A good sound is one that creates hope, joy, reflection, movement, vitality, and lasting positive feelings within a person.
Once again, we were honored on the 21th of November 2025 to be in the presence of the esteemed Dideban (Watcher) and the Guardian of Music, dear Dr. Amin, and to benefit from his profound and valuable experiences in the field of music.
We hope that this discussion will be beneficial and insightful for all members, especially those with a passion for art and music.
12. What is music intended to offer human beings, and what role does this tool play in the purpose of human creation, that obstructive forces place so many barriers in the path of those who wish to enter the world of music?
Dr. Amin:
Music undoubtedly performs several functions within a human being, and its most important role is that it generates strength and capacity, while also conveying a message to the individual.
All human emotions and feelings can be expressed through sound. There is a corresponding sound for every emotion that exists such as the grief of loss, love and falling in love, hunger, hardship, being under pressure, joy, happiness, success in life, harvest, prosperity, and all the feelings a person experiences throughout life.
Therefore, some feelings are very deep, and the sound that expresses them takes the form of profound music. Some feelings are extremely powerful and narrate extraordinary experiences, such as the stories behind symphonies created for epic events. For example, in a battle where many people made sacrifices and a unique experience unfolded, music seeks to translate that narrative into sound and this becomes a symphony. In Iran, we also have the Khorramshahr Symphony, composed by the esteemed maestro Majid Entezami.
Since all the feelings that a human being experiences can also exist within sound, we can understand how powerful a tool sound truly is.
If a person has experienced profound sorrow such as reaching the verge of suicide and has later managed to get out of that state, music that reflects this deep and painful experience can have a powerful influence. Likewise, when someone has sacrificed their life for a cause or a homeland, music created for that event can convey the depth of that experience. For a person facing a similar emotional crisis, hearing such music may help them reconsider their decision and step away from suicide and self-destruction. Similarly, if a person is hesitant about making sacrifices for others, that hesitation can be resolved through this music. This is the power of music.
Therefore, music can be effective in both positive and negative directions, and it has a beginning and an end. For example, music may express bitterness or hardship such as poverty, as Mr. Dezhakam mentions in the CD of “Instance”, [where he said human beings experience lots of hardship in life], but these conditions are temporary. A person may be in grief or sorrow, such as a severe sorrow and grief, yet they are not meant to remain permanently trapped in despair. However, when music continuously repeats only this sorrowful narrative, it creates the feeling of being stuck in grief forever. Repetition of such music can intensify the energy of sadness in a person to the point that it may push them toward committing suicide, rather than becoming determined to move away from it.
Thus, music can be an extremely powerful tool either for guidance or for misguidance, and for leading a person toward incorrect decisions. If music is incomplete or of a dark essence, it can drive individuals toward wrong directions and choices.
13. Why do certain pieces of music stir emotions so intensely? Sometimes sorrow, sometimes joy so that a person feels fully immersed and moved to other spaces? What is the mechanism behind this process, and how does one enter those spaces?
Dr. Amin: We say that music is a meaningful sound as if it calls you from one place and carries you to another. This expression belongs to Master Sardar.
I have spoken about this before during the Congress 60’s camp and explained that a piece of music may belong to a specific space or atmosphere such as the scene of a battle or a joyful celebration in another dimension or world.
When you listen to music that belongs to that particular dimension (world), a process similar to traveling in the visible attributes takes place. Just as you would need a bus, a car, or an airplane to reach a destination in the visible attributes [on the earth], the same transition occurs in the invisible attributes except that here, the vehicle is emotion. That bus is your sensation; that airplane is your sensation. Music instantly lifts you from your current state and carries you into the heart of that joyful ceremony or special event. In reality, music transports a person to a place where we cannot define its exact location.
Therefore, when we say that music expresses an image, we are referring–as discussed in the previous session–to a truth that corresponds to an image. Music has the ability to take you and place you within that image. And where is that image? It exists in another realm [world], in another dimension.
14. What is your recommendation for listening to music and, in the next stage, learning music? Are there any sources for accessing suitable pieces?
Dr. Amin: Music has many different forms, just as poetry has various styles. We have modern poetry, free verse, and classical poetry. Within classical poetry, there are different styles such as the Iraqi style, the Indian style, the ancient style, and the Rudaki style. Each of these follows specific poetic structures, known as Prosody in poetry [Prosody is the study of the rhythmic and sound patterns of poetry and language].
Prosody or different rhythmic frameworks exist, each serving as a tool to express a particular truth. Music functions in the same way. A piece of music may be rock and be very good; it may be jazz and be good; it may be rock and be very poor; or it may be classical and be either excellent or ineffective.
