I would like to hear what your favorite relaxing, meditative musical pieces. It can be classical, new age, asian, I don’t really care. Just soft, soothing, sleepy time music.
Your input is greatly appreciated!
Mice Parade might be up your alley. All Roads Lead To Salzburg and Collaborations are good.
Mogwai is good, but not relaxing. Same with explosions in the sky.
They aren’t really ‘instrumental’, more ‘computer’ but Boards of Canada are really good.
You might try the piano works of Erik Satie.
Traditional Japanese shakuhachi music is also nice.
The eponymous album Rain Tree Crow might suit you.
My absolute favorite wind-down instrumentals are pretty much any of Chopin’s Nocturnes. In particular Op. 9. Nos. 1 & 2 always do it for me.
Also, a bit more electronic, M83’s Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts is an amazingly dense, textural, and atmospheric album. Every time I listen to it, I hear something new.
Sigur Ros, while sometimes containing vocals (often non-sense made-up Icelandic lyrics) fits the bill, too.
Ennio Morricone’s score to Marco Polo is absolutely breathtaking, but as far as I know it’s out of print. (I have the LP but I’ve never seen it on CD.) But other Morricone scores such as Days of Heaven are excellent.
Faith No More’s version of the Theme from Midnight Cowboy.
That song/piece/track used to be the last thing I listened to before falling asleep, and even today it makes me go, “oooh!”. Gorgeous.
This album from Buckethead might fill the bill. Surprisingly soft and relaxing from someone so strange.
I feel somewhat obligated to mention A Silver Mount Zion’s He Has Left Us Alone But Shafts of Light Sometimes Grace the Corners of Our Rooms . Simply great (despite one track having vocals…).
Arvo Part: Cantus In Memoriam Benjamin Britten
Truly stunning
CITY, COUNTRY, CITY by War
HYPERBOLICSYLABISESQUIDALIMYSTIC by Isaac Hayes
THE ECSTACY OF GOLD from THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY
Damn, I’m showing my age. Time to reincarnate and develop some new taste.
Dal Timgar
I dig Bill Evans.
A few recommendations:
Enya - Watermark
Ceredwen - O’r Mabinogi
Craig Chaquico - Panorama
Sounds of Wood & Steel
Bach’s Prelude to Cello Suite #1. (We have a CD with a lovely arrangement played on harp guitar.)
I don’t know if you’d call it relaxing, but I maintain that my theme song should be Baby Elephant Walk.
What I do find beautiful and relaxing would be The Flower Duet from Lakme by Delibes.
Bron Yr Aur by Led Zeppelin is an amazing piece. I’m pretty sure it’s on Physical Graffiti (don’t confuse it with Bron Y Aur Stomp). Possibly the most beautiful piece of music written in the 1970s.