In Tune

As anyone who has ever taken a music lesson knows, the key to playing well is practice. The same is true for another transformative discipline-meditation-and yet so often meditation and music fail to harmonize to the degree they could. IN TUNE takes you through twelve ways to sync them perfectly in pursuit of greater mindfulness: a kind of awareness that colors your everyday activities, and perks up your ears to truly hear the symphony of sounds, and silences, all around.

In this clear, straightforward guide drawn from years of personal and professional experience, award-winning music veteran Richard Wolf outlines how the skills and intentions of music and mindfulness can help nurture and complement each other. There's the conceptual "bridges" they share, of Dedication, Concentration, Patience & Perseverance, Silence, and more; plus a broad repertoire of music-based meditation and awareness exercises, ranging from basics like counting the beats of the breath to more advanced. Along the path are colorful anecdotes of famous musicians that illustrate how great an impact mindfulness can have on accessing creative potential, in music or any kind of art. As we come more fully in tune with our personal soundtracks-from the sound of the breath to the sounds of cars and dogs outside the window-we can enter into deeper harmony with ourselves and others. Practice-whether it's listening to a favorite song, refining the performance of a piece of music, or settling into a meditation seat-becomes a joy in and of itself over time, and its payoff of inner silence more accessible as we move through our increasingly noisy world.

“"A manual for achieving calm in a tumultuous world . . . Wolf provides steps for communing with the space around us, becoming more aware of all the ambient clutter of daily life."-- The New Yorker "This bestselling book has literally been a guide for many musicians and top music industry insiders. . . . A great read for any musician!" -- Parade "Wolf discovered . . . A natural convergence of mindfulness and music, where each practice deepened the other. Meant for his fellow musicians at any level, this book offers a plethora of music-based mindfulness exercises for the "transferable virtues" music can cultivate." -- Mindful Magazine "Though many of the techniques--loosening the whole body, counting breaths, letting the mind drift--are standard beginning approaches, the musical associations provide fresh context. . . . Readers with even slight musical background will enjoy Wolf''s sharp, useful suggestions to make mindfulness a more achievable goal."-- Publishers Weekly "The techniques, key steps, and commentary that Wolf provides in each chapter as he blends music and meditation together will prove beneficial to the reader who wants to cross these bridges for a more meaningful mindfulness."-- New York Journal of Books "When I began reading [In Tune], I couldn''t put it down. When I got to the end, I re-read it. All of a sudden, my meditation practice--and my music playing and listening skills--were turbocharged. . . .I [am] unaware of any other book that created a roadmap for the musician to master the art of mindfulness."-- Musical Merchandise Review "Richard Wolf uniquely shows how the combination of music and silence can be a doorway into the life-changing benefits of a mindfulness practice."-- Allen Weiss, Director of Mindful USC "Not since Ram Dass''s 1971 treatise Be Here Now has a Western writer truly examined the relationship between meditation and art as Richard Wolf does in In Tune. As a frequent guest participant in Richard''s USC Music and Mindfulness lecture series, I have seen firsthand the benefit of his unique approach to helping young musicians achieve their potential through the practice of artful listening and a relaxed, unfiltered awareness."-- Clyde Lieberman, Emmy Award-winning producer of The Voice "Music has always been used by people in all different cultures to consciously or unconsciously alter moods, bring energy into the system, and, more importantly, to lift oneself out of the limitations of one''s ego. In this book, Richard Wolf reveals the inner workings of the transformational power of music and guides us further on the path of living in this world in a harmonious way."-- Krishna Das, international chant leader "The excellent mindful meditation techniques that Richard Wolf teaches in this book, especially those centered on deep listening and tonal breathing, have been really helpful in unblocking my creativity. Thanks to Wolf''s artful explanations and pointers, I''ve also been better focused and inspired to practice meditation."-- Peter Scaturro, senior music producer, Sony PlayStation "I found nuggets in the book that I relate to, that I can work with, and that help me greatly with my practice. For instance, I''ve been counting bars my whole life. It''s so connected that I don''t remember how it started--it''s become an intuitive thing from the music. Wolf''s methods incorporating musical and rhythmic counting pick up on this, and have become my favorite ways to meditate."-- Steve Rowe, music editor, NCIS "It seems like everybody is talking about ''mindfulness'' these days, but Richard Wolf uniquely connects that practice to the satisfaction and uplift we humans find in music. Whether you''re someone capable of writing symphonies or someone who merely hums along to the radio, In Tune can help lead you to inner peace, personal insight, and greater productivity." --Chuck Crisafulli, author of Nirvana: Behind Every Song”

