Frequency? I hardly know her!

There’s nothing more exciting than knowing your daily run or the otherwise mundane activities of your day could be spiced up by music or sounds that remove you from reality, even if it’s for a short period of time. As humans we value escapism, escapism is healthy from time to time especially in times when we are overloaded with constant bad news and information. During the pandemic, like millions of others, I found myself locked in a tower like Rapunzel. The only difference is the equivalent of Rapunzel’s golden locks is my black 4C hair, and my tower is a 2 bedroom duplex. I was stuck with my thoughts, my phone, and one daily exercise as commanded by the prime minister and his famous hair. The first few months were very difficult, as you might already imagine. But I very soon realised that the key to keeping my sanity in those times is finding excitement in every single thing I did. Even if it was as mundane as going to the toilet. So I would waltz around my room and pretend I’m a very rich actress from the 1940s and spend my days creating playlists for people I met online, specifically on tinder.

Quick Tip

People can get to know you better and might find it very flattering if you made them a special Spotify/Youtube playlist. They might think you’re “cool.” Try it! (I promise, this isn’t sponsored by any of those platforms!)

Majority of the time I would also create a playlist for things like cleaning my house, which can be very therapeutic with a bit of music added to it. Whilst it could be somewhat of a vigorous activity scrubbing your floor, or renovating your space, escapism comes in when you think you’re Cinderella due to the music blasting through your earphones. It also helps if you have a very severe case of procrastination. Another thing I need a playlist for is getting through my daily exercise, whether it’s a quick run or a few hundred crunches. The key to finding happiness and excitement in these activities is anticipation and exaggeration. And music can really help with those two things.

When the pandemic isn’t ruining my already non-existent social life, and I find myself in a car ride, I usually have a playlist for that too. I stick my head out of the car when it’s safe and pretend I’m in a music video. Usually, I’m mentally in a lavender field, running around in a summer dress and speaking to fairies. It’s childish and fantastical, but it works.

Now the ultimate activity I need a playlist for is meditation. All my friends find it very easy to meditate. For them, it only takes the very relaxing voice of a YouTube guru and a couple of “now breathe in and out and be conscious of each breath” for them to slip into an empty state of mind. For me it’s much more complicated, and not only do I find it extremely hard to shut off my invasive thoughts, I also find it very hard to sleep. The only thing that has ever really helped me in both cases, is the use of music that has particular types of frequencies.

The science of frequencies

As we all know, meditation is the practice of calming down your mind and reducing the number of thoughts that pass through it. Regular practice of meditation can help reduce your anxiety, reduce stress, increase focus and has a good overall effect on your emotional health. Because it can be so hard to practice, binaural beats is a technology that can aid mediation. But first, to understand how to use binaural beats, it’s good to understand how frequency in music is important to our health.

Frequency? I hardly know her!

Everything has a frequency. Did you know that mainstream music back in the days were at a particular frequency? During the Mozart era, music was played at 432 Hz until it was later changed to 440 Hz, which was a frequency used by some questionable characters in history as a brainwashing device to make people “think a certain way.”

In 1988 a biochemist by the name of Dr Glen Rein made a discovery that confirmed the correlation between music frequencies and its impacts on DNA. This ultimately led to the discovery that certain frequencies induce certain brain states which can be healing to the human DNA. From this discovery, music therapy became a recognised profession and it has since been used to help individuals with mind and emotional health.

Solfeggio Frequencies

The solfeggio frequencies are healing frequencies that were used in the medieval times to raise vibrations and energy. Each solfeggio frequency serves a purpose in improving your overall emotional health and helping you with focus and anxiety. There are 7 of these frequencies but these are 4 that I use and have personally helped me with meditation and anxiety.

432 HZ

There are 5 brain wave states mainly - Delta, Alpha, Theta, Beta and Gamma. These states occur naturally during all your daily activities, from learning to sleeping. This particular frequency, 432 Hz is known for its calming and soothing effect, mainly because it induces the alpha brain state. When the alpha brain state predominates, most people will feel at ease and calm. It is the state in which a person is alert but not processing information which makes it perfect for meditation. A recent study from Italy shows that when frequency is reduced to 432 Hz, the heart slows down. This frequency induces a peaceful state of mind and is good for sleep and relaxation.

528 Hz

Research has shown that this frequency can significantly reduce stress in the endocrine systems and the autonomic nervous systems after a very short period of listening. During an experiment, it also increased cell life by 20%. Its energising and healing effects means it’s perfect for whenever you’re feeling a bit sad. It is also known as the love frequency and increases awareness, clarity of mind, inner peace and creativity.

