Music in Ritual

[Bastemhet]

I made this thread mostly so that we can share how music plays a part in our practice, whether it be during rituals, meditation, prayers, dedication, or whathaveyou. I'm very interested to see what you like to listen to in order to feel inspired. How has music helped you connect to your deity/ies?

The second purpose of this thread is to hopefully find some recommendations of music that sounds middle eastern, or incorporates drums and sitars. I was looking for something relaxing to play in the background, so non-lyric music would help- but if you have some favorite music that you'd like to share, I'm open to suggestion. I love finding new music!  

[PurpleDragonsGems]

I like music when (if) I get a chance to meditate. Doesn't matter if it has lyrics or not. Depends on my mood what I listen to.  

[Autumnal Light]

I sometimes use music to put myself into a meditative state. I often use Loreena McKennit, but anything with a smooth quality that I can lose myself in will work.

You mentioned an interest in Middle Eastern music and instruments. Have you ever heard a santur? My uncle immigrated from Iran and plays quite well, although he's not nearly as skilled as this guy.  

[Bastemhet]

That's the first time I've heard one and I must say I'm quite impressed! Actually it kind of reminds me of an Iranian harpsichord. I wonder if you could tell me the name of an instrument that I've heard a lot but I have no idea what it is. I've heard it in middle eastern music but the most recent time was in the music from the HBO show Rome. I'm going to try and search for it on youtube and then I'll post it if I find it.

Edit: Here is an example. It starts playing at 1:50. Does anyone know what it is?  

[Vertigo_Kiwi]

I don't do ritual or meditate, the closest thing I have is thinking about the gods and feeling their presence. The lyrics of some songs will remind me of them, maybe not an entire song but just some of the lines. I can't think of any good examples right now. It's all about how I interpret the words at that moment.  

[maenad nuri]

I trance dance. Music is highly important, to get me reach a trance state. I listen to a lot of dead can dance, and bellydance music.

My playlist for a typical ritual. (called ADR: A Dionysos Ritual)

Summoning of the Muse Dead Can Dance
Frame Drum Fat Chance Belly Dance & Helm
Maqsoum Fat Chance Belly Dance & Helm
Indus Dead Can Dance
The Snake And The Moon Dead Can Dance
Cantara Dead Can Dance
The Song Of The Sybil Dead Can Dance

MY bellydance teacher once played the frame drum song during cool down, and I nearly slipped into a trance state.

I perform ritual during Summoning of the Muse, and then dance/meditate during the rest.

Also really of note? Layne Redmond. Her cd Invoking the Muse is spectacular!  

[Bastemhet]

Thanks, Nuri! I really like belly dance music and hope to learn it myself once funds allow. I especially like tribal fusion and watch Rachel Brice on youtube pretty frequently.  

[PirateEire]

Being that my rituals require reaching one passionate emotion or another, music plays a huge part. For me, at least, music can easily manipulate my mood. I've used several different forms of music, but I think I'm most attracted to middle easten music of sorts. With or without lyrics, it doesn't matter, since I don't understand a word. There's only one kind of ritual that I can't use that kind of music in: compassion rituals.

For compassion rituals, slow Irish trad can easily have me in tears... which is typically what I need in such a ritual. Lyrical content is a must. I'm a fan of using Déanta...  

[Ethermus Prime]

I use alot of noise Rock to break my thoughts so I can reach that whole...empty mind state.

Cognitive dissidence FTW?


Other music I use is Lyrical and Melodic in order to help me reflect better on myself.  

[Collowrath]

I've been listening to Bear McCreary and his Battlestar Galactica music. Mostly the heavier drums from Season 3 (Storming New Caprica, if you're familiar or curious), and the Greco-themed Baltar/Kobol music.

Fight Night and Storming New Caprica are my favorites here
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Battlestar-Galactica-Season-Bear-Mccreary/dp/B000UZ4C4A

It's ecstatic. Puts me in a trance easily. Middle-eastern drumming does it to me too, especially Turkish and Greek styles.

Raqs is good for trances. Mind, Raqs Sharqi/Belly Dancing is not necessarily something for women - it's dancing, plain and simple.

Mmm, it seems like I got slightly off topic. I don't really use music in any kind of ritual, but I do feel that it brings me closer to my gods. Maybe it's the creativity inherent in music, the skill in playing it, or the trance state and not the music in particular that does it, but music is a catalyst that helps me feel a part of my gods every day.  

[TeaDidikai]

Most personal ritual I do doesn't have music.

Though for more playful ritual with friends I have been known to use pop-music.

Formal ritual with large groups usually has drumming. Helps that the group I hang out with is packed to the rafters with drums and drummers who know how to keep a beat.  

[[BlkCat]]

I use Mozart to open my mind and soul. I don't know what it is about his music but it just floods a completely new feeling of awareness of who I am, what I do, and how to do it. I also tend to see many visions/flashes of destruction through my head when I listen too it, it's just in such an elegant and beautiful way.


And also inspires me to write without thinking of what I'm writing (I guess you could say it's almost like automatic writing only without outside influence, strictly from your subconscious and soul).

Like so:


Royal Aria

Quote:

Such emotion and feelling, filling my heart with visions
of destruction and fear; Of love and power and all existance.
The vocals of the sweet royal blood of the night, such beauty,
such beauty, it sparkles so bright.
This Aria, this great Aria, forever is within sight.
Ever growing and pushing the limits,
Of nothingness and creation.
All that is, pales in comparison.

 

[Autumnal Light]

Sophist

Actually it kind of reminds me of an Iranian harpsichord.

Santur is the Persian word for the Iranian harpsichord, actually.

Quote:

I wonder if you could tell me the name of an instrument that I've heard a lot but I have no idea what it is. I've heard it in middle eastern music but the most recent time was in the music from the HBO show Rome. I'm going to try and search for it on youtube and then I'll post it if I find it.

Edit: Here is an example. It starts playing at 1:50. Does anyone know what it is?

I looked it up. I'm pretty sure that's a ney flute.

I love all the music links that are popping up in this thread! New music really makes my day.  

[Bastemhet]

The ney flute sounds absolutely beautiful but I'm not sure that's it. It sounds more like the equivalent of an oboe to me.

While looking for that instrument, I came across this performance with the sipsi. So amazing!

Edit: EHEEEEE I FOUND IT! It's called a Duduk / Mey.  

[Henry Dorsett Case]

I actually have a few certain "personal anthems" that I use prior to ritual depending on the nature of said ritual. Any time I'm going to be needing to handle a lot of servitors at once, and I need to keep track of what I've asked each to do, I listen to felys by onoken (Japanese trance). Banishing rituals (for when a spiritual entity just won't leave peacefully) get "The Trauma Coil" by Faith and the Muse - despite the sound of the name of the band, it's a rather violent song. I'll build a playlist based on how the ritual's going to play out, if it's even long enough for more than one song. The longest banishing ritual I ever did was only about ten minutes, but I decided to throw together some epic metal to keep the proper mood.

It's been so long since I've done a couple of my favorite rituals that I've forgotten what music I originally used for them, which is kind of sad. I don't tend to use ecstatic states much for ritual - something doesn't feel right being both grounded and floating at the same time. I need something that nails my feet to the floor; the only way I can explain it is that I'm kind of like a single-fan hovercraft. I can be high above things, or pushing hard through them, but getting closer to one goal pulls me away from the other.