Arguably the most beautiful of art forms, music has considerable effects on both our physiology and psychology. While the therapeutic benefits of music have long been explored, only recently have advances in neuroscience led to a better understanding of the profound effects of music on the brain. Ethnomusicologists, neuroscientists, and composers alike have begun to study the potential benefits of adapting certain kinds of music into auditory programs that can elevate mood and enhance cognitive states.

Produced by Advanced Brain Technologies, 

 (MFM) is a unique, sound stimulation auditory training program based on the music of Ostad Elahi. By combining psychoacoustic techniques with improvisational music and nature sounds, MFM develops listening skills, restores peace and tranquility, increases energy levels, extends one’s attention span, and enhances memory and concentration.

There are several reasons Ostad’s music is well-suited to promote active listening. His music is naturally rich in high frequency sounds that invite deeper and more precise learning. At the same time, his improvisations imbue the music with a free quality, while the unusual harmonic and rhythmic structures cause the brain to be attentive in a dramatic way. In addition, the tonal qualities of the tanbur present a dense range of high frequencies, which is partially attributable to the fact that Ostad played multiple notes per second that built on each other's harmonies.

<h2>Music for the Mind I</h2><p>Arguably the most beautiful of art forms, music has considerable effects on both our physiology and psychology. While the therapeutic benefits of music have long been explored, only recently have advances in neuroscience led to a better understanding of the profound effects of music on the brain. Ethnomusicologists, neuroscientists, and composers alike have begun to study the potential benefits of adapting certain kinds of music into auditory programs that can elevate mood and enhance cognitive states.</p><p>Produced by Advanced Brain Technologies, <em>Music for the Mind</em> (MFM) is a unique, sound stimulation auditory training program based on the music of Ostad Elahi. By combining psychoacoustic techniques with improvisational music and nature sounds, MFM develops listening skills, restores peace and tranquility, increases energy levels, extends one’s attention span, and enhances memory and concentration.</p><p>There are several reasons Ostad’s music is well-suited to promote active listening. His music is naturally rich in high frequency sounds that invite deeper and more precise learning. At the same time, his improvisations imbue the music with a free quality, while the unusual harmonic and rhythmic structures cause the brain to be attentive in a dramatic way. In addition, the tonal qualities of the tanbur present a dense range of high frequencies, which is partially attributable to the fact that Ostad played multiple notes per second that built on each other's harmonies.</p>

Music for the Mind I

Building on the popularity of the original 

 (MFM) program, MFM II features a new sound stimulation auditory training program by Advanced Brain Technologies that naturally enhances the function of the ear and brain while providing a pleasant listening experience through the music of Ostad Elahi. Based on the science of psychoacoustics, or the study of how humans perceive sound, MFM II presents innovate psychoacoustic methods integrated with spatial soundscapes of the tanbur and harmonious nature sounds in a series of new musical arrangements. Depending on the desired state of mind, listeners have the option to select from four CDs: energy, relaxation, contemplation, and well-being.

<h2>Music for the Mind II</h2><p>Building on the popularity of the original <em>Music for the Mind</em> (MFM) program, MFM II features a new sound stimulation auditory training program by Advanced Brain Technologies that naturally enhances the function of the ear and brain while providing a pleasant listening experience through the music of Ostad Elahi. Based on the science of psychoacoustics, or the study of how humans perceive sound, MFM II presents innovate psychoacoustic methods integrated with spatial soundscapes of the tanbur and harmonious nature sounds in a series of new musical arrangements. Depending on the desired state of mind, listeners have the option to select from four CDs: energy, relaxation, contemplation, and well-being.</p>

Music for the Mind II

A renowned ethnomusicologist and Director of Research at the CNRS (National Center for Scientific Research in Paris), Jean During has published extensively on the music of Inner and Central Asia, particularly its relationship with eastern culture, mysticism, and thought. As one of the foremost experts on the Kurdish tanbur, During brings the uniqueness of Ostad Elahi’s intricate art into relief by analyzing it in its original context and tracing its genesis and development through a series of biographical elements, rich anecdotes, and detailed accounts by those who were close to Ostad. As a result of his multifaceted approach, 

 constitutes an original and unique contribution to aesthetics as well as religious anthropology and eastern mysticism. Ultimately, the author paints a precise and reliable portrait of a contemporary master musician who was a veritable magician of sounds.

“(Ostad) elevated the tradition of sacred melodies . . . to the level of a scholarly and complex art. . . . In other times he would have probably passed into legend, alongside the Greek Orpheus, the Persian Bārbad, or the Indian Tansen. Like these illustrious masters of sound, his music would have disappeared . . . in the haloes of myth. It is fortunate that some farsighted individuals undertook to record his repertoire and improvisations . . . (and) compile testimony on the impressions and effects his music exerted on its listeners.”

The Spirit of Sounds: The Unique Art of Ostad Elahi

 (Cranbury, NJ: Cornwall Books, 2003), 15.

<h2>The Spirit of Sounds</h2><p><strong>The Unique Art of Ostad Elahi</strong></p><p>A renowned ethnomusicologist and Director of Research at the CNRS (National Center for Scientific Research in Paris), Jean During has published extensively on the music of Inner and Central Asia, particularly its relationship with eastern culture, mysticism, and thought. As one of the foremost experts on the Kurdish tanbur, During brings the uniqueness of Ostad Elahi’s intricate art into relief by analyzing it in its original context and tracing its genesis and development through a series of biographical elements, rich anecdotes, and detailed accounts by those who were close to Ostad. As a result of his multifaceted approach, <em>The Spirit of Sounds</em> constitutes an original and unique contribution to aesthetics as well as religious anthropology and eastern mysticism. Ultimately, the author paints a precise and reliable portrait of a contemporary master musician who was a veritable magician of sounds.</p><blockquote>“(Ostad) elevated the tradition of sacred melodies . . . to the level of a scholarly and complex art. . . . In other times he would have probably passed into legend, alongside the Greek Orpheus, the Persian Bārbad, or the Indian Tansen. Like these illustrious masters of sound, his music would have disappeared . . . in the haloes of myth. It is fortunate that some farsighted individuals undertook to record his repertoire and improvisations . . . (and) compile testimony on the impressions and effects his music exerted on its listeners.”<br>Jean During, <em>The Spirit of Sounds: The Unique Art of Ostad Elahi</em> (Cranbury, NJ: Cornwall Books, 2003), 15.</blockquote>