Finding your music, expanding your choices
Music can help support your needs, whether they be for pain management, stress management, validating your feelings, distraction, help going back to sleep, or reaching your exercise goals. But to do this, you may need to expand your listening choices. The suggestions that follow (below) are meant to encourage you to explore many types of music and a wide variety of instruments, styles and tempos, in order to find more music to support your current and perhaps unfamiliar needs. You can also try listening to streaming services such as Spotify to get a better sense of what you like. Try categories such as “lute music” or “folk music.”
Gumboots (Soweto) high-energy singing with percussive sounds
Stomp Also high-energy, with lots of percussion
Irish fiddle music (you can search on Spotify)
Music you can dance to: Irish, tango (try Piazzola) Reggae, tap, or ballet music such as Tchaikovsky Nutcracker Suite, or Alvin Ailey or Twyla Tharp dance music. You probably know more!
Stravinsky Rite of Spring
Holst The Planets
Orff Carmina Burana
Faure Requiem
Bach, J.S. Masses, Cantatas (What instruments or voices do you prefer?)
Gospel
Let there be peace on earth
Your religion’s seasonal music
Lower brass music.
Circle Songs Bobby McFerrin
Ladysmith Black Mambazi Raise your Spirit Higher (S African and gospel mix)
Hukwe Zawose Chibite call and response. male A cappella
Committed, a male a cappella group
Mbira music (thumb piano)
Massenet Meditation from Thais violin and orchestra
Frank Sonata for violin and piano
Kreisler Recitative and Scherzo for solo violin
Bach JS Cello Suites
Bach JS pieces for solo lute (What instrument do you prefer? Do you like higher or lower-pitched instruments?)
Bach Goldberg Variations for solo piano.
Baroque lute music. (Baroque music often has a strong bass line and can give you the feeling of extra support)
Ashokan Farewell
Marcus Roberts Alone with Three Giants
Chopin waltzes piano solo
Satie Gymnopedie
Anonymous 4. A cappella female voices
Gregorian chant, all male voices A cappella
Chanticleer A cappella mixed chorus
Double drumming Michael Harner. Meditation on what at first seems to be a uniform, steady beat
Solo guitar. Asturias or solo Bach pieces
India’s Master Musicians or Tranquility L Subramaniam violin
Shakti Yoga Russill Paul. An opportunity to become grounded, then expand breathing and energize
Bedtime Beats The secret to sleep. Has music 60 BPM or slower
Ocean Surf, no other sounds added
Delibes Lakme Flower Duet
Puccini Gianni Schicchi O Mio Babbino Caro
Mozart Magic Flute Papageno’s Song
Try listening to these singers:
Thomas Hampson, Placido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti, Jessye Norman, Barbara Hendricks, Renee Fleming, Cecelia Bartoli. You no doubt already have other favorites!
Folk music. Folk instruments.
For more information on music and wellness visit http://wellness.pittsburghsymphony.org