Meditation is a mental discipline by which one attempts to get beyond the conditioned, "thinking" mind into a deeper state of relaxation or awareness. Meditation often involves turning attention to a single point of reference.
Meditation music can refer to music played with or listened to during meditation, music the performance of which is a meditation, or music which is meditative. Music may distract from or enhance meditation, and meditation may involve music making.
Meditation music should be simple and soothing. Some of the sounds heard in meditation are said to be in nature or have been duplicated by human beings. Classical sounds used include the rumble or thunder, the buzzing of bees and the deep sound of the waves. Some of the instruments that are inductive to meditation are the tamboura, Tibetan singing bowl, the flute and the sitar. Some of the trailblazers in producing meditation music have been organisations such as the Sanata Society, Sounds True and Inner Splendor Media.
Musical training is similar to meditation and musicians may study meditation for the benefits during performance, such as deep breathing and concentration. Some composers have combined meditation and music, for example, John Cage, Stuart Dempster, Pauline Oliveros, Terry Riley and La Monte Young have all written meditative pieces. Some examples of meditation music are Karlheinz Stockhausen's “Mantra” (1970), “Hymnen” (1969), “Stimmung” (1968) and “Aus den sieben Tagen” (1968), Olivier Messiaen's “Quartet for the End of Time” (1941) and Ben Johnston, whose “Visions and Spells” (a realisation of “Vigil” (1976), requires a meditation period prior to performance.
