THE BASIC PHYSICS OF SOUND 

In this section, we will explore the behavior of sound, as well as its properties and characteristics. Understanding these fundamentals are a key element for deeper listening skills and mindfull working with sound when it is considered as a healing tool. 

You will learn about:

• Definition of sound.
• Vibration, medium and receiver. 
• The frequency and pitch in sound. 
• Low and high frequencies, wavelength.
• Definition of loudness. 
• How sound travels in a medium. 
• Review of human perception of sound amplitude. 
• Review of low and high frequency perception at different volume.
• Definition of resonance and resonant frequencies. 
• Sympathetic resonance. 
• Discussion about using sound frequencies in healing. 
• Debunking common myths about resonant frequencies for healing.
• What does sound consist of? 
• Definition of timbre and sound partials. 
• The difference between harmonics and overtones. 
• Standing waves. 
• Definition of constructive and destructive waves (amplification and cancellation of sound). 
• Nodes and antinodes. 
• Introduction to cymatics. 
• Relationship between physical properties of matter and geometrical patterns in cymatics. 
• What is noise. 
• The difference between white noise, pink noise, and brown noise.
•  Schumann resonances
• Exam to test your knowledge 

...and a lot more practical information and insights that the sound healing practitioner will need for becoming a skillful artist.

BASICS OF MUSIC THEORY

This section presents the essential knowledge of the building blocks in music. It is designed to help the beginning level and intermediate level sound healing workers understand how sound becomes music. This segment takes you into the logic behind the concepts and principles of music composition. 

You will explore:

• What the notes in music are.
• What the octave is.
• Which frequencies are assigned to notes in commonly used systems. 
• What tones and semitones (steps and half-steps) are.
• A short history of notes.
• What a musical scale is.
• The history of the modern musical scale (Equal Temperament).
• Mathematical ratios of notes in the musical scale.
• Similarities and differences between a variety of musical scales (Just Intonation, Equal Temperament  A4 = 440Hz, A4=432Hz, and Solfeggio scale
• New Age theories about superior frequencies and scales (432Hz, Solfeggio frequencies).
• What harmonic intervals and melodic intervals are.
• Names and building structures of music intervals.
• Frequency charts for intervals (A4=440Hz Equal Temperament, A4=432Hz Equal Temperament, Just Intonation scale, Solfeggio scale).
• The comparison of the ratios in intervals (Equal Temperament and Just Intonation).
• How to find the most coherent scale (comparison between the Just Intonation, Equal Temperament, and Solfeggio scales).
• What the definition of consonance and dissonance is.
• A brief history of the discovery of consonant intervals.
• The list of consonant and dissonant ratios and intervals.
• The definition of major and minor chords.
• What Tempo in music is.
• Exam to test your knowledge.

...and a lot more information and interesting facts that will help sound healing practitioners to support the love of music with rational understanding.

PERCEPTION OF SOUND

Hearing is a sensory and perceptual event. When a person recognizes an acoustical signal, that signal arrives at the ear as a mechanical sound wave, but within the ear, sound is translated and transformed.  In this segment of our sound therapy training, we discuss the mental, psychological and physical processing of the acoustical signals. 

You will dive into:

• Definition of psychoacoustics
• Passive hearing vs active listening
• Sonic triggers 
• How the hearing process happens
• Ear anatomy
• Vagus nerve and sonic nourishment
• Hearing sound with the body
• Drawing reality through the listening
• Three aspects of active listening
• Selective listening
• Work of Alfred  Tomatis
• Awareness of the healing sounds 
• Active listening as cleansing
• Sound signals and puzzling the reality
• Perception of low and high amplitude of sound
• Overwhelming with sound vs playing quietly
• The difference in perception of high and low pitch
• Frequencies and energy centers 
• Experiential exercise for a better understanding of the influence of sound on the human body
• Perception of ascending and descending tones
• The "Hysteresis" effect
• Shepard tones
• Thoughtful use of sound density 
• Definition of crescendo and decrescendo (diminuendo)
• Silence as a source of information and a tool for transformation
• The healing potential of dissonance
• Connecting body, mind and spirit through sound
• Mood shifters 
• The definition and listing of major and minor chords
• Specifics of overtone-emitting instruments
• The healing power of "surprise"
• The benefits of tension and relive
• Definition of synesthesia
• Definition of auditory-tactile synesthesia
• Definition of misophonia
• The autonomous sensory meridian response ASMR

...and a lot more practical information and insights that the sound therapist will need to provoke conscious listening.

