The breakthrough research behind Through a Dog’s Ear shows that the mammalian nervous system is extremely sensitive to sound — and that special arrangements of classical music have a profound soothing impact on anxious beings, far beyond that of unspecialized musical compositions. We created this music for human health, as well as your discerning ear.
The over-arching psychoacoustic theory for Essential Sound is summed up in two words– simple sound. This term refers to the process of minimizing intricate auditory information found in most music. The music of Essential Sound is intentionally selected, arranged, and recorded to provide easeful auditory assimilation. Three primary considerations accomplish this effect:
1. Orchestral density
2. Resonance and entrainment
3. Pattern identification
When we’re young and healthy, we have abundant cerebral processing power to attend to many streams of sensory stimuli–be it sound, sight, touch, or smell. However, as we age, sensory tolerances decrease. When life energy is at a lower ebb, or when neurodevelopmental issues are present, music and sound can be a valuable source of arousal responses. Sometimes though, the intricacies of conventional music are too much for a depleted system to take in; music and sound may become mentally distracting, annoying, and even painful. This may lead to the involuntary retreating from auditory stimulation, therefore being deprived of sound’s beneficial vibrational effect.
Essential Sound is psychoacoustically designed to support stressed or overtaxed immune or nervous system function. From very slow and soothing, to playful and uptempo, the full 8-hour program of ES provides a sound regimen of graduated tempos and progressive compositional complexities. Each level has been created for specific relaxation and arousal responses. Each note in Essential Sound’s minimalist “sound paintings” has been carefully and purposefully considered for optimum physiological and psychological effect. The simple sound of Essential Sound is key to the music’s elegance and benefit. Further information on the psychoacoustic principles and techniques used in these recordings can be found online at www.JoshuaLeeds.com.
