Investigating the Characteristics of Sound
The 27th Symposium on Life Information Science March 14-15,2009.Yokohama National University, Japan
Keiichiro KITA1, Kimiko KAWANO2 and Yasuharu NAKAMURA3
1The Society for Harmonic Science (Tokyo, Japan)
2Institute for Living Body Measurements, International Research Institute (Chiba, Japan)
3Showa University, Emeritus Professor (Tokyo, Japan)
Sound is created when things vibrate as when strings of a harp are played, they vibrate in oscillation and produce sound. We can also make sound by banging things like wooden sticks or blowing into things like shells. All ancient instruments produced sound by one of three movements, either by plucking strings, hitting or blowing. When the strings of a harp are plucked this creates areas of high and low pressure in the air surrounding the strings. The compressed air travels out into the atmosphere as sound waves If the sound produced is a low sound then the distances between the peaks of the waves will be farther apart and if the sound is a high sound, the distance between the peaks will be closer together. Sound waves can travel through anything whether it is air, wood, metal, bone, horn or water. The speed with which sound travels depends on the material. Sound travels through the air at a speed of 340 mps and through water at 1500 mps, and through bone and metal at a faster rate of 5000 mps. Since approximately 70% of the human body is made up of water, our bodies therefore make for a perfect medium to conduct sound, and this is of great consequence for using sound in relaxation and healing.
Sound found in the world of nature can range in frequency from 1 to millions of Hz. We humans have a limited audio range and are only able to hear sounds made between 20 - 20,000 Hz.
Our bodies have been well designed to conduct sound. High sounds resound in the head and lower sounds resound in the lower body. High frequency sound has the capacity to stimulate our consciousness, and therefore it can also be helpful in reducing stress levels. Likewise, low-pitched tones can help to release tension and relax the body from the inside, inducing emotion and euphoria. The principle behind healing with sound lies in resonance. When sound waves pass through the body the sound travels through cells and resonates in them and this is thought to help with rebalancing and activating the body’s metabolism.
The Sufi, Hasrat Inyat Khan commented on the power of music: “The physical effect of sound has also a great influence upon the human body. The human body is a living resonator…the natural human voice holds all healing potential, within our voices we have the power to heal ourselves. If we were to sing with that natural healing voice we would naturally be able to heal others”.
Sound is oscillation and vibration that travels in waves. In physics, vibration is “the movement of the area where time and space change”. Scientists have recognized that everything in existence is indeed vibrating. Some things vibrate slowly, like sound, while radio waves (7.6 - 9.0 MHz) and light (405 - 790 trillion Hz), vibrate with a multitude of short wavelengths.
The recognition of a link between the mind and body that is occurring in western science goes all the way back to ancient Greece in the 4th century BC when Hippocrates asserted “the power of nature which lies within us can cure all illness”. Two hundred years later, Pythagoras thought that in order to best cure an illness it is more effective, when examining a patient to examine the whole of him; this holistic approach remained the common sense approach to medicine until the 17th century.
Nowadays, when talking in terms of health and well being, more and more people are under the general agreement that the mind has a great effect over the body.
Sound can go a lot further than soothing our mood; it can benefit our bodies greatly through its vibration. In order to make ourselves more vital, healthy and energized we would do well to seek out more powerful and more peaceful sounds. Now is a good time to research the power of sound.
Keywords: Sound wave, Frequency, Resonance, Sound healing, Holistic
Keiichiro KITA, The Society for Harmonic Science 2-9-4-201 Kamioosaki, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, 141-0021, Japan
