Sound and Form [Part 2]

Previously we looked at why there was a tradition of passing on various sounds vocally. We also looked at how the sounds can support the muscular system and create a certain inner state which is conducive to health and power. We will look at exactly why this is, as well as what kind of sounds are effective and what this all means according to tradition.

In martial Arts there were spoken forms which were used to support the movements themselves. When we say spoken forms, we mean that syllables are put together and also this means the body must be moved internally or externally. Or both. This is the way it was done for thousands of years before there were elaborate writing or recording systems. It is still effective today. Later on things were written down and passed on like that. However, the tradition of learning directly from the Master is still strong, and involves not only mantras but energy shouting, as well as various sound forms. There are all sorts of Ragas, mantras, and chants learnt this way in different disciplines. For martial arts it is the same kind of thing. You follow a particular sound, or apply a sound techniques to support a movement.

Not surprisingly, Martial Arts uses sound in many ways, particularly the devotional arts such as those with a spiritual dimension, like Tai Chi as well as others. In my own experience, I learnt Taekwondo in such a way that you had to shout each time you did a kick. You had to shout “Kiap” every time. This feels silly at first and often it isn’t enforced anymore because of this. However, we did it religiously, and every time we kicked we would shout “Kiap”. At first I did it totally wrong, but eventually it became more effective and more amplified as well as deeper into my core. This is why you need a dedicated space to practice, if you start doing this in a casual gym, people will often find this socially unacceptable or weird.

I thought at first all of this shouting was just to increase confidence, and the idea was that you attacker might get scared. So even in this, the energy shout, or “Kiap” has a certain practical value. However it is much more than that, as I realised later on. It has an effect on you as well as others. This effect has various application according to what state you want to get yourself into.

In Tai Chi there are also various sounds that one utters during practice. It is the case for all martial arts, but it is not often emphasised enough. These sounds can be done externally or internally. When they are internal, you are just breathing and this supports the nervous system and circulatory system. For example, simple mediative sitting has an effect on ones energy system without any moving around. It also supports posture and the muscular system by inflating the body and moving the internal breathing muscles in various ways. In physical and practical martial arts they always focus on the exhale. This is where the shout is done. There are certain sounds one can produce to emphasise this exhalation, making sure that one follows the technique all the way to the end of the breathe. We will look at these next.

Internally, you will create all sorts of poetry when you establish the right equilibrium within. In fact, this is why there are so many poets are associated with Martial Arts practice. Miyamoto Musashi himself was both an artist and a poet. So was Bruce Lee more recently. The writing from both men tended to blend science and poetry together seamlessly. This is why they can talk about doing serious harm to somebody in one instance, and then raising their consciousness to heaven in the other. It wasn’t a problem for them because they had achieved mastery over these two contradictory aspects, the internal and external. Science has shown that when two opposite poles separate, this creates a charge. This separation of charge is what gives form to energy and what actually unites energy in movement.

The Sound “Aa”

There are various art expressions Which have come out of sound forms. You can create musical compositions, mantras, chants, or simply utter some simple syllables.People have done extraordinary things just by sticking to the ordinary principles. when it comes to rapid martial arts movements, the most appropriate form of sound you can utter are the more simple syllables. These can be performed in a staggering variety of ways. For example, let’s take the sound “Aa”. When you say this sound, the energy starts at the Hara Centre, 3/4 of an inch below the naval, and reverberates across the body. In other words, you ensure that the movement starts from the physical centre of the abdomen.

When you fully concentrate on saying the “aaa” sound, which can be long and drawn out, or short and quick, you feel an interconnectivity of the abdomen and rest of the body. The more physical martial arts focus on rapidly exhaling and making this “Aa” sound. You can shout it or or simply breathe out. A runner would improve their breathing by making such sounds, but they would shout it. They would just link the breath to the movement in a more subtle way that was less audible. So you do as needed. The “Aa” or “ahh” sound creates maximum pressure in the Hara Centre, whilst relaxing the rest of the body. This is the aim of gaining mastery over you physical centre, you want to apply pressure here so that freedom of movement is possible elsewhere.

In the Chinese forms they shout “HA”. This is adding another syllable in to the “A” which means it has the same kind of effect. Depending on the situation, it tends to come out differently. For example, if you punched it would come out differently than if you lifted up something heavy. There are many variations. It could easily be “Heeyaaahhh”, “uuuaaahhh” or “Yaaa”. It all depends on the situation. In fact, you would just be pronouncing the sound “ahh” differently with the addition of a few syllables. with “Heeyaaahh”, you go more up and down rather than just sustaining the continuous line of sound you would with “ahh”. However, you can also go up and down with just “ahhh”. So “Aa” or “ahh” is enough by itself, but modifications have been added in. The important thing is to become aware of this and make it a conscious thing rather than merely accidental. This means you respond on purpose rather than reacting unconsciously.

In Taekwondo we use the sound “Kiap”. The Kiap puts a “P” at the end of the utterance following on from the “Aa”. This brings it to an abrupt end, which is suitable in certain situations. The main point is that whichever way you pronounce the sound, that is the form which will be possible for you to do. You must have noticed that when when you punch rapidly, you use short sharp breaths. These come out in a vibrating kind of fashion, rather than up and down, which has a sustained shaking quality about it. This is used in many mantras and Indian Ragas too. In fact, some certain Chinese systems focus on this shaking power.

So to summarise, there are various ways of modifying the basic “Ahh” sound. These change the quality of it by allowing you to become rapid or slow for instance. Next we will look at how the volume of sound, such as how much energy you hold back and how much you let out and how quickly, affects output. There is a time aspect to this. So when the movement is longer and drawn out, so is the sound and the time it takes. One needs to pay particular attention to the volume of sound energy which is released and how to set the body to express this accross time. A big volume requires a big space. And a big space permits a larger distance for sound to more deeply reverberate across time. This means you stretch you experience of time according to the space you can create for yourself through certain sounds.