Edited by Michela and Fabio Grossi
Music, it is well known, affects the psyche and the physical. In some cases it seems that the background music is of great effect to increase and enhance the results and benefits of physical activity.
But what is the musical genre capable of generating greater benefits for the organism? Some researchers - including prof. Alfred A. Tomatis of the French Academy of Medicine and Science - reported that a high frequency of sounds can revitalize the entire body, acting directly on brain cells. Without forgetting, however, that the most intense sounds of 70 decibels are decidedly negative and sometimes harmful.
In fact, music is based on rhythm, just as the human body is a rhythmic machine . Rhythm is one of the key factors acting on our biological impulses: brain waves, heartbeats, breaths, steps.
The closer music gets to the person's physiological rhythms, the more beneficial it is for movement, coordination and breathing.
Each sound event is composed of a fundamental sound plus other more acute sounds, called harmonics . The timbre, characterized precisely by the harmonic sounds, is the one able to act on the alterations of emotion, normalizing them.
The aforementioned prof. In his studies, Tomatis highlighted that the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is indeed rich in these sounds and the instruments that play his notes express the ideal balance in frequencies, intensity, timbre and rhythm.
The frequencies expressed, for example, by the arcs (violins, violas, cellos) stimulate the tone of the erector muscles of the spine - which intervene in the maintenance of the posture - unlike the modern electric instruments which tend to inhibit it. Mozart's music includes about 50-70 beats per minute, like the average beats of a bradycardic heart ; this is the main reason why, listening to his music, heart rate and blood pressure tend to normalize. The timbres of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart are rich in harmonic sounds and this is soothing for the listener's emotional status (Brazzo M., "Mozart Fitness", 2000).
Compositions with slow rhythms, low intensity sounds and low frequencies with soft tones (for example, an Adagio ) are recommended for tuning and cool - down exercises . Tuning exercises are aimed at improving body awareness and are often based on the control and management of breathing. A constant and controlled rhythm is interesting for intonation exercises, movements able to awaken all proprioceptors. One example is all the exercises aimed at joint mobility, able to improve the motor gesture and the range of movement.
The pieces represented by sounds with frequencies, intensities, timbres and average rhythms are indicated for the exercises of the torso, in particular the abdominals, paravertebral muscles and the scapular fixation muscles (anterior dentate, rhomboid, etc.). Very recommended in this case is an Allegro or an Allegro Maestoso, taken from a " Sonata for harpsichord and violin" .
The music combined with exercises for aerobic conditioning, for the lower and upper limbs must be expressed through sounds with high intensity and rhythms, to support the important physical effort (see the classic aerobics classes in the gym).
The compositions characterized by high frequency sounds and strong rhythm are particularly suitable for postural exercises, that is all those exercises aimed at compensating, correcting and preventing the postural vices typical of the civilized individual. The work duties, in fact, are now generally static, continuously in "bending", and the prolonged maintenance of the sitting position changes the lumbar lordosis into kyphosis, with a consequent loss of the capacity of extension and mobility by the lumbar spine .
Absolutely to try in this area is a Menuetto, also by Mozart, taken from Symphony No. 6 or a Biancheggia in Mar the rock taken from "Scipione's dream", perhaps positioning himself in a team with the lower limbs on the wall and the back on the ground, complete with cervical delordosis .
Singing seems to be a very useful aid for the treatment of respiratory deficits, as it favors the natural intake of oxygen and the increase in lung capacity. Singing also induces and promotes the lowering of blood pressure, at the same time slowing down the rhythm of the heartbeat and bringing about an improvement in mood.
