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  • All about feeltone
    May 27, 2022

    All about feeltone

    feeltone Logo

    Learn all about these gorgeous wood dronal and percussive instruments crafted out the highest quality materials in Northern Germany, and how WE PLAY WELL TOGETHER has brought them to the American Market for music and sound therapists as well as composers and performers. We're now convening an interconnected international network around players of hypnotic soundscapes so that anyone can experience how to "feel the tone".

    Ingo Böhme

    (And no, that's not a typo: feeltone is always written with a lower-case f! :)

    We're making a joyful noise with feeltone as the company celebrates its 40th anniversary this year! That's 40 years of honing the craft of fine instrument building. 
     

    Fine Instruments made at the Baltic Sea: An Origin Story...

    Ingo Böhme is the founder and CEO of feeltone: a self-taught musician, researcher, instrument maker, businessman and entrepreneur.
    As a child Ingo had longed to play music, but was frustrated by early piano lessons in his native Germany where he was criticized for playing the "wrong notes." This caused him to abandon music making for many years, until a trip to Idaho in 1982 found him at a festival in the wilderness where he experienced playing intuitive instruments for the first time. Without training, without musical knowledge, he describes the feeling of being carried by the group, playing without thinking, invisibly guided. This was to become his vision, which he passes on with great enthusiasm through his work up through today: intuitive music making.

    "The most beautiful thing is to see the glow in the eyes when an instrument touches the heart with its sound." - Ingo Böhme

    Read now
  • Music Therapists on utilizing our instruments for Music Therapy
    October 8, 2021

    Music Therapists on utilizing our instruments for Music Therapy

    The We Play Well Together family of instruments - which include monochords, tongue drums, handpans, kalimbas and hanging chimes - have all been utilized in a variety of different music therapy applications. 
    According to Music Therapist Katie Down (LCAT, MT-BC, MMT, MM):
    "possible clinical uses of our instruments include: 
    • Bedside for Hospice Care
    • Ameliorate somatic symptoms associated with emotional stress
    • Recreative and Receptive Methods
    • Clinical Improvisation
    • Song Writing
    • Self-Soothing Methods
    • Supporting Children and Adults with Special Needs
    • Early Childhood Development
    • Therapeutic Group and Relational Work
    • Supporting Vocal Exploration and Breath Work" 
    We created a 15-minute highlight video just for music therapists to get an idea of the many different instruments and possible applications for their use, featuring instruments built by Hokema Kalimbas, feeltone and Metal Sounds.
    (Click "READ MORE" below to access the video..) 
    ...
    And be sure to join us in our digital booth this week at the American Music Therapy Association 2021 Conference October 14th -17th! 
     
    AMTA 2021
    Read now
  • A Music Therapist's Portrait: Christine Stevens, MSW, MA, MT-BC
    May 12, 2020

    A Music Therapist's Portrait: Christine Stevens, MSW, MA, MT-BC

    Christine Stevens with the Hokema Sansula
    A Portrait: Christine Stevens, MSW, MA, MT-BC
    An Interview with Annalena Horl 
    .
    Christine, when did music interest you and when did you start drumming?
    First of all, I thought I had no sense of rhythm at all. I almost failed the percussion class at college. But then a drum circle changed my life. I learned to play congas and improvise freely.
    .
    How would you describe your personal philosophy regarding drums and their magic?
    For me, drums are a portal to musical expression. Their simple handling, their spiritual depth and historical significance, as well as scientifically proven evidence of their healing effects, make them an instrument of transformation, healing, prayer and fun.
    .
    When did you get to know the Kalimba Sansula?
    That was during a national conference for music therapists. I tried them out and bought two of them.
    .
    How do you use the Sansula and what are the possibilities of using the instrument? What effect does the Sansula have on your students and listeners?
    I use the Sansula in my healing drum groups, in which we practice the healing rhythm with every participant. These can be seniors, cancer patients or even companies. The sound of the Sansula is always calming and mystical...
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  • How to use a Monolina & Monolini Body Therapy Monochords for Sound Massage
    June 16, 2018

    How to use a Monolina & Monolini Body Therapy Monochords for Sound Massage

    This photo series shows you examples of how to place the "body monochords" - including the Monolini and the Monolina - onto the physical body for a sound massage session.

    Because the feeltone Monochords have a convex shape, the instrument is like a boat that floats atop any size or shape body. Placing the monochord on the torso will allow the body to feel the vibrations most intensively. With the body in a supine position, the monochord can be placed horizontally or vertically across the body. We recommend a continuous playing style of strumming with a very light touch. As the sound is felt through the resonance of the wood, playing too robustly can be very invigorating! A gentle way of playing is recommended for most therapeutic applications, to entrain the breath and heart to a rate of calm and ease. 

    The instruments can also be placed on the lower body, where the sensations are felt up and down the legs and into the pelvis and hips. 

    Click to read and see more... 

    Read now