Music is one of the most powerful forces, capable of touching and healing us. We listen to music because it can transport us to a place where we can forget ourselves and become one with the beautiful sounds and rhythms. It's been scientifically proven that music can help us relax. One British ambient music group decided to take this a step further and create music in collaboration with therapists. The eight-minute track, "Weightless," is so relaxing that some consider it the most relaxing music in the world.
In 2011, Richard Talbot, Jamie Crosley and Duncan Meadows, members of the British ambient band Marconi Union , in collaboration with the British Academy of Sound Therapy, used scientific theories to create "the world's most relaxing song.".
Trio Marconi Union collaborated with therapists from the British Academy of Sound Therapy to create music that could lower blood pressure, stress levels, and heart rate. On October 16, 2011, they released an eight-minute track called "Weightless," which features sounds designed to calm the mind.
According to Richard Talbot:
It was really interesting working with a therapist to understand how and why certain sounds affect people's moods. I've always known about the power of music, but before, we wrote based on intuition.
According to scientists at Mindlab International, the track caused a 65 percent reduction in overall anxiety levels and decreased resting heart rate by 35 percent in test subjects. The track also features low tones, which reportedly induce a trance-like state in the listener.
According to Dr. David Lewis-Hodgson of Mindlab International, the brain responds to music on a very deep level. Sounds stimulate not only the areas of the brain responsible for processing sound, but also those associated with emotions. This is why music can evoke powerful emotions in us. In collaboration with therapists, participants Marconi Union tried to understand the relationship between sounds and people's moods.
Although, according to Richard Talbot, they've written music capable of influencing the listener's mood before, in those cases they were guided solely by intuition. This time, they used scientific theories to create the song "Weightless." Compared to other songs, the power of this composition is astounding, and Mindlab tests have shown that it can indeed reduce anxiety levels by 65 percent and resting physiological parameters by 35 percent.
The composition features guitar, piano, and processed field recordings. The rhythm starts at 60 beats per minute and gradually drops to 50 beats per minute, naturally slowing the listener's heartbeat.
According to Liz Cooper, founder of the British Academy of Sound Therapy, the effectiveness of this recording lies in its "steady rhythm, starting at 60 beats per minute and gradually slowing to around 50." As you listen to the recording, your heart rate slows down along with the rhythm of the track.
Another important aspect is the song's length. Typically, it takes about five minutes for the "sync" process (the human mind's ability to synchronize with music, causing the listener to become completely immersed in the sounds) to begin, but "Weightless" is eight minutes long.
The composition also lacks a repetitive melody, allowing the brain to completely switch off and simply listen, rather than trying to predict what will happen next. This helps the brain calm down and relax.
Since its release, "Weightless" has garnered several million views on Spotify and YouTube. It has become one of the most famous ambient tracks of all time, and in January 2017, it entered the Billboard charts.
In November 2011 Time magazine turned on Marconi Union group for their list of "Inventors of the Year" for writing and recording the song "Weightless." Despite praise for its use of scientific theories, the band members prefer to discuss the track purely from an aesthetic perspective. The song's video shows a small pond in a fog-shrouded valley, with luminous birds flying above.
We present to you the composition "Weightless" by the group Marconi Union.
[Source: Forbes, Wikipedia]