A babbling brook, a crashing wave, or a songbird in the backyard offer moments of connection through their soothing sounds. Nature is full of music, you just have to tune in to the frequency. Read on to explore ways to find music in nature in order to bring more peace and tranquillity to your day. Next time you are scrolling through your device choosing music for nature, take your headphones off and listen to the glorious music that nature creates for us.
Empty Your Mind
When listening to the soothing and varied sounds of nature, it’s essential to clear your mind of internal noise — thoughts about what you ‘should’ be doing, worries about what may lie ahead — so you can tune in to what’s going on around you. If your mind is too busy, you won’t be able to hear nature’s music, especially the natural soundscape’s subtle undertones.
Deep Listening
Deep Listening, a concept from contemporary musician Pauline Oliveros, can be applied to studying and appreciating natural sounds. This type of listening focuses on broadening your perception of sounds to include the whole spectrum of sounds in time and space. Listening to nature can inspire you to consider its vastness and complex character and inspire you to choose a sound — or sequence of sounds — as a focus within the continuum. Then shift your focus to return to the whole.
Sit By Water
The sound of running, splashing, or gurgling water is one of the most comforting sounds in nature. Perhaps the sound of water takes us back to the womb, but whatever the reason, people of all stripes tend to flock to the waterfront when it’s time for a vacation or to take a break from daily chores. Even a small pond can bring you lots of joy as you listen to frogs and even insects, all busily going about their lives.
Blind Listening
Blind listening is the practice of closing your eyes and listening to nature’s music without reference to the sounds’ particular sources and without trying to name them. The goal in blind listening is to experience sounds deeply through the senses and appreciate sounds purely for their own sake. You can appreciate the differences in the sounds as sound textures that you feel rather than hear.
What types of music for nature do you like while you are outside getting back to nature?