The Astrology of Music and Musical Instruments

Arian Maverick

Well-known member
I derive an indescribable sense of joy through the process of making music, capturing the mood of a particular arrangement and infusing it with my own creative spark to create something beautiful, something sacred. Music speaks to me, and I believe that it possesses its own consciousness, a cosmic force that is able to be channeled through many different mediums--including, but not limited to, the various musical instruments that have been developed throughout the centuries.

Throughout my extensive musical instrument, I have come to the conclusion that each instrument possesses its own voice, its own inimitable mode of expression. Indeed, lately I have attempted to attribute these characteristics to an astrological archetype, and this is where I seek outside assistance.

I have attempted to dissect my natal chart to understand the underlying reasons I may be inclined toward a specific set of instruments, particularly the flute and the saxophone. It seems that no matter where I begin the zodiac chain of dispositors in my chart, I am eventually led to the mutual reception between my first house Mercury in Aries and my third house Mars in Gemini. I believe that Kite once informed me that this particular exchange of energies would indicate a talent working with my hands. Indeed, I am a musician with a definite preference towards intricate instruments with many keys, rather than brass instruments that emphasize lip work--for lack of a better term.

Due to the constant movement of one's fingers, I tend to associate woodwind instruments--especially the flute and clarinet--with the sign of Gemini and the planet Mercury. Indeed, these two aforementioned instruments tend to receive the most technically challenging parts of a conductor's score, and we often play extremely fast in order to impress each other :lol:

I am not quite as confident in my assessment of brass instruments, as these instruments wander outside my area of expertise. However, from past experiments with the trumpet and French horn, I have developed an understanding that these instruments do not struggle with finger patterns nearly as much as positioning their mouths in such a way to produce the correct pitch. Indeed, these instruments seem to be much more physically taxing to play than woodwind instruments; I often see brass players massaging their lips during periods of rest in their music, and it is always amusing to turn your head slightly behind you in order to see the trumpets hit a particularly high note. Their faces often turn red while veins in their neck and face throb from exertion. Much air is needed to play a brass instrument, as well.

Therefore, I have come to associate brass instruments with the sign of Aries and the planet Mars. Trumpets tend to lead the band, and Aries is the first sign of the zodiac. In addition, I know from personal experience that Aries is a very physical sign that constantly needs action. The personalities of many brass players I know tend to lean in this direction.

I intend to devote a special section to the saxophone, which was specifically developed to pose as a bridge between the woodwind and brass sections. This instrument was created by Belgium clarinetist Adolphe Sax, and I will attempt to research his date of birth and that of his invention in order to arrive at a better conclusion of the saxophone's sign and planet orientation.

Please feel free to contribute to this thread! :wink:

Arian Maverick
 

Draco

Well-known member
Very interesting idea for a thread Mav. :wink:

This is something that I have thought about myself and I would categorise instruments by the elements, and then define the individual instrument from there:

Fire - String instruments (piano, guitar, harp)

Earth - Percussion (drums, maracas, rattles)

Air - wind (trumpet, flute, voice)

Water - resonant metal (cymbals, bells, xylophone)

As for planets, I would associate all instruments with Mercury and Venus. Mercury because music is a 'universal language', essentially it is a form of communication. Venus because music is an artform, requiring a certain sensitivity to be skilled at it.

Draco :wink:
 
Another idea to consider is how one could use the attributes of a particular instrument, or better yet, styles of music, to influence one's particular mind/heart set. Especially with older styles of music, as in classical-esque, I think one can see that particular compositions have different elemental qualities. Holst's "The Planets" attempts to translate planetary energy into sound.

I think of those tightly structured Bach compositions as Air, very mental, Gemini-like compositions. Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring" reminds me of fire, of strong Aries swirlings.

Knowledge of this could be most useful in a therapeutic setting, or if we just need to balance out our elemental disposition. Perhaps a day spent doing nit-pick detailed office work, we might go home and throw on something real fire, or perhaps water, to loosen up a bit.
 

autumnleaf

Well-known member
I realize this thread was started quite a while ago, but Arian Maverick, you never continued/finished your theory about the string instruments.

I'm a scorp/scorp/pisces and I've messed with many different instruments but am totally drawn to the strings. Particulary the violin/fiddle, cello, harp, harpsichord dobro, and various banjos.

I have to agree about relating the signs to the "feeling" of what type of music one is playing. Makes total sense to me. When I'm in the mood to play classical or opera type music, I feel my Pisces moon kicking in. When it's "rosinup that bow and stomp them feet, country bumpkin style (I love bluegrass), I feel my wacky Scorp side wanting to cut loose.


What's your take on the signs related to these string instruments, AM? Inquiring minds want to know! ;)
 

Arian Maverick

Well-known member
Unfortunately, I am not nearly familiar enough with string instruments to decisively state, or even make an educated guess, about which signs or planets may rule string instruments.

For some reason, though, the horse hair from which the bow of classical string instruments (i.e. violin, viola, cello, string bass) is made came to my mind almost immediately, although somehow, I do not believe these classical instruments are of the nature of Sagittarius (centaur - half horse/half human).

However, a quick glance at the Violin Wikipedia article make me think that the violin's connection with horse hair is somehow significant:

History

The earliest stringed instruments were mostly plucked (e.g. the Greek lyre). Bowed instruments may have originated in the equestrian cultures of Central Asia, an example being the Mongolian instrument Morin huur:

Turkic and Mongolian horsemen from Inner Asia were probably the world’s earliest fiddlers. Their two-stringed upright fiddles are strung with horsehair strings, played with horsehair bows, and often feature a carved horse’s head at the end of the neck. ... The violins, violas, and cellos we play today, and whose bows are still strung with horsehair, are a legacy of the nomads.[2].

