It Can Promote Better Sleep
- Calming parts of the autonomic nervous system, which can help slow your breathing and heart rate and lower blood pressure
- Distracting you from troubling thoughts so you can relax
According to a 2020 study examining specific types of music that help students get better sleep, the most effective music features:
- Lower notes and stronger bass
- A slower tempo with non-danceable rhythms
- More sustained musical notes
How to try it: Try creating a playlist of soothing songs with around 60 beats per minute that you can listen to for 15 to 30 minutes before bedtime.
Just aim to avoid songs that bring up strong emotional reactions, since these may make it harder for you to fall asleep. Instead, opt for songs that feel neutral and not too stimulating and play your tunes at a volume just loud enough to hear the main elements of the music.
What Music Helps With Anxiety
Studies show that music with 60 beats per minute can reduce anxiety by lowering blood pressure and reducing heart rate. Playing relaxing piano music can also release pent-up energy while producing soothing sounds that reduce your bodys cortisol or stress hormone levels to promote relaxation quickly. High cortisol levels that accompany stress can lead to anxiety as well as other adverse health consequences, including:
Anxiety and each of these health complications intertwine and feed off each other.
It May Help Ease Anxiety
A 2021 review suggests music can help reduce symptoms of anxiety.
“Music is known to lower your heart rate while also reducing levels of cortisol, known as the stress hormone,” Glynn says.
Note: Stress and anxiety aren’t the same thing. However, experts say chronic stress can cause changes in your brain that contribute to anxiety.
Music may alleviate many different types of anxiety. For example:
- A 2021 review found that listening to music can lower anxiety in hospitalized children both before and during medical procedures.
- Another small study examined how people with a fear of heights reacted in a virtual reality scenario involving an elevator ride about 106 stories high. Those who listened to music in the elevator didn’t experience the same spike in anxiety as those who rode in silence.
How to try it: In order to ease your anxiety using music, it’s important to cater to your own unique preferences. While jazz music may help relax some people, for instance, others may find the spontaneity and inconsistency only provokes more anxiety.
So, pay attention to what genres and types of songs make you feel most calm and at ease, from upbeat pop songs to classical concertos.
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It May Boost Immune Health
Some evidence suggests music can boost the immune system by increasing the activity of natural killer cells. These cells can help prevent infections and tumors from spreading.
Researchers found that group drumming can be especially beneficial for improving immune function. But they also said any musical activities that provide the opportunity for socialization and creative self-expression may help support immune health.
According to another small study, when people with cancer sang in a group choir for one hour, they showed significant increases in cytokines proteins that play a critical role in immune system functioning.
How to try it: You might already make it a point to sing along with your favorite songs whether at a local karaoke night, in the shower, or in the car.
But if singing’s not your jam, you could also join a club or class where you can interact with fellow music lovers. Apps like Playlist allow you to meet people with similar music tastes, join group chats, and collaborate on playlists in real-time.
Edvard Grieg: Piano Concerto In A Minor
If you want to bring some orchestral warmth into your relaxing piano choices, is a good way to go.
The second movement of Griegs Piano Concerto in A minor is a balm against the noisy, hurried world outside, and will grant you a moment of soothing beauty and profound thoughtfulness. The pianos opening melody especially is calming and glittering simply irresistible.
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Ludwig Van Beethoven: Moonlight Sonata
Another moment of sombre calm, s famous Moonlight Sonata has a first movement worthy of any amount of deep reflection.
The undulating triplets are grounded by a stately, unhurried melody line and the overall effect of the moving passages still utterly calm working against the totally un-rushed bass makes for the calmest of calm slumbers.
Why Is The Piano Calming
Perhaps you know the phrase, Music is a universal language. Its tone, tempo and structure elicit similar reactions, regardless of listeners cultural background. But why not simply listen to a radio broadcast or download a favorite musical piece? The answer is that selecting specific music pieces and physically replicating them on the piano produces a physiological chain of events that promotes calm and relaxation. For example, playing the piano can help you refocus after a challenging day by requiring you to coordinate your hand movements while responding to what you hear and feel.
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What Is The Most Relaxing Piece Of Classical Music
It would be challenging to name one piece of classical music that promotes relaxation more than others. However, there are numerous new and long-standing musical compositions across many genres, including classical, to give you the benefits of playing relaxing piano music.
Choosing to play the piano is the perfect way to relax and unwind in stressful times. Its a great way to distract yourself from the craziness of the world. So wouldnt it be great to come out of quarantine with a few new polished piano pieces? With so much music from which to choose, you may wonder which piano solo pieces you should tackle learning first. Fortunately, a vast library of piano repertoire exists to ensure you always have a new selection of relaxing piano music to challenge you, whether at the beginner, intermediate or advanced level.
Here are 20 relaxing piano solos to practice while youre at home:
Many amateur and professional pianists can attest that playing relaxing piano music is an effective antidote for the anxiety that accompanies troubling times and has benefits that can last for many years. Are you looking to add a new piece of music to your library at no cost? Musicnotes commits to promoting its clients welling during these challenging times. Now through April 30, were giving everybody one free Musicnotes Edition arrangement! Just use the code MEFREE at checkout.
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The Most Relaxing Pieces Of Piano Music
25 August 2020, 10:42 | Updated: 29 March 2021, 11:42
Classical music is a preference, nay a proven tool, for relieving everyday stress and boosting mental health. Here are the best pieces of piano music to help you find some calm.
Classical music is a proven tool for relieving everyday stress and .
