Customer Reviews

Sonic Alchemy

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Leeds accomplishes what he sets out to do and does it very well. I picked up this book because I found it to be a excellent resource to grab when I needed a reference for my own soundwork. I really like this book because I use psychoacoustics in my work. I also use many psychoacoustics on myself, but especially the CDs of Dr Brian Weiss for chronic pain, and they are nothing short of incredible - all of them, but especially his Meditation CD.

Sonic Alchemy goes through the basics of soundwork/music therapy, vibration frequency, tones, beats, resonance, acoustic entrainment, and brainwaves, etc...

Leeds presents a chapter on the Tomatis method. Tomatis was simply brilliant. He was called the "Einstein of the ear", and believed the ear helped to grow the brain of the baby in utero, and then continued to charge the brain and nervous system once the child was born. Tomatis stated that "...the higher frequencies of the mother's voice literally nourish the fetus". Tomatis said he didn't treat children who were brought to him, he "awakened" them. Incredible!

Leeds gives a synopsis of the 12 sound "alchemists" he interviewed, and their specialty. For example:
"Therese Schroeder-Sheker: Prescriptive Music for the Dying. Director, Chalice of Repose Project, Composer, Recording Artist, Academic Dean of the School of Music-Thantology..."
Dr. Jeffrey Thompson, Tom Kenyon, Jonathan Goldman, etc...

As for being an advertisement, the name of the book IS Sonic Alchemy: Conversations With Leading Sound Practitioners. It's not an advertisement at all, it's a compendium of interviews with leaders in the field of psychoacoustics - each for their own specialty - thantology (aiding those who are dying), anesthesia/pain management, guided imagery/intention, bio-tuning/healing, mental health, light and sound machines, etc...

At the end of the book there are numerous pages of resources. I haven't checked to see if they are current since I have my own resources, and can go through the Sound Healers Assn on the web.

This book is just a series of interviews with the authors of various commercial music products, getting their approaches and ideas about using music to influence states of consciousness. In effect, it is a giant advertisement that you actually pay to read.

It could be of some use to people who are unaware of such things as Brainwave Entrainment or who want to know what musical products to buy. Unfortunately, for those who already are aware of such things, this book offers no useful information at all.

What is needed in the subject of "sonic alchemy" is more practical information about the effects of music on the mind and brain, practical information about some of the techniques used to effect consciousness through music, and some real guidance for those who might want to do their own experiments in creating music using entrainment, psychoacoustics, or any of the other systems mentioned in this book. This is how music makers and music lovers can create the kinds of "empowering sonic environments" that this book is supposed to tell you how to create.

As it is, the only way anyone can create such "empowering sonic environments" is to buy the music of one of the "leaders" interviewed in the book. To my mind, this is not empowering at all.

It is one thing to sell a starving man a fish that he can afford. It is another to give that person a fishing rod and tell him how to use it. When you do the former, you help the man out, but to really empower the man you must do the latter.

This book does not empower. It just tells you what you can buy. For those who want to just use what is out there, this may be sufficient. But for those who, like me, want to get involved in working with music and sound, this book is a waste of time and money.