also able to track the number of times the music has been downloaded.

Apart from audio mp3s, Lycos music download service also includes high quality music videos. Most videos featured are available for download and can also be viewed online. To ensure that the music video downloads are faster, it is recommended to have a broadband internet connection.

With Lycos providing free and paid music in audio and video categories, music lovers worldwide can now find the latest music, all in one single destination. As Lycos is always updating all its services, music lovers are assured of getting more and more features for secure audio and video downloads.

There are many professional websites which are providing facilities for better quality and faster Christmas music downloads. Listening to your favorite Christmas carols and hymns is the best way to enjoy the holiday season in the company of your family and friends. Christmas music download services allow you to choose and download different categories of Christmas music whenever you want them.

With the popularity of the internet, there is no need for people to go shopping for their favorite Christmas music, as they can instantly download it at their home with ease. Leading search engines can assist you with several links of websites offering download services. Christmas music downloads enable you to secure your favorite Christmas music including Christmas piano music, free mp3 Christmas music, Christmas orchestra music, and music midi files. You can also get classical and contemporary music from various websites. Downloading Christian music from websites offering them is always much more cost-efficient than buying the music CDs from music retail stores.

Christmas music downloads most often comprise music that is freely made available and does not come under any copyright law. This includes music that is primarily meant to spread the message of Christianity. However, some of these websites allow the user only to listen to music online, and requires them to pay for download. While selecting the websites for downloading Christmas music, it is important to choose the legal websites which are safe for downloads. Websites providing Christmas music downloads make available rare Christmas songs that are appealing in their variety.

Selection of websites offering quality Christmas music should be made on the basis of the technical support available, downloading speed, ease of use and quality of music. Once the downloading is complete in your PC, you can burn the downloaded music files into CDs, or transfer them into an iPod or any other handheld system. Christmas music downloads give you access to Christmas songs from different musicians, enabling you to create your own virtual library and enjoy beautiful songs whenever you wish to do so.

The major benefit of these sites is that you can download and play the songs in the comfort of your home. Most of these sites allow unlimited music downloading. There are also sites offering Christian music lyrics. Enrich your Christian music collection with free Christian music downloads from the internet. It is much more economical to download Christian music than to buy them from stores. The user should take care, however, to download music only from authorized sites free from viruses.

Music downloading is becoming more and more popular as you can store lot of songs in a limited space. Most of these sites update their databases regularly, providing the users with the latest songs. With these free music download sites, you can build up your Christian music library. After downloading music, you can burn it into CDs or other mediums for storage.

Christian music is mainly focused on spiritual themes and you can select from a variety of categories such as prayers, Christian pop, Celtic hymns, kids Bible songs, Christian gospel songs, Christian alternative and more. Music being a powerful non-verbal form of communication, Christian music expresses the knowledge, emotions, values and beliefs of individuals. Christian music captures the essence of Christianity and any Christian song will contain a message touching on Christian faith and values. Christian music can be used for praise, worship and liturgy.

Most of the websites which claim to provide free Christian music downloads are just advertisements. It is best to find out all details of a particular website before deciding to download the Christian music it provides. Downloading music from an unauthorized site can cause your computer to be affected with virus or spyware. Some sites offer monthly, yearly and lifetime memberships for downloading music.

Create and enjoy a spiritual atmosphere of praise and worship, with excellent Christian music. Check out the websites offering free Christian music downloads and own your favorite Christian songs within minutes.

Free mp3 music for Macintosh includes free high quality digital downloads such as mp3 albums, free mp3 songs, music videos, and top release music. Other free music downloads for Macintosh includes free mp3 music players, guitar tabs, lyrics, sheet music, MIDI, CD covers, and music videos. The download for sheet music includes your favorite songs, musical instruments tutorials and so on. The internet radio provides you with the facility to listen to the internet radio station; it is also provided with the option to record your favorite music. Live radio station is a database free internet radio with recording options. Free song lyrics download includes top music lyrics.

Free ringtones and music players for your mobile are also available in the list of free music downloads for Macintosh. The ringtones are available in different formats such as mp3, polyphonic midi and so on. Free midi music downloads can be used as ringtones, karaoke and many more.

Free music downloads for Macintosh also includes a very large collection of software connected with music playing, music editing, and recording. The Mac music software can be categorized into a large group. Music software for Macintosh OS is available freely on several websites. Among these software programs, audio converter is a Mac shareware for converting sound files into other format. For the purpose of recording, editing and manipulating, a large collection of recording software is also available. Mac midi and Mac mod shareware are for the purpose of editing and manipulation of Midi and Mod file formats.

There are several sites that offer free music downloads for Macintosh. The database of Mac music downloads will include a very large category of music such as classical, Christian music, childrens music, folk, Latin, pop, rock, vocal and more. Users can easily search for their favorite music from those in the list. Original mp3 music from the finest musicians is available on several sites which offer these music files as free music downloads for Macintosh. Free iTunes for the Mac devices are now available in several sites. iTune store is a software based digital online media operated by Apple.Inc, which has now become the number one music store in the United States.

Public domain websites which are offering legal music downloads mostly contain music for which the copyright period has expired, and therefore is royalty free. This public domain music can be owned by anyone for ones own use and for free distribution. The music can be modified as well. Most public domain music websites offer the works of independent and unsigned musicians, who contribute their music free to the online community, in order to popularize their work in a cost-effective manner. In the process they get a good number of fans as well.

Legal music downloads are made available by websites which are offering pay services. In these websites, the music downloads are completely legal, since these websites give a portion of the money obtained from selling music online as royalty to the artist or company who owns the music. Often such pay websites takes care to update their collections with new releases of music albums at the same time they are being released worldwide. Easy categorization of music according to their genre helps visitors of pay sites to easily search and download their favorite music.

While selecting a particular legal music download website which is offering music through payments, it is ideal to check whether the website has user review sessions. By reading user reviews, music lovers can easily identify whether the music they wish to download is worth listening to and buying. Most commercial websites providing legal downloads have both audio and video versions of music available for download. For video downloads, it is best to have a broadband connection as it offers greater transmission speeds, resulting in faster downloads.

With strict copyright laws being enforced worldwide, many websites which had earlier provided illegal music downloads have now transformed themselves to commercial websites offering only legal downloads. Such moves in the online music industry can make a significant contribution towards achieving totally legal music downloads online.

There are also a few websites offering music which can be burned directly to compact discs, apart from providing the facility for legal music downloads. With all music downloads going legal, the benefits are to the music companies and artists who work to create excellent, original music content.