The Steel Guitar Forum

The Real Secret to Falling Asleep Fast

Forget counting sheep. Forget chamomile tea. Listening to music at bedtime is the secret to falling asleep fast and getting a restful night's sleep, according to researchers Taiwan's Tzu Chi University.

The best kind of music is soft, slow tunes, such as in Hawaiian steel music, but it could be light jazz, folk, or orchestral pieces, that are 60 to 80 beats a minute. The researchers even have a name for it: sedative music. Believe it or not, the music will actually cause physical changes in your body, such as lowering your heart and respiratory rates, that will lead to a good night's sleep, reports Reuters.

The study: Researchers studied the sleep patterns of 60 people between the ages of 60 and 83, all of whom had difficulty sleeping. Half were given relaxing music to listen to for 45 minutes at bedtime, and half were given no music and no other help to fall sleep.

The results: Those who listened to a selection of soft, slow music experienced physical changes that aided restful sleep. "The difference between the music group and the control group was clinically significant," said lead author Hui-Ling Lai, vice director of nursing at the Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital and assistant professor at Tzu Chi University. "The music group reported a 26 percent overall improvement in the first week, and this figure continued to rise as they mastered the technique of relaxing to the sedative music."

In addition, they suffered less dysfunction during the day since they had slept better the night before. Best of all, there are no side effects or pricey bills for prescription medicine.

The research was published in the Journal of Advanced Nursing.

Just thought that I would bring a little scientific discussion to the Forum.

Enjoy.

Aloha,
Don

.....I couldn't agree more, Don ZZzzzzzzzzzzzzz ...zzzzzz....zzzz... dan <font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Dan Peterson on 13 January 2006 at 12:40 PM.]</p></FONT>

Gee, it sure took them a long time to discover something I have been doing for years. I crawl into bed with small earphones, put on a Hawaiian tape, (of which I have at least a thousand), and drift off without disturbing my wife. The tape recorder shuts off automatically. Problem: I seldom get past the fourth song on the tape before I drift off to nod land!

Go here and listen to Brahms Lullaby at 68 bpm. Pretty soothing.
http://www.westarmusic.com/wsr-168.html

------------------------------------
So is that why I'm always falling asleep at Hawaiian music conventions? Or is it the jamming till 3 and up at 7?

How about a case of Hawaiian steel music?

I think this is the case against Hawaiian steel music as well.

That's what I'm thinking, Jeff.

Don,

I admit to lulling myself to sleep with great Hawaiian steel music, although I believe I would unintentionally make enemies on the Forum if I revealed which players aided me in this! I don't think any player, living or deceased, would want to be told that his playing put folks to sleep. But I do know what you mean...

Matt

------------------
Matt
<img width=50 src=http://mywebsite.register.com/db2/00180 ... CN0138.JPG>
Stained Glass Artwork

It's very hard to play music at a slow or extremely moderate tempo and not make it drag or sound lethargic and plodding. Musicians who can play this slow have aquired a great skill.

I was at a jam session last night. Piano, violin, guitar, drums and bass. We played the Count Basie tune "Little Darlin". At first we played it at what we thought was a moderate tempo. It sounded frantic and scattered. The bass player made us cut the the tempo by a third (to about 80 bpm). All of a sudden the tune had wings and we could be expressive and really milk the feeling out of each beat. Slow is good.



------------------
Gerald Ross
'Northwest Ann Arbor, Michigan's King Of The Hawaiian Steel Guitar'



CEO, CIO, CFO - UkeTone Records
Gerald's Fingerstyle Guitar Website
Board of Directors Hawaiian Steel Guitar Association

I guess it all depends on who is behind that bar ...

Whispering Lullaby

The tempo may be Resting Heart Rate ...

But that 380 cycle per minute vibrato ... now that's some serious Gray Matter Massage ...

Trance music ...

------------------

<font size=1> Aiello's Cast Steel Guitars</font>

<font size=1>
My wife and I don't think alike. She donates money to the homeless and I donate money to the topless! ... R. Dangerfield</font>

<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Rick Aiello on 13 January 2006 at 04:51 PM.]</p></FONT>

Yes, slow is good, but putting people to sleep with your music is not good (unless you intended to).

