Feel and hear the monochord sound vibrations balance your being and activate your inner seeing.
Evolution of the Monochord Sound Table
It is commonly believed that Greek philosopher Pythagoras (6th century B.C.) invented the monochord. Consisting of a single string stretched over a sound box with a moveable bridge to change pitches, it was usually plucked.
Pythagoras scientifically used this instrument to dissect the fabric of music, demonstrating to his pupils the Octave Law (repetition of the tonic at a higher level) and its mathematical order. His study of ratios on the monochord led philosophers to believe that these ratios also governed the movement of planets and other cosmic matters.
German astronomer, Johannes Kepler, published in 1619 his third law, Harmony of the Spheres, reflecting the perfection of sounds which could now be revealed through numbers. Music formally became elevated to one of the highest intellectual pursuits.
Universally, religious and spiritual practices have made use of the force and effect of music through ceremony to attune with God, the Creation, and one’s soul. Notable German mystic and composer, Hildegaard Von Bingen (1098-1179), raised in a Benedictine monastery, accompanied her heavenly singing with a monochord.
Over the centuries the monochord’s form shifted; the number of strings increasing and varying greatly. Many musical instruments trace their roots to forms of the monochord; including the zither, clavichord, harpsichord, and the pianoforte. The specific effect of the monochord sound is the experience of the holistic universality of oneness.
In the 1980’s Swiss musician, Joachim Marz, developed the monochord sound table, based on Eastern instruments like the sitar, and the mystical mathematics of Pythagoras. His concept was to make it easily playable, and to bring out the healing qualities of the overtones. He intended his monochord be played as a therapeutic tool; as equally healing for the player as for the person on the ‘sound bed’. Its rich resonant body, full spherical sound spectrum and pure overtones evoke perfect simplicity, the living essence of tone.
Katharine plays her particular instrument intuitively with the intention to promote healing, balance and clarity. The 55 strings are tuned to the note C# which corresponds directly to the sacred syllable “OM”.
The recipient is bathed in a multitude of overtones which resonate delicate melodiousness above the ground note. Receiving treatment on the monochord sound table elevates one to a heightened consciousness. The effect has been likened to floating on an ocean of sound, a ‘sonic massage’, or returning to the womb.
Treatments can be received in Katharine Gilpin’s Middleborough MA healing studio.
Photos by Marc Vasconcellos
