Album
Description
Introspective songs
performed on acoustic guitar. Some tracks feature multiple soothing
layers of guitar while others highlight the beauty of a solo performance.
This CD is intentionally formatted for use as a tool for relaxation,
meditation, and massage. Sit back, relax and enjoy an hour of
uninterrupted musical stress-relief.
About the Artist
Michael first found his love for the guitar in 1978.
After spending several years playing in a variety of rock and roll bands he
studied music theory and improvisation with a private instructor. This
experience brought out the songwriter in Michael. He began to explore the
endlessly beautiful palette of sounds and emotions that could be produced by
one solitary guitar. During this time he also discovered artists like Michael
Hedges and Larry Carlton. These artists reinforced Michael's desire and
motivated his spirit to create acoustic music. Since this discovery, Michael
has written many acoustic pieces as a way of expressing his emotions and
healing his soul.
Listen to samples
The Awakening
Only One
Time and Again
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Music as Healer
Since the dawn of civilization music has been employed
to communicate, enhance rituals and celebrations, entertain, and produce
altered states of consciousness. In ancient
Greece, Apollo was the God of medicine and music, and in the mystery schools
of Egypt both sound and healing were considered to be sacred sciences.
During the rein of Queen Elizabeth the First, physician, poet, and composer,
Thomas Campion treated depression and similar psychological issues through
the use of his songs in the early years of the sixteenth century.
Today a substantial body of research exists that
validates what man has known since before the time of recorded history –
music is a powerful ally in healing, impacting both our psychology and
physiology. Soothing, repetitive, and complex rhythms alter our heart and
respiratory rates, as well as our circulatory, endocrine, and immune
systems. In the fourth century Plato asserted that music heals our souls, in
the twenty first century modern man has firmly established the role that
music plays in facilitating the healing of our minds and bodies.
To achieve maximum benefits from listening to music,
it is recommended that you prepare the physical setting first. Find a quiet
place where you are unlikely to be interrupted, dim the lights or light a
candle, and make sure that the thermostat is set at a comfortable
temperature. You may also want to have writing implements close by in the
event that you choose to journal during or after your music session as music
stimulates the spontaneous flow of thoughts, feelings, memories, and
creative energy. Next, take off your shoes and make yourself physically
comfortable, either lying down or sitting in a reclining chair that
completely supports your weight and ideally includes arm and leg support.
When you’re settled comfortably, spend a few moments relaxing the muscles in
your body, from the top of your head to the tips of your toes. Take a few
deep breaths, inhaling through your nose, and exhaling through your mouth.
We recommend that whenever possible, play the CD from beginning to end,
listening actively rather than passively by allowing the music to both touch
and lead you. As the music plays you may begin to experience visual images,
movement, memories, drowsiness, physical sensations, and or an
intensification of your emotions. There is no perfect or correct response to
the music, just allow yourself to experience and respond to what ever comes
up for you. When the music stops, it is suggested that you stay still for a
few moments, simply absorbing the silence and allowing yourself the
opportunity to integrate the experience.
As a therapist, I’ve learned that there are so very
many experiences that language cannot begin to convey and feelings that
there simply are no words for. During those times, I have often found myself
playing a piece of beautiful music while sitting with a client in respectful
and humble silence, hoping to touch those places where only a loving heart
or music might reach. And so my fellow traveler, I invite you now to relax,
breathe deeply, and allow the music of Michael Smith to touch your own
sacred and secret places.
Many Blessings to you on your musical journey…
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