I used to play that Basie tune with a big band (well, 10-pc.) and, depending on the mood lighting (and number of scotches I had), I was occasionally known to nod. Always kept the quarter pulse going, though. But I'm a big fan of Ray Charles, Donny Hathaway and Shirley Horn, and nobody did slow better than them.

Another thing...

Swing revivalist musicians!

Many of these musicians think Swing is a fast music. Well some tunes are, but most are not. It's the beat, not the speed.

This is at epidemic levels with musicians from a Bluegrass or StringBand background venturing into the Swing world.

Unfortunately it's the fast tunes that get the media and uneducated listeners attention. Look at Brian Setzer's swing material. The only tune that get's much airplay is "Jump Jive and Wail". Or ask a DJ at a wedding to play a swing tune and he'll invariably play "In The Mood" or "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy".

Look at when Swing was popular, the 1930's and early 40's. People would go out for an evening of dancing and socializing wearing very classy expensive clothing, the men in suits, the women in dresses, makeup and hairdos. They did not dance at 1000 mph all evening. Maybe two or three songs in an evening would be fast, not all of them. The dance tempos were set to encourage socializing and talking while dancing (look at all those old movies, guys are always romancing the gal with a line of bull while they dance). The tempos were not set for a gymnastic competition.

Too many Swing revivalists play too fast. They should slow down and milk that beat.

------------------
Gerald Ross
'Northwest Ann Arbor, Michigan's King Of The Hawaiian Steel Guitar'



CEO, CIO, CFO - UkeTone Records
Gerald's Fingerstyle Guitar Website
Board of Directors Hawaiian Steel Guitar Association

<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Gerald Ross on 13 January 2006 at 06:29 PM.]</p></FONT>

Mike Neer writes:
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica">quote:</font><HR><SMALL>
depending on the mood lighting (and number of scotches I had)</SMALL><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I enjoy a nice single malt as well Mike.

Let's talk to the management at the Shenandoah Valley Hawaiian Steel Guitar Fest about some back stage riders to our contract.

------------------
Gerald Ross
'Northwest Ann Arbor, Michigan's King Of The Hawaiian Steel Guitar'



CEO, CIO, CFO - UkeTone Records
Gerald's Fingerstyle Guitar Website
Board of Directors Hawaiian Steel Guitar Association

<SMALL>Let's talk to the management at the Shenandoah Valley Hawaiian Steel Guitar Fest about some back stage riders to our contract</SMALL>

This is the Land-O-Shine 'round here ...

Don't know alot about this 'hole malt thang ... 'ceptin for Colt 45 ...

Got some Wild Turkey Bourbon left over from Neer's last visit ... and about 45 live ones, right out the back door ...

But Scotch ... ... so I looked it up ...

Single Malt ...

...

Could buy a couple gallons of Myers's for that ...

------------------

<font size=1> Aiello's Cast Steel Guitars</font>

<font size=1>
My wife and I don't think alike. She donates money to the homeless and I donate money to the topless! ... R. Dangerfield</font>

Just for the record: I only drink Bourbon now. Oh, and coffee, and sometimes water, too. I might make an exception for 'shine.

I went out to your "Single Malt" site Rick.

$325 a bottle for 29 year old Scotch!!

Come on man, you're dealing with musicians here. They don't need that level of encouragement.

Here's a picture from last months Christmas jam at my house (another 5 musicians aren't pictured, they're in the kitchen eating and drinking). I graciously provided the finest $10 Scotch you could buy and everyone was happy.




------------------
Gerald Ross
'Northwest Ann Arbor, Michigan's King Of The Hawaiian Steel Guitar'



CEO, CIO, CFO - UkeTone Records
Gerald's Fingerstyle Guitar Website
Board of Directors Hawaiian Steel Guitar Association

Jeff says,

<SMALL>I think this is the case against Hawaiian steel music..</SMALL>

But not if you want to sleep, Jeff.