396 HZ

This frequency has been known to help with removing subconscious worries, feelings of guilt and also negative beliefs. If you ever need reassurance, uplifting and motivation for your short and long term goals, this is the perfect frequency for the job. Put this on in the morning before setting out for your daily activities, it will help reduce procrastination.

639 Hz

This frequency has helped me with improving my mood and whenever I have a lot of emotions going on at once, I’ve found that this frequency is a perfect remedy for balance. It can also help with boosting positivity hence handling conflicts in relationships.

Binaural beats

So what are binaural beats?

Binaural beats are beats with a slight difference in frequency. If you listen to a sound with a different frequency in one earphone to the other, your brain processes the beat as the difference between both. Binaural beats help with strengthening connections in the brain, they help with relaxation and also memory loss.

There are so many types of binaural beats on YouTube, for it to work, it has to be less than 1000 Hz and have no difference of more than 30 Hz. You can customise the binaural beats to your preferences and decide which one is in synchronisation with your brain. High frequencies can cause fast reactions, medium frequencies cause mild relaxation and low frequencies can induce deep sleep. Choose a comfortable place free of noise or distractions, close your eyes and put in your earphones. For meditation, try medium frequencies.

Nature frequencies - Raindrops

If you’re like me, you might find it easier to sleep on rainy nights and slightly harder to wake up on rainy mornings. There’s something so relaxing and soothing about the sound of rain that puts you in a very meditative zen mode and also helps you fall asleep faster. It produces a natural ambient sound for sleep induction and deep relaxation. So if you’ve ever wondered why raindrops are so relaxing and soothing, the answer is in frequencies. Raindrop frequencies are usually between 0 and 20 kHz. Raindrop sounds induce the alpha state of the brain which is a close brain state to when humans fall asleep. This causes the brain to relax unconsciously and produces a calm and sleepy effect. Other reasons include the increase of negative ions in the air. An increase of negative ions can significantly improve the human nervous systems and has a calming and hypnotic effect. Whilst you can’t manufacture rain except you’re a filmmaker using props, there are so many raindrops audios that have incorporated Solfeggio frequencies, allowing you to relax, and also aids your meditation.

Other sounds of nature

Other sounds of nature that can aid your meditation or sleep include — The sounds of wind blowing through the trees, sounds of animals like birds and crickets, the clock ticking and the waves of the sea/ocean from the beach. You might not be able to travel to hear these sounds but they are accessible on apps like calm and also on YouTube.

Apart from the use of Solfeggio frequencies, there are songs from amazing artists whose voices are soothing and the choice of instruments in their music is relaxing.

Relaxing music for car rides

Car rides especially one along a countryside road is one activity I do whenever I’m feeling stressed and need to feel a nice breeze of fresh air. Even better if I’m not the one driving the car. I’d much rather sit in the front as a passenger with the aux cord. Here are songs I listen to, for a relaxing and magical car ride.

Lana Del Rey — Blue Jeans

I’m a big fan of Lana Del Rey in general and she hasn’t released a song I can say I hate. There’s something very sensual and soothing about her voice, her choice of instruments are very slow and induces me into a state of youthfulness and a longing for a love I never lost. Her songs can be very nostalgic and also very calming. My favourite one has to be blue jeans. Asides from the very trippy music video, and the very slow and ethereal instruments in the intro, this is probably one of the slower Lana Del Rey songs and it’s perfect for a nice afternoon ride to a picnic or even an afternoon ride to nowhere. Video games is also a good slow and relaxing Lana Del Rey song.

Favourite line - “I still remember that day we met in December”

Nancy Sinatra - Bang bang, my baby shot me down

Unfortunately for me, I wasn’t born in a time when Nancy Sinatra songs were very popular. But thanks to YouTube and other music platforms, I discovered Nancy Sinatra and her very beautiful voice a few years ago. This particular song was initially released in 1966 by the talented Cher, but I find Nancy Sinatra’s mezzo-soprano version to be slightly more calming. This song induces a very cinematic but relaxing feel for my car rides.

Favourite line - Music played and people sang, just for me the church bell rang...

