Autism and Drone Sounds/Music

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Hi everyone, my name is Jeff and I study autism. In August I'll be heading to New Delhi, India on a Fulbright grant to study the potential use of North Indian/Hindustani drone-based musical instruments (e.g., tambouras, shruti boxes) as a sensory therapy for children on the spectrum. As far as I know this will be the first formal empirical study of its kind; but it's not by any means the first time the idea has been floated that drone sounds can be helpful to individuals on the spectrum, as I'm sure many of you can attest.

Actually, I was hoping that some of you could do just that: I'd love to hear any first- or secondhand accounts of the sensory/perceptual/cognitive/social effects that drone sounds can have on individuals on the spectrum. It'd also be great to discuss some of these anecdotes on the blog I've started to track the progress of the study but only in cases where I have your explicit permission, of course...any anecdotes I haven't been permitted to use will remain here.

I'm new to WP so I can't link yet, but the blog address is listed under 'website' in my WP profile if you'd like to take a look. If you do, critiques are most welcome; it's really important to me, as a scientist and as a neurotypical person, that I not overstep any boundaries of assumption in terms of understanding what it is really like to be on the spectrum.

Thanks!

Hmm...I can't speak to drone sounds specifically, I mean I appreciate a Didgeridoo as much as the next music fan, but I don't own collections of Australian Aboriginal Tribal Folk Music.

I have known several others beside myself on the spectrum whose personal obsessions include a lifelong infatuation with recorded music, to the point of building enormous collections and spending hours and years cataloging, categorizing and garreted away in closed rooms, listening to records.

I have a tendency to drone (hum) along inside my own head while listening to music, rather than singing along as others might, I don't know if that would be related to the phenomenon you're describing.

I love brown noise! it is SO relaxing and distracting of my difficulties. I like to have some form of brown noise playing in the background.

Was an anthropology major, and am a music lover, who has ravi shankar in my record collection.

So this is up my alley.

Am familiar with the tamboura- and its droning sound that sets off the lead plucked string instruments (sarods, or sitars), and the percussion by the tablas. I like the effect (speaking as a music lover). But never noticed any theraputic effect (speaking as an aspie). But never thought to look for it either. My raga phase in record collecting was long before I ever heard of (much less was dx'd with) aspergers.

Not sure if it counts as drone, but I've made some dark ambient/soundscape/noise stuff back in the day, but I'm still having issues with studio monitor acoustics which kills motivation to go on with, as well as time lack and concentration issues.

I like to make and listen to ambient music too (I know what Uprising means about finding motivation to actually make the music though).

Droning sounds can be very relaxing because you don't have to concentrate on lyrics or melodies. Songs with lyrics tend to be a big turn off for me because it means having to try and decode what they are singing about.

So although I've never really sat and listened to Indian music that much, I think I would find it relaxing.

_________________
Autistic dad to an autistic boy and loving it - its always fun in our house

I have Autism. My communication difficulties mean that I sometimes get words wrong, that what I mean is not what comes out.

Yes. Drone, ambient, noise, funeral doom. All very relaxing. I used to love falling asleep to Lou Reed's Metal Machine Music.

Thank you all for your insights, I really appreciate it. And please keep the anecdata coming, this is all very helpful information.

I've known some individuals whose tastes for aversive sounds made me question my initial notions of what sort of musical sounds might be endurable or even soothing for people on the spectrum, so it's not unexpected to hear that some of you are drawn to what most neurotypicals might consider dissonant music.

Yet as a part-time record store employee who knows Metal Machine Music well and has seen a good number of customers' initial reactions to it, it still blows my mind to hear that you used MMM as a lullaby, SwampOwl. Anecdotes like this make me wonder if the critical difference between preferred and non-preferred sounds isn't as much about the degree of 'consonance' – a term that, from your accounts, appears to be relative to one's cognitive style – as it is about the degree of saturation/density in the sound.

It may have to do with my habit of finding patterns in things, both visual (wood grain, woven rugs) and audio (swirling guitar feedback).

Einsturzende Neubauten is a little less chaotic, but still not most peoples idea of a "lullaby".

Eh, not a fan of drone, I prefer music with a bit more melody ,energy, and changem but I've always found MMM to be listenable, and I like this song. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGjnCB3o4TY[/youtube]