I am always on the lookout for good music to play in the treatment room. When I first started learning tai chi in Hong Kong many years ago, my teacher Alex used to play opera and reggae to accompany our rounds of t'ai chi. So before long I started associating these genres with relaxation and Chinese medicine (tai chi being one modality of Chinese medicine, along with acupuncture, herbs, food and tuina massage). So when I started my acupuncture practice some years ago, I automatically played classical music or reggae in the treatment room.
These days I tend to favour playing "non-music" in the treatment room so patients have something to listen to while I leave the needles to do their work. Tibetan singing bowls or the sound of water are my favourites. Not everyone likes opera, but most people appreciate the soothing sound of chimes being gently caressed by the breeze.
Imagine my delight when a patient gave us a CD recording of her playing the piano while being accompanied by a blackbird in her garden. This patient is a piano teacher and said she first noticed the blackbird singing in her garden two years ago, especially while she played the piano. So one day she recorded the blackbird while she was playing. Later on when she was playing back the recording, she realised that the blackbird seemed to be accompanying her piano-playing. And this magical CD is often what I play when I'm treating these days because the sound of nature is deeply relaxing.
This isn't the first time I've heard of birds accompanying musicians playing. A famous recording from 1924 captured cellist Beatrice Harrison dueting with nightingales at her home near the woods in Surrey, England. She received 50,000 fan letters from this time!
These days I tend to favour playing "non-music" in the treatment room so patients have something to listen to while I leave the needles to do their work. Tibetan singing bowls or the sound of water are my favourites. Not everyone likes opera, but most people appreciate the soothing sound of chimes being gently caressed by the breeze.
Imagine my delight when a patient gave us a CD recording of her playing the piano while being accompanied by a blackbird in her garden. This patient is a piano teacher and said she first noticed the blackbird singing in her garden two years ago, especially while she played the piano. So one day she recorded the blackbird while she was playing. Later on when she was playing back the recording, she realised that the blackbird seemed to be accompanying her piano-playing. And this magical CD is often what I play when I'm treating these days because the sound of nature is deeply relaxing.
This isn't the first time I've heard of birds accompanying musicians playing. A famous recording from 1924 captured cellist Beatrice Harrison dueting with nightingales at her home near the woods in Surrey, England. She received 50,000 fan letters from this time!
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