In essence, musical styles are tools through which a concept or feeling is conveyed. Sometimes a meaning or a sense can best be expressed through rock music, sometimes through Blues, and at other times through an Iranian musical mode such as Shur. It all depends on which form is most appropriate for conveying that meaning. This topic itself can be discussed in detail, but what truly matters is that there must be a truth within the music, something that is beneficial and empowering for human beings.
Personally, I approach music by first asking: What is a good sound, and what is a bad sound? And more fundamentally, do good and bad sounds even exist?
The answer is yes. Now, we can say which sound is either good or bad.
A good sound is one that creates hope, joy, thought, vitality, movement, enthusiasm, and positive, lasting sensations within a person. Because it is possible for a piece of music to create a feeling only once, without that feeling being sustainable. What matters is the continuity of its effect. A piece may create excitement or movement in you, but the question is: does this effect continue over time? That ongoing impact is what must be examined.
For example, suppose you listen to a particular style of music or a specific piece continuously for several months. What matters is observing the effects it leaves over time. Just as drug use may initially create a pleasant feeling, one cannot conclude that it is good simply because it feels good at first. The real question is: where do you end up after a year of continued use?
The same principle applies to sound and music. When we evaluate its impact over a period of time, we can determine whether a sound is beneficial or harmful.
For instance, you may listen to a piece of music and, after some time, notice that you become more refined, your musical perception becomes sharper, your level of attention increases, you feel calmer, and over several months you gain better focus. We call this a good sound.
On the other hand, you may listen to another type of music that initially gives you energy, excitement, movement, and temporarily helps you forget your worries. However, after some time, you become irritable, aggressive, mentally unsettled, and restless. At that point, the question arises: is this sound giving you energy, or is it taking energy from you?
According to the worldview teachings, both gaining energy and losing energy can be pleasurable, but that does not mean they are beneficial.
So, what kind of music should we listen to?
Recently, artificial intelligence has entered the fields of music and art and has begun producing musical content and compositions. I myself occasionally listen to such works. In fact, the first time I wrote a poem for Base’s Day, the anniversary of Mr. Dezhakam’s liberation from addiction, one of the friends at a clinic gave the poem to an AI system, which then composed music for it. When I listened to that piece, it was so impressive that I was deeply moved.
From that point on, I realized that artificial intelligence is capable of doing this. The mechanism behind it is a separate discussion, but in essence, AI creates music by combining and synthesizing existing melodies rather than producing entirely new ones. Through advanced formulas, musical knowledge, and an understanding of human preferences, it can generate very appealing sounds. While this is not creativity in the pure sense of creating something entirely new, it is nonetheless a highly effective synthesis.
For example, some poems by Rumi and other great figures have been given to AI systems, which then composed music for them, and the results have been quite beautiful and engaging.
Therefore, artificial intelligence can be considered one possible source. Classical music and traditional music can also be good sources. However, all of these contain both good and bad examples. You cannot say that a piece is necessarily good simply because it is classical or belongs to a style such as Baroque. It does not work that way.
15. Is learning music always beneficial? When is it not beneficial?
There is no specific age or time limit for learning music. One of the Congress 60’s Watchers once asked me about music education, and I replied that all human beings are suited to music; the key is choosing the right instrument. One person may need to play the drum, another the cymbals, another the tabla, or other percussion instruments such as the daf. Some may be suited to the guitar, the violin, or the oboe. Each person must discover their own instrument.
In my view, someone who knows music is never truly alone, because their instrument is always with them like a companion, allowing them to express their emotions through it.
There are times when a person has responsibilities and tasks to carry out but lacks the motivation or energy to do them. In such moments, music can be used as a kind of constructive trick and a way of gently enchanting oneself in order to regain focus and attend to one’s duties.
However, there is also a situation where music becomes unhelpful: for example, when a piece of music is played repeatedly for an hour, and during that time a person simply listens and realizes that the task they were supposed to complete has not been done and has fallen behind. In such cases, music can turn into a distraction rather than a support.
Prepared by: Companion Mozhgan, Tehran, Iran
Translated by traveler Ehsan A
Revised and edited by Elahe
https://www.congress60.org/News/471959/%D8%B5%D9%88%D8%AA%DB%8C-%D8%AE%D9%88%D8%A8-%D9%87%D8%B3%D8%AA-%DA%A9%D9%87-%D8%AF%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%B3%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A7%D9%85%DB%8C%D8%AF-%D8%B4%D8%A7%D8%AF%DB%8C-%D8%AA%D9%81%DA%A9%D8%B1-%D8%AC%D9%86%D8%A8-%D9%88-%D8%AC%D9%88%D8%B4-%D9%86%D8%B4%D8%A7%D8%B7-%D8%AD%D8%B3%E2%80%8C%D9%87%D8%A7%DB%8C-%D8%AE%D9%88%D8%A8-%D9%88-%D9%BE%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%AC%D8%A7%D8%AF-%DA%A9%D9%86%D8%AF