"A manual for achieving calm in a tumultuous world . . . Wolf provides steps for communing with the space around us, becoming more aware of all the ambient clutter of daily life."--The New Yorker

"Wolf discovered . . . A natural convergence of mindfulness and music, where each practice deepened the other. Meant for his fellow musicians at any level, this book offers a plethora of music-based mindfulness exercises for the "transferable virtues" music can cultivate."--Mindful Magazine

"Though many of the techniques--loosening the whole body, counting breaths, letting the mind drift--are standard beginning approaches, the musical associations provide fresh context. . . . Readers with even slight musical background will enjoy Wolf's sharp, useful suggestions to make mindfulness a more achievable goal."--Publishers Weekly

"The techniques, key steps, and commentary that Wolf provides in each chapter as he blends music and meditation together will prove beneficial to the reader who wants to cross these bridges for a more meaningful mindfulness."--New York Journal of Books

"Richard Wolf uniquely shows how the combination of music and silence can be a doorway into the life-changing benefits of a mindfulness practice."--Allen Weiss, Director of Mindful USC

"Not since Ram Dass's 1971 treatise Be Here Now has a Western writer truly examined the relationship between meditation and art as Richard Wolf does in In Tune. As a frequent guest participant in Richard's USC Music and Mindfulness lecture series, I have seen firsthand the benefit of his unique approach to helping young musicians achieve their potential through the practice of artful listening and a relaxed, unfiltered awareness."--Clyde Lieberman, Emmy Award-winning producer of The Voice

"Music has always been used by people in all different cultures to consciously or unconsciously alter moods, bring energy into the system, and, more importantly, to lift oneself out of the limitations of one's ego. In this book, Richard Wolf reveals the inner workings of the transformational power of music and guides us further on the path of living in this world in a harmonious way."--Krishna Das, international chant leader

"The excellent mindful meditation techniques that Richard Wolf teaches in this book, especially those centered on deep listening and tonal breathing, have been really helpful in unblocking my creativity. Thanks to Wolf's artful explanations and pointers, I've also been better focused and inspired to practice meditation."--Peter Scaturro, senior music producer, Sony PlayStation

"I found nuggets in the book that I relate to, that I can work with, and that help me greatly with my practice. For instance, I've been counting bars my whole life. It's so connected that I don't remember how it started--it's become an intuitive thing from the music. Wolf's methods incorporating musical and rhythmic counting pick up on this, and have become my favorite ways to meditate."--Steve Rowe, music editor, NCIS

"It seems like everybody is talking about 'mindfulness' these days, but Richard Wolf uniquely connects that practice to the satisfaction and uplift we humans find in music. Whether you're someone capable of writing symphonies or someone who merely hums along to the radio, In Tune can help lead you to inner peace, personal insight, and greater productivity." --Chuck Crisafulli, author of Nirvana: Behind Every Song

Richard Wolf is an Emmy Award-winning composer, multi-platinum-selling music producer, and professor of music industry and mindfulness at the University of Southern California. He is founder and CEO of The Producers Lab, Inc., which provides music for television programs and films worldwide. He has been practicing Zen meditation since he was a teenager.

As anyone who has ever taken a music lesson knows, the key to playing well is practice. The same is true for another transformative discipline-meditation-and yet so often meditation and music fail to harmonize to the degree they could. IN TUNE takes you through twelve ways to sync them perfectly in pursuit of greater mindfulness: a kind of awareness that colors your everyday activities, and perks up your ears to truly hear the symphony of sounds, and silences, all around.In this clear, straightforward guide drawn from years of personal and professional experience, award-winning music veteran Richard Wolf outlines how the skills and intentions of music and mindfulness can help nurture and complement each other. There's the conceptual "bridges" they share, of Dedication, Concentration, Patience & Perseverance, Silence, and more; plus a broad repertoire of music-based meditation and awareness exercises, ranging from basics like counting the beats of the breath to more advanced. Along the path are colorful anecdotes of famous musicians that illustrate how great an impact mindfulness can have on accessing creative potential, in music or any kind of art. As we come more fully in tune with our personal soundtracks-from the sound of the breath to the sounds of cars and dogs outside the window-we can enter into deeper harmony with ourselves and others. Practice-whether it's listening to a favorite song, refining the performance of a piece of music, or settling into a meditation seat-becomes a joy in and of itself over time, and its payoff of inner silence more accessible as we move through our increasingly noisy world.

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