Album Notes

Pranakasha evokes the sounds produced by the prana, the life-breath, as it vibrates in the inner akasha, the inner space. This unstruck sound, or anahata nada is what yogis listen to spontaneously resounding within their own beings. The many divine sounds resembling the cymbals, crickets, buzzing bees, the conch, etc. gather their attention and pull them deeper and deeper into meditation, thus allowing them to experience higher and higher states of consciousness.

The sounds of Pranakasha are created using many layers of accoustic instruments and a minimum of electronic effects. The fundamental tone and naturally occurring overtones sometimes reinforce each other and other times cancel each other out, creating new sounds and cyclic rhythmic patterns. Pranakasha truly is an ocean of sonority on which play countless waves.

Listen to this CD quietly to aid in your meditation practice or to help mask the sounds of the outside world. As you focus on the fundamental tone, the ears and mind will naturally become more refined. Soon you will hear new layers of sounds emerging, just as all the sounds within us are born of Om.

Pranakasha can also be used as tamboura-like drone for chanting sacred mantras, singing bhajans, performing ragas, etc.


This new edition of "Pranakasha the sounds of Om" now contains 3 versions of the original project: track one is in the key of C, track two is in Db, and track 3 is in D. I have made these available so that people might use these to chant or play ragas in these commonly played keys. Also, each person may discover that one of these three keys suits his or her temperament the best. It has been said that the various chakras in our bodies resonate to certain pitches, so you may find that a certain key is superior for you. I am personally quite fond of Db...

---Matt