'My new baby has finally landed': Cynthia Koh one of the first monochord sound healers in Singapore — what is it?

If music is food for the soul, then Cynthia Koh may be introducing multivitamins into the recipe.

In an Instagram post on Wednesday (May 24), Cynthia shared a video of her unboxing and trying out her new music instrument: a monochord for sound healing.

The 49-year-old veteran actress wrote in her post: "My new baby has finally landed. It's perfect, although it took me a while to tune because I don't play instruments."

Explaining that she was still learning how to properly use the monochord, she added: "Seriously, the beautiful tune it makes melts my soul. We are the first monochord sound healers in Singapore — yes, we claim it."

In the video, Cynthia chatted with another woman while she strummed at her monochord, discussing how to use the instrument.

Earlier this month, she made a separate post on Instagram to share that she has received a diploma in sound healing from the Association of Sound Therapy.

"Now armed with our diplomas, we are ready to put what we have learnt to good use," she wrote, addressing her classmates which she termed her "new-found harmonic family".

She added: "Offering sound healing sessions soon. Watch out for the schedule on my Instagram Stories."

Cynthia now lists herself on Instagram as an "intuitive practitioner" in reiki, sound healing and Bach Flower remedies.

Music to mend

But what exactly is a monochord, and what is sound healing?

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The monochord was originally a scientific instrument — the sonometer — invented by the mathematician Pythagoras and only featured one string.

The monochord that Cynthia strums in her video isn't meant for scientific endeavours, but for sound healing. It has multiple strings, but they all produce sounds of the same, singular chord.

A chord is three or more single pitches heard simultaneously.

By strumming the instrument, it creates recurring waves of sounds of a similar pitch and a 'carpet' of repetitive music that is ideal for meditation and chanting.

While the sounds created by the monochord are seen as soothing or calming, that's not all the monochord is purportedly able to do as an alternative healing practice.

Through the sounds of the monochord and other similar instruments (such as crystal bowls, Tibetan bowls, tuning forks and gongs), it is allegedly possible to improve joint function, reduce pain and inflammation, reduce the number and severity of headaches and improve memory among other effects.

Evidence of the efficacy of sound healing is still limited, according to an article by the New York Times in 2019, but findings are similar to the calming effects of music or meditation.

"The absence of evidence doesn't mean absence of benefit," Dr David Baguley, a professor of hearing sciences at the University of Nottingham said to the New York Times. 

He added: "It's more than just a distracting noise. We know that sound has a massive influence on how the brain is organised."

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