Music and Massage

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Comment by rudy m smith on December 9, 2010 at 6:36am

great works by:
Deuter
Nadama
Shastro
Bali Dua
check their sounds out for free on amazon

Comment by David Lauterstein on December 6, 2010 at 9:49am

Re Favorites: "Roots and Branches" - thanks Ariana for the mention.
Let me tell you all a little about it. My first thirty years were spent mostly in music - folk, rock, Indian, BA Music Comp. from Univ. of Ill. The next 30 have been in bodywork (teaching mostly Deep Massage and Zero Balancing at my school in Austin and workshops in U.S. and U.K.). Over the years I've often accompanied students practicing their work - playing acoustic guitar to deepen their inspiration.
So after years of people asking if I had a CD and being ordinarily inhibited by microphones, I awoke with an inspiration one day -- to reproduce in the studio the feeling in the classroom. So this CD was improvised live to three of my favorite graduates giving massages in the recording studio. It worked out even better than I'd hoped and honestly I just love this CD and think you will too. It is, as far as I know, the ONLY CD ever recorded live to massages and it works fantastically well in sessions. It is one cut - precisely one hour long so works great for timing.
You can email me for ordering info, DavidL@TLCschoo.com, or call our school, Lauterstein-Conway Massage School, 800-474-0852 to order it. If you go to this page, you can hear the first 30 seconds or so.
http://www.tlcschool.com/massage-therapy-products/
We are the sole distributors, not Amazon or any other conglomerate. Support the grass roots!

Comment by rudy m smith on December 6, 2010 at 6:44am

Music and the business of massage - an interesting topic. Bare with me a minute: here is how I view the business situation created by a majority of massage therapists: terribly underinvested. Many think hanging a shingle and renting a dingy little room with a tiny little boom box will be good enough and the masses will flock to your door. First off no matter how much moolah you invest in your massage therapy business unless you have the "hands" you will not succeed. Period. Many many years ago I learned that if I wanted to create the best possible results for my client base I would have to create the MOST inviting place possible. #1 meant owning a building that I could fix up the way I wanted without fear of a landlord jerking the rent up etc.. #2 meant surrounding my clients with the BEST of everything including and especially music. The walls are all adorned by original art works of local artists, the smell always fresh and inviting, clean, clean, clean. #3 meant practicing the three D's - dedication, devotion and discipline - dedicated to my profession - devoted to my clients - disciplined in my application of effective techniques for each and every person, each and every session. Ah. Music. music is vibration and the proper vibration can bring a person up or bring a person down. A mid day business client doesn't want to be in the "zone" to go back to work; the haggered mom doesn't want to be reved up more she wants to find some peace and quiet. A teen with ADD doesn't need to be amped up but needs to find something to slow him dow beside meds - perhaps some acoustic riddalin. So to all of you hard working hands out there - your clients are your lively hood - invest and re-invest in them over and over again and if they like the music your playing, give them the cd and buy another one used online. You are worth every penny you invest in your practice and your space. It's not about the amount of money you invest in your practise, sometimes it is the quality of what you bring into the work you provide for others. Surround yourself and them with the best you can... don't be afraid to upgrade whenever possible - they will notice the investment! small investment small return, big investment big return. I would pay for a whole symphony to play for my clients if I could. Meanwhile an awesome sound system will have to do.

Comment by Daniel Cohen on December 6, 2010 at 6:22am

Rudy I am familiar with using music but find it distracting from where the body rhythm takes me. Most of my clients have experienced massage with music but like the peace of feeling their body unwind without the music. As I mentioned they can choose to have music but rarely do.

A session has a dynamic created by the client and the therapist. As you say all of us are different. I am just pointing out that music is not necessary for an effective massage. Vive la différence.

Comment by rudy m smith on December 6, 2010 at 6:06am

Hi Daniel,
I would say NO music is not necessary, however it is like fudge sauce drizzled over ice cream; it can serve to enhance the experience. I was trained in shiatsu and lomi lomi as my first modalities a way long time ago - and we did not use music in shiatsu but in lomi lomi we would chant, tell story, even play instruments for the client. Since some clients received both types of modalities from me I often would ask them "what works better for you?" They most often reported that the sounds made them feel more connected to what they were experiencing. I would say to try some asian music like "reiki offering" and or "Bali Dua" and see if it is distracting to you or if it enhances things. Each and every person if different.

Comment by Daniel Cohen on December 6, 2010 at 5:37am

This may seem an odd question. Is music necessary? I do several Asian bodywork modalities in traditional form. None of these are done with music. I do not use music in my sessions unless requested. I rarely have requests for it. My sessions are therapeutic and most clients come once a week until they feel well from whatever brought them to me. Most of these continue with once a month maintenance afterward. The only rhythm for the session is from their bodies.

Just offering an alternative which works for my clients and me. .

Comment by rudy m smith on December 6, 2010 at 5:20am

HI Roger,
I work 60+ hours a week dancing around the table - the music choice may not be mine - it may be a clients - thus over 30 years of doing massage ones "collection" can grow - there is a phenomena I dubbed the "halpern effect" where by one listens to the same music with such repetition that they become depressed... I had 2 therapist who suffered this and the same two corrected it as soon as I suggested they change the music.
Does my methodology work and investment in music show a return? 40 + clients a week for over 14 years... maybe I'm onto something... besides peace of mind. I have taught clients to use the sound of a jack hammer outside to remind them to chip away at their problems. So yes anything can become part of the session if you know how to guide a clients thoughts.

Comment by Roger D. Werstler on December 4, 2010 at 6:24pm

Steven Halpem has a number of wonderful CDs. I love his arrangements. It was interesting that he created music for massage because he did not like what therapists were playing. Let me share some thoughts with Rudy. I'm not terribly impressed with $10,000 worth of musical equipment and 4000 CDs. Yes, playing the same music over and over does get boring, but 4000 CDs is overkill. I rotate my music to avoid this happening, but in all honesty the music does not make the massage as much as the wrong music can spoil the mood. Some of the best massages would succeed without music. Tuning in to your client and away from "self" creates a special rapport. I have been told the best massages are when we close the eyes, focus on the healing, and let the spirit direct the hands to solve the stress areas. I can recall a night when a severe electrical storm shut down our power, and the sound was thunder and rain, and flashes of lightning gave us all of the sight necessary. It set a lovely mood and my client loved the ambiance. She requested that thunder and rain sooth her in the future. A new CD provided that. Another client loves hearing the waves crashing on the beach, so a CD provides that.

Comment by Mike Hinkle on December 4, 2010 at 12:33pm

Anyone with recommendations for the Hall of Fame involving music, please let me know. We brought in Steven Halpern last year and Johnathan Goldman comes in this year.

Comment by rudy m smith on December 4, 2010 at 6:32am

remember you can save a bunch of money buying your cd's used on amazon.com
I often buy 14.00 cd's for 2.90 plus 2.00 for shipping. so when you find something you like - remember to shop used first.

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