Autophonetics: Introduction

Autophonetics Workshops

Autophonetics is a vocal technique unique to INNER SOUND that teaches you how to express your own "inner sound" for greater self-awareness by using specific vocalic sounds.

Autophonetics essentially combines working with your body and your voice to re-tune your whole organism. Many clients comment that through regular practice they notice improvements in their self-awareness, self-confidence and self-expression.

Autophonetics can be integrated into other therapies or vocal techniques such as toning, chanting or overtone singing to deepen and enhance their effect.


About Autophonetics

Autophonetics Workshops


What is Autophonetics?

A vocal technique developed by Arden Wilken and based on her investigation & use, over 30 years, of a group of short melodies or musical progressions - motifs - that create movement in the body releasing tensions relating to all aspects of the human organism - physical, mental, emotional or energetic.

The Basic and Advanced Level Autophonetics Workshops are experience-based Workshops for personal use.

At the Basic Level Workshop, students are introduced to a series of exercises that promote greater flexibility in the body. They practice the use of the 5 basic elements ("neutralizing", "opening", "breaking", "flowing" and "integration") that form an integral part of the INNER SOUND Motifs. The INNER SOUND Motifs form the structural basis for the Self-Discovery music titles.

The Advanced Level Workshop offers you the opportunity to review theory & practical exercises from the previous level. We teach you how to vocalize 21 of the INNER SOUND motifs, combining them with enhancement exercises and visualizations. We also explain how to combine motifs to work with a range of different themes.


Motifs

A motif is a short musical phrase made up of several notes that create a distinctive rhythmic pattern. Since 1978, through her investigative work with sound and music, Arden has identified over 50 motifs that promote movement that users have reported feeling or noticed in different regions of their body.

Motifs can be played with any instrument, including the voice.


Elements

The basic elements of Autophonetics represent each phase of movement created during the Personal Music Compositions - "neutralizing", "opening", "breaking", "focusing" and "integration". These are a combination of vocalic sounds and body movements which can be used individually or combined in a sequence of activation that fully integrates any release and leads to greater self-awareness & self-expression.

Learning to vocalize the motifs using the 5 vocalic sounds & movements provides you with a way of connecting more directly with your body, your own inner sound and your emotional self.


Manuals

You receive manuals covering course material for the workshops you attend. The Advanced Level manual contains musical notation for each motif, detailed notes for their use and explanation of the Enhancement Exercises that accompany them.

You also receive a Practice CD which contains all the Autophonetics Motifs


How to Use Autophonetics

Autophonetics Workshops


Autophonetics Practice & Technique

Your manual contains all the information you need for learning how to use the INNER SOUND motifs. In addition, your practice CD reminds you how to sing the motifs correctly. Irrespective of whether or not you read music, you have all you need to continue using Autophonetics after attending one of our workshops

Autophonetics can be practiced on a daily basis or used intermittently for concentrated periods to help you develop your self-expression. Choose the motif/s that are most suited to the aspect you wish to develop or change and use them on a regular basis until you start to notice a difference. Practising the motifs with exercises for a minimum of 10 minutes per motif per day will help create a progressive movement and growing awareness of the themes used.

From repeated use, you gradually notice a growing awareness of yourself. Autophonetics will help you bring your focus back to yourself rather than the people or things around you. Then, you gradually become more aware of what's going on inside of you – mentally, emotionally or physically – which, in turn, allows you to be more receptive to your own thoughts and feelings.

Your experience of using Autophonetics will vary depending on a number of factors:


How often you practice

Whether you use the 'parallel' posture when vocalizing the motifs; whether you hum or sing just one motif or all 21 motifs in sequence; whether you use the movements associated with each vocalic sound; your emotional state or level of personal awareness; your general state of health and how much you control your expression of emotions; and how rapidly your nervous system responds to sound stimuli.


Reactions

Initially, some people find the motifs a bit strange, not at all what they are accustomed to listen to or sing. This is due to their simple harmonic structure and the predominance of the open intervals of the octave, perfect fourth and perfect fifth, as well as the lack of intricate harmony. Some people reject them because they don't match their 'musical expectations', but find that if they persevere they then shift into a different state of awareness & acceptance, and afterwards might not want to listen to anything else for a while.

It is important to bear in mind the reason for vocalizing the motifs. As with other music titles in the Inner Sound series, the motifs will promote mechanical vibrations throughout your body through the combined effect of sympathetic resonance & bone conduction. The purpose is to promote vibrations as deeply and consistently as you can rather than singing for entertainment.

Our voice is the most healing instrument we can use to work with our own body.

If you have questions about Autophonetics, please email us.


Contact

Contact:

Sheila Hill is Director & Instructor for School for INNER SOUND (UK)

Telephone: +44 (0)208 891 3798 or mobile: 07752 160 078.

Email: enquiries@inner-sound.co.uk (no hyperlink)