This last part about the violin being "a legacy of the nomads" also brings to mind Sagittarius because these people are constantly on the go and often love to travel, but somehow, I'm still having difficulty making the connection between these austere instruments and the fun-loving sign of Sagittarius.

Arian Maverick
 

autumnleaf

Well-known member
I can see the connection to Sagi as well, but strictly related to the bow part of the instrument since it has remained being made with horsehair. Methinks I will have to research when each instrument came about and, hopefully, we will have a better idea. That article does say that these instruments were originally plucked.
 

Arian Maverick

Well-known member
I can see the connection to Sagi as well, but strictly related to the bow part of the instrument since it has remained being made with horsehair. Methinks I will have to research when each instrument came about and, hopefully, we will have a better idea. That article does say that these instruments were originally plucked.

Good catch!

I imagine that this would be difficult to ascertain, since string instruments are very old indeed.

History of the Violin - Origin

> 1. Origin (page 1/2)


In Europe, the violin can be traced back to the 9th century, with its origin possibly in Asia. Not less than 450 years were required to bring it to its present form, representative of the experience acquired throughout the centuries by the makers of stringed instruments.

I wonder what the creation chart looks like...?

Arian Maverick
 

autumnleaf

Well-known member
I was wondering what each instruments chart would look like, too. I'm too tired to research it and figure it out now. I've been up since 2am and worked 8 hrs. I'm ready for a nap! :D
 

Arian Maverick

Well-known member
This almost reminds me of the "music" someone was able to create from the Leonardo da Vinci painting, The Last Supper...

It's definitely a cool idea, but I have no idea how to convert planetary positions into notes, no less into music.

Arian Maverick
 

autumnleaf

Well-known member
Arian Maverick said:
It's definitely a cool idea, but I have no idea how to convert planetary positions into notes, no less into music.
Arian Maverick

:eek: say what?! I have never even thought about such a thing. I don't even know where you would begin to figure out such a thing.
 

autumnleaf

Well-known member
River, relating the horsehair bows to Sagi makes sense in that Sagi's are fond of changing locales quickly and often. I think of how quick and ever-changing bowing can be. When I think of the Wounded Healer, Chiron, I think of music in general and how healing the music itself can be. Though I find a sort of healing when messing around with my instruments, too. I guess it can go either way.
 

autumnleaf

Well-known member
I'm not finding any specific dates on the "birth" of the violin. The one thing most sites seem to agree on is that it originated in the Middle East/Asia somewhere around the 9th century. It did get its current shape sometime during the 1500's. Bowed instruments evolved from the Middle East, Turks, and other Oriental peoples before Europe. The Turks adopted it from the Italians and spread to Iran. It got its current shape sometime during the 1500's in Europe.

Its classification is Chordophone: an instrument that produces its sounds from the vibration of strings.


:53:



 

Derestanne

Well-known member
In the early 1990's there was an outfit calling themselves "Astro Musical Research". I believe they advertised in the Mountain Astrologer Magazine. For a fee, they would create Musical Compositions based on anyone's Birth Chart. I have no idea what happened to them. Perhaps their endeavor was not financially successful.

There was also a rock music album entitled "Sounds Of The Zodiac" released in the late 1960's. The band covered each of the 12 Zodiac signs with music and vocal narration. I thought it was one of the most imaginative and inspired musical tributes to Astrology that I've ever heard!

And then there is the classical composition "The Planets" by Gustav Holst. See: http://www.aquarianage.org/lore/holst.html

As Spock says, Fascinating!
 

Derestanne

Well-known member
Originally Posted by Arian Maverick
It's definitely a cool idea, but I have no idea how to convert planetary positions into notes, no less into music.

autumnleaf said:
:eek: say what?! I have never even thought about such a thing. I don't even know where you would begin to figure out such a thing.

It has already been done folks! No need to "reinvent the wheel" - here it is:

http://www.aniwilliams.com/images/music_chart-color_wheel-lg.jpg

Just a few brief examples: Musical note "C", sung "DO" is Aries; C#, sung "DO#" is Taurus; Note D, sung "RE" is Gemini, so on and so forth. Not only that, specific colors are also associated along with the exact pitch frequency in Hertz.

Magic, Music, Art or Science? - Only Your Astrologer Knows For Sure! LOL!
 

autumnleaf

Well-known member
Derestanne said:
In the early 1990's there was an outfit calling themselves "Astro Musical Research". I believe they advertised in the Mountain Astrologer Magazine. For a fee, they would create Musical Compositions based on anyone's Birth Chart. I have no idea what happened to them. Perhaps their endeavor was not financially successful.

There was also a rock music album entitled "Sounds Of The Zodiac" released in the late 1960's. The band covered each of the 12 Zodiac signs with music and vocal narration. I thought it was one of the most imaginative and inspired musical tributes to Astrology that I've ever heard!

And then there is the classical composition "The Planets" by Gustav Holst. See: http://www.aquarianage.org/lore/holst.html

As Spock says, Fascinating!

I have a CD that's of the 12 signs of the zodiac. It's strictly musical, no lyrics. I listen to it frequently when I'm working out or riding my bike. It's upbeat yet soothing at the same time. Will have to find the cover (wherever that is!) and let you know who put it out.
 
Maybe this is what you are looking for? :)

"The Astrological (Tropical) Zodiac & Music" - about "Tone Zodiacs", the history of it's use as well and my own interpretation and implementation:
http://www.roelsworld.eu/en/blog-mus...-and-tonality/

"Astro-Music Composition" - about creating a "tone-collection" from a (birth) horoscope chart, to make scales and chords with, to use for musical composition:
http://www.roelsworld.eu/en/blog-mus...c-composition/

I hope they are of assistance to those who like to create music based on Astrology.
 
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