And theres nothing quite like the soft depression of a key, gently lowered to start a relaxed piece, that cuts through the noise and brings instant calm.
From a carefully-paced prelude, to a gentle movement from a sonata, the piano has been treated to some of the greatest most beautiful and calming music.
So nestle into a comfy spot on the couch, grab your favourite brew, lie back, and unwind with these brilliant and brilliantly relaxing pieces of piano music.
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It Can Help Lower Blood Pressure
Because music has a calming effect on the nervous system, it may also help lower your blood pressure, according to Dr. Po-Chang Hsu, a medical content expert and writer at Sleeping Ocean.
A small 2020 study considered the benefits of music for 30 young adults at risk for high blood pressure. Half the participants listened to relaxing piano and flute music for 30 minutes daily, five days a week for four weeks and by the end of the study, they experienced significant reductions in systolic blood pressure, an important measure of heart health.
Note: The study participants listened to music in a comfortable seated position with their eyes closed. Researchers instructed them to stay focused on their listening experience and to avoid talking or thinking about other things. These steps could also make a difference when trying to lower your own blood pressure.
How to try it: Implementing instrumental music into your meditations another practice shown to lower blood pressure may prove particularly helpful. Or, try spending 10-15 minutes a day just listening to calming music with no distractions for example, while you’re taking a bath, or lying down right before sleep.
Ludovico Einaudi: I Giorni
Anything by is a real relaxer. But I Giorni, with its lilting lines and major key comfort is a true gentle treat.
Its all about beautiful simplicity with Einaudi: he picks the best keys, finds a way to wrap the loveliest note combinations around them, and repeats the winning formula again and again in little oases of piano calm.
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How Does Music Soothe The Brain
Music can also change the brains chemistry responsible for anxious feelings. For example, playing and listening to calming piano music encourages the brains production of dopamine and endorphin hormones that promote feelings of happiness and positivity. Research studies from McGill University in Montreal support this conclusion. They conclude that subjects with anxiety express a strong emotional response to music that significantly increases dopamine levels and improves motivation.
It May Boost Your Concentration Focus And Memory
Research suggests listening to music might help you concentrate and retain information, whether you’re studying for a test or focusing on a work project.
The type of music you listen to appears to matter, however certain kinds may actually distract you and disrupt your concentration.
Classical music appears to have the most benefits:
- In one study, college students who listened to this genre during a lecture learned more than those who listened to the same lecture without music.
- In another study, listening to classical music in the background helped older adults perform better on memory and processing tasks.
How to try it: When using music to boost concentration, you might want to avoid songs with lyrics or abrupt changes, since this type of music could take your focus away from your work.
Instead, stick with slow-paced instrumental music like classical, electronic, or ambient with a steady rhythm.
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How Can Children Benefit From Playing The Piano
As challenging as the pandemic is for adults, children feel its impact in ways that will likely impact them for many years to come. Playing relaxing piano music does not only benefit adults seeking refuge from the anxieties that accompany trying to support themselves and their families during these troubling times. This activity helps children who may feel isolated from their contemporaries and cannot enjoy participating in routine activities essential for their growth and development.
Moreover, playing relaxing piano music can help anxious children develop a meaningful connection with something that calms them and helps them develop the skills they would otherwise develop in the classroom, which they are unable to attend.
Fortunately, playing piano offers the same relaxing benefits for children as for adults. This activity can be indispensable for preventing and relieving childhood anxiety due to the current circumstances.
Claude Debussy: Clair De Lune
One of s best-known works, Clair de Lune is a movement from the French composers Suite Bergamasque.
The impressionistic piano miniature has an instantly recognisable opening, and swells into a gently swirling flurry of notes, as light as a cloud. The piece is featured in many films, including Twilight and Oceans Eleven.
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It Could Improve Your Mood
A 2021 review found music can lift your mood by promoting feelings of nostalgia and relaxation while reducing feelings of distress and depression. Researchers noted that many different types of music-related activities can yield these benefits, including:
- Intentional music listening
You may have even experienced these benefits firsthand, if you found music helpful during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a 2021 study, researchers surveyed people from four countries to explore the ways they used music during COVID-19 lockdowns. They found that people who experienced anxiety and depression and felt more personally affected by the pandemic were more likely to use music to help manage their emotions and mood.
Most participants said listening to music helped reduce distress and improve overall well-being and people who listened to softer, more acoustic music reported the most benefits.
How to try it: Beyond listening to music on your own to bust a bad mood, you might also try sharing your music listening experience whether by attending live shows with friends or listening to your favorite albums at home with friends and family. After all, feeling socially connected can also help improve your mood.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Piano Sonata No 12
The second movement of s Piano Sonata No. 12 has the lilting quality of a lullaby.
It opens in a soft major key, and then switches to an even softer and slightly dark minor key, which adds an existential element perfect for pondering the true meaning of all this bustle.
Better just to lie here, and let calm wash over you
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About Soothing Piano Music Sound
Allow your mind to drift while listening to this soothing piano music, as you adjust your body to get comfortable. Let yourself feel the optimism and sense of comfort that the piano brings. Even in the darkest of times, we can always find a way to stay positive and be grateful for what we have. Presented by Sound Therapy.
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Michael Nyman: The Heart Asks Pleasure First From The Piano
uses the most beautiful chords and swirling semi-quavers in his theme for 1993 film, The Piano.
A mute Scottish pianist, Ada, and her daughter find themselves on a New Zealand beach after Ada is sold into marriage. She slowly falls in love with a Mori acquaintance of her husbands and the theme music perfectly illustrates Adas loss, longing and inner conflict.
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