Aloha,
Don

Having a background in hypnotherapy via my mom and some study of psychology of music and audio, I have come across and worked with music 60-80 beats per minutes. The concept is that our heartbeats lock in to this music. the best is simple music. It's even simpler than harmonic oriented music. Then you, switch to something that lowers it to 40-60 beats. This is a form of musical meditation. Our bodies respond to tone and pulse. The one problem with more complex music be it jazz or Hawaiian or any other is that if it's too complex so the brain gets too involved and it's actually harder to reach that state. However for people who are not used to this form of meditation, it's a great way to start.

Musicians have a particularly hard time relaxing to music because they feel they have to analyze it even if they don't do it deliberately. White noise or waves set to this rhythm can work in those cases

A company called 'rhythm medicine' has been putting out these types of tapes for years. it;s just finally made it in tot he mainstream. they've found that organic sounds work best. Acoustic instruments.

try playing an acoustic steel for your dogs or cats they will mellow right out. It probably works on babies too.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica">quote:</font><HR><SMALL>
Musicians have a particularly hard time relaxing to music because they feel they have to analyze it even if they don't do it deliberately.</SMALL><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

That's 100% true in my case. Everyone in my family knows that music cannot be playing in the background if they want to talk with me. My attention is drawn to the music and I start dissecting the chord progression or melody lines.

I'm a computer programmer. My co-workers all wear headphones and listen to music while they work. I can't. I start analyzing the music and the hours just fly by with no work getting done.

------------------
Gerald Ross
'Northwest Ann Arbor, Michigan's King Of The Hawaiian Steel Guitar'



CEO, CIO, CFO - UkeTone Records
Gerald's Fingerstyle Guitar Website
Board of Directors Hawaiian Steel Guitar Association
<font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Gerald Ross on 14 January 2006 at 06:14 AM.]</p></FONT>

I'm with you, Gerald- if I am listening to anything interesting to me, I can't do anything else reliably. I'm busy mentally playing in the spaces left by the players, or rewriting single note lines, or glorying in the fact that there is absolutely NOTHING I can find to change that would improve the song. And the slower material is the worst, I can chew on one song for hours.

Thank you to Rick for posting "Whispering Lullabye" Such a beautiful piece of music. Who is performing and what year was it recorded? I love it when Rick posts sound samples. I hope it continues, you have such great taste in classic Hawaiian steel music. I've learned so much from your posts.

Have you ever noticed guys who play perfect but sound so boring it puts you to sleep? I see this in music alot, everything is perfect theory wise, but after the third song your so bored you want to take a nap? That Sol Hoppii song Rick turned us on to "My Isle on Hilo Bay", I think that simply song is just amazing because it has what I call "Garlic" to it. It's slow but has alot of tension and release produced by a number of things, but mostly Sol's vibrato and phrasing which contrasts perfectly with the other guys. I can't help but concentrate when I hear that song and marvel at it's aliveness, but other songs with perfect notes and no garlic are shoe in's to put me to sleep.

That's Andy Iona ... off Andy Iona Vol 6 ...

According to Bruce Clarke's liner notes ... 1936.



------------------

<font size=1> Aiello's Cast Steel Guitars</font>

<font size=1>
My wife and I don't think alike. She donates money to the homeless and I donate money to the topless! ... R. Dangerfield</font>

My wife claims that our cat likes my playing, well..... I'm glad someone(or thing) does!!

Mitch asks:

<SMALL>Whispering Lullabye" Such a beautiful piece of music. Who is performing and what year was it recorded?</SMALL>

I believe that this is David Kelii playing.
The recording took place in the early 70's.

Jerry Byrd actually is the one that persuaded him to record finally for Maple Records. Other than this recording, David did not record for himself. He made everyone else sound good by his backup playing.

He is believed by many to have had the greatest ability to put his feeling into his steel guitar playing.

Aloha,
Don <font size="1" color="#8e236b"><p align="center">[This message was edited by Don Kona Woods on 14 January 2006 at 09:55 PM.]</p></FONT>