FKA Twigs - Water me

I love everything FKA Twigs produces. Not only is she a very beautiful woman, she’s a very talented artist whose music has very deep meanings. Her voice is very enchanting, and her harmonies are beautiful. The first time I listened to water me, it was one of the moments in my life when I was ecstatic about crossing path with an artist. It was like discovering a treasure that instantly increased the quality of my life and my music taste. Water me is filled with beautiful harmonies to put you in a very zen meditative state, and the video is very beautifully done with special effects to make the whole thing come together. If Blue jeans is your choice on a car ride to the beach, Water me is a good choice for a car ride back home.

Favourite line — I promise I can grow tall, when making love is free.

Jhene Aiko - Overstimulated

If there’s a genre of music that’s specifically called “zen music,” Jhene Aiko would be my winner. Almost every music Jhene makes usually falls into this category. Jhene has even gone as far as including the sound of ancient healing bowls in her music, so you know she means business when she says she’s producing relaxing and healing music for the soul. That in addition to how slow her songs are, the beautiful harmonies and the intervals makes Jhene’s songs the perfect songs for meditation and even sleeping. I have so many Jhene favourites, but one I always fall back to has to be overstimulated. I tend to attach songs to times in my life or people and this song came out in 2017. I was in the second year of my degree, with my ex who I loved at the time and that was the most fun year of university before the stress of final year came knocking.

Favourite line - I need your light, I need your light, I need your guidance

Grimes - Genesis

Another artist I associate very closely with relaxing otherworldly music is Grimes. Grimes’ songs usually never have any distinct lyrics, just a mixture of very soothing and beautiful sounds. And if the lyrics are easy to make out, they’d be very repetitive. Grimes voice in itself sounds like an electronic instrument making her songs very perfect for meditation, relaxation and car rides. My favourite grimes song has to be genesis, the intro of the song sounds exactly like what you might hear in a meditation guide and if there’s a song aliens might appreciate, it will be this song.

Favourite line - My heart I never feel, I never see, I never know.

Relaxing music for daily exercises or cleaning your space

With daily exercises, I like to remind myself that no matter how much it hurts and how sores my muscles get, music makes it all better. Pain requires a level of consciousness and being present in the moment, so your exercises can become a lot easier when you get into the routine of a repetitive exercise, but your mind is away, aided by the music you’re listening to. Sometimes I overcomplicate cleaning my room, mainly because I tend to assign a whole day during the week to get everything done, which makes it very easy to procrastinate. But it becomes a fun, therapeutic and relaxing exercise when music is involved. These are a bit faster than those needed for meditation, nonetheless, it’s perfect for putting you in the perfect mood for exercise or cleaning.

Sister Sledge - He’s the greatest dancer instrumental

I love both the original and instrumental version of this song, but the instrumental version gives me so much motivation. When I listen during cleaning, I dance around my room. You’ll find it’s really hard not to do that, due to the very funky instruments in it. It has a very 90s old school club feel and will make your exercise 10 times more fun.

Hector Lavoe - Periodico de Ayer

I’m a very big fan of salsa and tropical music in general, the instruments are usually very happy and joyous. And it makes me feel like I’m in a club in Mexico dancing with a stranger and having the time of my life. My favourite Salsa/Tropical song has to be Periodico de Ayer by Hector Lavoe, one of the greatest salsa artists to have ever lived. The instrumental intervals feel very nostalgic, the lyrics are somewhat sad but there’s something about this song that transports me to another place entirely. This song is the perfect example of when an artist aims to transfer energy through music into the person who is listening to it. It’s my go-to for exercises and cleaning. Some of the lyrics include — Your love is like yesterday’s newspaper, which no one wants to read anymore.

Modjo - Lady (Hear me tonight)

Dancing can be very therapeutic and relaxing. So many times I’ve substituted going to the gym with just spending 30 minutes dancing to very groovy dance songs. Lady by Modjo is one of my favourite songs for dancing. It’s an electronic/dance song with repetitive easy-to-learn lyrics and very addictive instrumental intervals. I usually listen to this in the evening, because after spending time dancing around my room or in front of a mirror to this song, it becomes very easy for me to fall asleep.

That concludes my playlist for therapeutic, relaxing and meditative music. I have created a YouTube playlist consisting of all of these songs, starting from songs for car rides or a walk around the park, to music for exercise, cleaning, or dancing in the evenings, to frequencies for meditation and a good night’s sleep, you can listen to them here -

Music I listened to whilst writing this article:

Tender Glue - Rudy Tender Glue - With you here Tender Glue - Funky one All on repeat!

Thanks for reading!