Spirit Music
Lama Tashi : Tibetan Master Chants (IND,2004)****'
Lama Tashi : Tibetan Master Chants (IND,2004)****'When one hears a recording or performance of some old / traditional musical technique (like is used here) it can be interesting to check also for similar techniques or variations of it in the still reachable environment because these variations could eventually lead to an idea of an originating source or influence. In Tibetan monasteries there exists a peculiar vocal technique which seems to be a mixture between something which recalls somewhat throat singing, mixed with murmuring prayer, while in neighbouring areas, Tuva and Mongolia, throat singing is a general expression, which is also used by shamans. Tibet also had its own kind of local shamanism until the Chinese claimed the country and tended to wipe out all religion and beliefs. There are two big types of Buddhist monasteries of which the red hats adapted local magic ideas, while the yellow caps are more influenced by the higher and more abstract developed spiritual ideas. Most performances of vocal rituals last for a couple of hours or days even, which makes it hardly possible to store and reproduce these perfomances onto any type of storage system. Even if one would do so on the reproduction formats we know, commercially there won’t be enough people interested in hearing and buying it, even if it was originally meant to be like a complete recording any way. However there was this clever lama Tashi, who got the bright idea of making a special mini-ritual built particularly for the purpose of a recording on a CD, which is this specific album. It is divided into 12 deliberate sections. Technically the “music” if we can call it that, is built upon a special vocal technique with directed effects, mixed with a certain conscious automatism in prayer. Some of the vocal sounds, sound as if the voice comes from such deep vibrations that even the stomach speaks in tongues. I can imagine Monks usually don’t eat much before any vocal ritual, so I guess their stomach this way becomes such great tool as an extra resonating chamber. Also it has been told that the mind of a monk during this concentrated singing should be completely empty. So even the head probably will resonate to it, as a perfect and third resonator. In total, all vibrations from top to toe, in varied order, will be brought to better balance by all used bodily vibrations and wishful ideas. The music is kept deliberately relatively simple, as an invitation to sing along, including or not the attempts of extra resonances -with all deeper vibrating growls (of hunger or desire) adapted along the way-. There's an initiationary aspect to it as well, which includes homage to certain associated deities or energies, included as small introductions to each section. Each individual section is divided into exactly divided parts for performing the bell, the bowl, the call and the chant.
Many mantras are sung. Mantras are on one level sounds with words that have meanings, that have so many confirming syllables and consonants, they have an ability to increase some inner energy and concentration, working also as a confirmation, with benefiting effect and bringing balance to body and mind. Besides that they have a constructed order and certain signification in content and context. On one the first mantra's, "Om Ah Hum", a purifying energy mantra, here I hear at first very clearly a special vocal technique side effect of some extra very beautiful overtones, as if two voices at once are singing, which is a bass (sounding like vibrations from the earth), and some high notes (sounding like vibrations from the skies in a mountain region). This sounded very powerful and almost abstract. On most other mantras we hear more vibrated words, within the concentration of prayer, all technically in a somewhat comparable way. By the 8th section hearing "Om ama rani ziven taye so ha" I hear that the overtone vibrations added are a bit lower in tone, and become between an a "o" or "u" in the high registers. I enjoyed very much singing along with the 9th section : "Om droom soha om amri ta ayur dade soha" which sounded to me as "Oh Amedee..." (Amedee, a variation of Amadeus, is a funny name in my area of the world), which I tended to finish with anything else that rhymed to it, and that that came into my head automatically. Doing this was a pretty funny experience to me. Besides, the mantra is meant to purify karma, to take away thinking too much of things that die, and is dedicated to prosperity, so for me it is like a "proost" or cheers to my personal God of humour which I hereby called Amedee. Of course there's also included, the here in the west over-easily mentioned and most important mantra of all, the Om Mani Padme Hum. To my surprise, lama Tashi’s pronunciation doesn’t sound at all like the new age wannebies are so likely to express and repeat it, but here it sounds more like a "Hoymaynepedmehuu'h". What I experienced with my study of vowels and consonants, the last sound, Hum, is more like a "cursing" power, -in a positive sense-, bringing things back to earth. Including the sound “M”, for body, it is another possibility and idea but in a spiritual sense it might not be necessary to pronounce it. In my idea "Hum" could also be expressed like someone scraping their throat with a bass tone, with an this extra gorilla/dog growl effect as a matter of speaking, bringing a person back to earth with an easy voise expression “hum”, just a bit like a bass driven “cough”. The lama’s version gives more energy to the repetition in time in benefit of the prayer. The kind of energy that brings people to a state of meditation at the same time is a state of mind stretching things in time, in order to give pupils the time to get to spontaneously developed realisations. Also prayer leaves things open in time and don't use an immediate awakening energy, so this way any prayer will always sound a bit more like a direction to subconscious slumbering into automatic trance. The booklet of the CD says that there are varied ways to sing and express this "jewel in the lotus" mantra, which is generally known as a resume of all relating vibrating energies in speech, body and mind. "Hum" is explained here, is centred in the heart centre, which is the imaginary deeper centre of concentration of ideas, as pure mind. If one looks at the complete mantra, starting with the Om, 'Om' means letting the vibrations and energies that come from outside yourself into your body, through the crown concentration on the head. “Mani Padme” gives these energies a useful place. The second most important mantra, the "purifying" ‘Om Ah Hum’ has just "Ah" in the middle. Ah is the speech, in the throat, with the “H” as the conscious whistling effect which is consciously expressed to it. I think by the time of section 11, the overtones are more sounding like "ie". If one knows the ideas between the basic introduction mantra ‘Om’ one knows that this sound is already a resume of all the possible vibrations, which can be expressed by speech to vibrate in the body, including all vowals starting from IE-over AA-AU-OO-EE-to UU, to be expressed in the overtones. On this cd these overtones throughout the whole cd go just the other way around, from the deepest starting visions concentration to a kind leaving the listener with a lighter feeling near the end.
The booklet contains much interesting information with some background on the significance of the mantras. Together with the recording it makes this album an enjoyable tool for different possible purposes (like listening pleasure, meditation, or even a singsong evening).
Homepage : http://www.chantmaster.org/
http://www.devamusic.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/product.detail/product_id/284 (with bio,short review,..)
Articles on Grammy nomination : http://www.phayul.com/news/article.aspx?id=11706&article=Tibetan+monk+wins+Grammy+nomination
