The Making of Lake Melva Meditation CD

When I began teaching Hatha Yoga I wanted to have music for my classes. The bamboo flute phrases I play on all three cuts required long deep breaths and led me into a very deep meditative state by the end of each piece.

On the first track, 'Rainforest Cave', the sound of the Australian Didgeridoo provides a background of long rolling tones while the bamboo flute from China (Dizi) weaves in and out of the natural sounds of rain falling in the distance in addition to water drops falling into a nearby pool.

The second track, 'Desert Oasis', uses a Dizi to provide a drone for the Bansuri (bamboo flute from India). The simplicity of using only the two flutes provides a direct connection to the meditative mind.

The third track, 'Lake Melva', uses a digital recording of the lake I live on (Lake Melva) for the soundscape. One windy spring night around 2:30 in the morning I recorded the frogs mating calls, the trees rustling in the wind and the crickets adding their two cents. Over this symphony of nature I used an Egyptian flute. I think it is easily accessible to the listener and have received numerous comments affirming the quieting of peoples minds while listening to this recording.

Unlike most recording projects where there are so many details, problems with equipment, rehearsals, instruments, and a million other things that get in the way of the creative process, Lake Melva Meditation was so easy and filled with joy that I still look back and wonder why all my sessions can't go like that.

We recorded the whole CD in one afternoon, and mixed it the next day. The simplicity of the project was the greatest factor of course, but in addition it was great to have two such wonderful and positive people to work with. I am referring to Russell Feingold the Didgeridoo player on the first cut and Ray Lyon the engineer for the project.

Read the complete reviews, and about the musicians and instrumentation of 'Lake Melva Meditation'.