RHYTHMS AND ENTRAINMENT

This segment will walk you through the internal rhythms of the human body and the influence of external rhythms on emotional, mental and physical states. 

You will get familiar with:

• A brief history of entrainment discovery in physics
• What entrainment is in nature and what are the conditions required for entrainment to happen
• The rhythm of life and internal periodicity
• The heartbeat of music
• Rhythmic entrainment
• External rhythms and body's motor skills
• Stable, periodic patterns and erratic rhythms
• What are brainwaves and brainwave patterns
• Specifics and aspects of main brainwave patterns (Infra-low, Delta, Theta, Alpha, Beta, Gamma) 
• A brief history of brainwave entrainment
• How brainwave entrainment works
• The definition of isochronic tones
• The definition of monaural and binaural beats
• The application of isochronic tones, and monaural and binaural beats in brain entrainment
• The link between the sound, heartbeat, and breath
• The healthy rate of heartbeat and breath
• Heartbeat and breath rate entrainment

...and more practical tips and insights on understanding the significance of rhythms.

INTRODUCTION TO SINGING BOWLS

In this segment,  you will learn about the origins and types of Himalayan singing bowls (known as Tibetan singing bowls). Along with the history and personal stories of the author, this segment will also discuss the common myths about singing bowls. You will learn how to differentiate between modern and antique Himalayan singing bowls, how to choose your instrument and how to take care of it. We also compare metal and crystal singing bowls, the influence of the geometry of the singing bowls' on their sonic characteristics, and many more interesting subjects.

Subjects of this segment are: 

• What a singing bowl is
• A brief history and the origins of singing bowls
• The original purpose and modern utilization of singing bowls 
• The types and styles of original Himalayan singing bowls (description and pictures of the most common antique singing bowls types)
• The author's personal story about learning the great lesson, healing emotional trauma and choosing the path of life
• To what fields could singing bowls bring their benefits
• The author's personal story about giving a healing session on a special occasion
• Differences between antique singing bowls and modern singing bowls (what they are made of, manufacturing processes and sound qualities)
• Video of nine singing bowls made of nine different metals and alloys
• Video of making a golden singing bowl
• Tips on how to tell whether the bowl is antique or newmade (video)
• Video of the most common types of modern singing bowls
• Crystal singing bowls
• Comparisons between the timbre of metal singing bowls vs crystal singing bowls
• How to take care of a singing bowl
• Tips on how to find your bowl
• How many bowls do I need?
• Case study. Buyers guide to find the proper bowl for your needs (video comparison)
• Ethos of sound
• Conscious listening practical exercises
• Debunking common myths about using singing bowls for working with chakras
• The relationship between two manifestations of universal energy – sound and light
• Debunking the theory of planetary sounds

...and a lot more useful information about singing bowls and the field of sound healing.

SINGING BOWLS ART LAB

This segment explores the art and science of playing and assembling a coherent set of singing bowls; understanding what they offer, and how to get the full potential out of them. These instruments each have their own strengths, and subtle nuances. Here we bring together the information presented in the previous segments, and look at the application of sound therapy through the use of sound bowls.

You will learn:

• How to use playing mallets
• What are the proper cushions for singing bowls
• Beginners techniques for playing singing bowls 
• Advanced playing techniques
• A review of striking and rubbing mallets
• How to listen to the singing bowl
• Singing bowls with different speed of pulsation
• How to evaluate the quality of the singing bowl
• Comprehensive video tutorial on evaluating the quality of contemporary singing bowls
• Contemporary singing bowls price guide
• Comprehensive video tutorials of antique singing bowls quality evaluation and price guide (Jambati, Thadobati, Thadobati cups, Manipuri, Mani, Naga, Shiva Lingam, Kopri)
• "Listening with the body" exercise 
• "Listening to the separated tones" exercise 
• "Listening to the Ethos" exercise 
• A brief overview of Taoist philosophy and singing bowls
• The physics and dynamics of singing bowls
• The concept of the pulse of singing bowl 
• The pulse of the singing bowl in working with brain entrainment and internal rhythms of the body
• Recommendations of the most efficient computer and smartphone frequency analyzers
• Ratios between the sound partials in singing bowls 
• Consideration of the singing bowl as a non-harmonic instrument
• Do all singing bowls emit consonant overtones?
• A practical exercise in analyzing the ratios between the sound partials of randomly selected singing bowls 
• Learning to choose singing bowls with harmonic ratios
• Video tutorials and a practical exercise in assembling a set of bowls with common harmonics and intervals of an octave, and perfect fifths
• Video tutorials and a practical exercise in putting together matched pairs (binaural sets)
• The magic of dissonance
• A comprehensive explanation of what a headset is
• Video tutorials on assembling and working with the headset
• Step by step tutorials on how to assemble any set of three or more bowls considering musical intervals, ratios between sound partials, rates of pulsations, and Ethos
• The periodic rhythm of singing bowls and striking rhythm
• Breath rate and heartbeat entrainment
• Using the knowledge of nodes and antinodes in working with singing bowls
• Matching singing bowls "BPM"
• Video tutorials on building tension with singing bowls

...and more tips that will make you more knowledgeable than your previous teacher.

THE LIGHTNESS OF HEAVY METAL  (LEARN TO PLAY GONGS)

This part of our sound healing training is dedicated to the etiquette and teachings of good manners in interaction with the king of the heavy metal kingdom. It will provide you with the knowledge and skills to be respected by the king (the gong) and your audience.

In this segment you will learn:

• types of the most popular gongs
• making process of gongs
• What equipment do you need for playing gongs
• review of stands, striking mallets and rubbing mallets for playing  gong
• philosophy of playing the gong
• tutorials on playing the gong by striking
• tutorials on playing the gong with friction mallets
• stories played by gongs

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS COMMONLY USED IN THE SOUND THERAPY FIELD

Practitioners use a number of different instruments and tools to create soundscapes for their sound healing journeys and sound baths. Like with all instruments, it is important to understand the underlying principles of how the sounds are made and transmitted. You will learn what these instruments are, and how to thoughtfully use them.

The subjects are:

• how to play crystal singing bowls
• working with drum 
• working with rattles
• tips on working with Tingsha bells
• tips on working with Koshi chimes
• working with Shruti box
• therapeutic lap harp
• types and story of tuning forks
• tuning forks as the mood shifters
• Burma bells (Kyeezees)
• what is Jew's harp and how to play it

FACILITATING GROUP SOUND THERAPY SESSIONS (WHAT PEOPLE CALL 'SOUND BATH")

Group sessions (sound bath) bring the sound healing worker's skill set into clear focus in terms of how they understand themselves, their instruments, and how to create a sound journey for listeners. Setting up the physical space where the session takes place requires attention to aesthetics, acoustics, and distractions. Preparing the participants before a class begins in a number of important ways. Equally vital is knowing things to avoid during group sessions.

The subjects of this chapter are:

• Sound master vs sound servant
• Building the relationship with silence
• Going over the details of preparation for the sound journey
• Set and setting
• Welcoming your audience
• Building the relationship with your listeners
• What to say and how to say it
• How to honestly promote your event 
• What your audience should know about the session
• Nuances of sharing things in public
• Setting up the intention
• How to find an intention
• The real meaning of healing
• Benefits of conscious listening
• Ethics
• Emotional rollercoaster
• Laying down vs sitting up
• Tools to unify your listeners
• Last preparations before diving in 
• Sound worker as a sonic architect (skills of building 3d sonic sculptures)
• A detailed explanation of how to set up your instruments in the most efficient way
• How to compose the content of the journey using the knowledge of music theory, psychoacoustics, and physics 
• How to hold the space for the session
• A detailed explanation of how to facilitate a sacred journey
• Review of the meaningful scenario of the journey
• Relieving tension in practice
• Gongs – the storytellers
• How to close the ceremony (safe arrival)
• Review of additional common sound healing instruments
• Video tutorials for the mindful use of additional sound healing instruments
• Defining ethical advertising for your event
• Are there any medical limitations for participants to be aware of
• A detailed list of precautions
• Experienced sound workers sharing their expertise about what NOT to do during the sound sessions

...and, yes, even more motivation to share sound with people!