by Walter Holstad

Created on: April 09, 2009   Last Updated: June 29, 2009

Music is great for meditation and relaxation, stress relief and tension release. Listening to some music everyday is a great habit to get into. This is good advice for myself as well as for everyone else. Also playing an instrument is very therapeutic. I have played guitar since I was 15 and my guitar teacher whom I took lessons from for a year told me to practice a half hour a day. I find this to be a reasonable investment of time to put into the effort. It is small enough that it does not interfere with your other daily activities yet enough to improve as a musician. Serious musicians will find they practice much more yet a half hour everyday is sufficient to become an excellent player over time.

Playing an instrument is an act that causes the mind to focus on something and to concentrate and therefore relaxes you by taking your mind off of other things in your life. Music is a part of nature and it is natural. A wave on the ocean correlates to a sound wave, a tree falling, and so on. Focusing on the music is a mental relaxation. Strum a couple chords. Strum one chord. Play the notes that sound like they fit with that chord. A whole lot of music can be picked up by ear just by playing what sounds right. Many times it will be found with further research that what seemed right really was.

Writing songs is another great creative release. Songs often come out as poetry and that's okay. Poetry can develop into songs. Save your poems and use them as a source for song material. According to Come As You Are, The Story of Nirvana by Michael Azerrad, Random House Inc. 1993, Kurt Cobain of Nirvana developed many songs this way. Set aside some time to write and work on music each day. It is very beneficial for everybody I am sure.

Popular instruments to play are the guitar, piano or electric keyboard, bass guitar, drum set, and hand drums. All of these can be picked up relatively easy by the beginner yet are very difficult to master. The key is to not make it difficult for yourself. Do what feels and sounds right. Don't think about it too technically. Have fun with it. Relax. Enjoy it.

Playing an instrument will relieve stress because it focuses your mind on something other than what you are worried about in your day to day activities. Listening to music will no doubt have a similar effect. Be careful not to get carried away however or listening to music can become a distraction from other things you need to accomplish. Everything in moderation.

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