Explorer,
1. After exploring music for the last 2 months this is what i've come up w/ so far. Learn With the Classics is the best book & it comes w/ cd sampler in it. I say this b/c once you get into it, there are some different and conflicting view points. I personally don't care too much about research. I'm more pragmatic in that i need to actually feel & see how something works. I'm always aware that what works for me may not work for someone else. So, using the cd's from the Sound Health Series (which is different from the Learn w/ the Classic), i put on one or the other cd's and turn it LOW. Go into the a-state. State my goal(s). State the amount of time i will spend.
Next, when i'm done w/ studying, i turn the music up just a little & go back into my quiet scene or a-state. For me they are both the same. Alpha bw's need color, some visualization. I'm totally amazed at how DIFFICULT it is to get into the habit of doing this. I'm also totally amazed at how FANTASTIC it works. You gotta do it to believe it. Note: I've been messing w/ PhRing for 5 yrs. now; messing and having alot of fun w/ it actually. So, yes, i use it for the entire time on a very low setting. Turn it up some for the end part of a-state. Also at the end you might want to just ask yourself a couple questions. What did i learn just now that can help me w/ ____? What important ideas do i need to remember? Or just go blank & let a sense of well-being flow thru you & affirm your ability to do well.
2. Absolutely. The music (you don't need to even like it) has the 55-70 beats which just put you in sync. I don't want to confuse you but setting an anchor will also help you enter & maintain the a-state. I always focus on the top back part of my head. I recently read a book on intuition by some man who called that tangerine area the seat of the soul. Interesting. I have been anchoring the 3 finger technique of Jose Silva for 4-5 months now. I use it all the time for everything. Defocusing/soft gazing also puts us into the a-state. So many things will. Baroque music is so easy though. I also like Stephen Halpern's cd w/ silent subliminals called Accelerated Learning. I also use Quietude from CRI. Quietude can be used w/ or w/o headphones. It's a fantastic cd but you don't want to use it w/ headphones for hrs. at a time. I did that once & paid the price. But i have listened to it environmentally for hrs. ok. But, i've tried all the baroque arrangements. I've spent $100's of dollars trying to find just the right music for my intuition. Sound Health is it. But Eric Jensen's book is NOT. Learn w/ the Classics is the right book. I don't buy into the theory that too much music will saturate kids. It won't if it's used correctly.
A-state to me is first: no tension in my body esp. the shoulders. Time just flies. My peripheral vision is constant. You know how you feel coordinated when you know a sport? The a-state is just like that. It's a kind of coordination on the inside. In the a-state, i'm asking questions. Asking questions is the *art* of inner knowing. Take a subject you need to know. Ask questions about all the areas. Then FIND your OWN answers. Really, master your material by asking questions about it. From inner problems to studying, asking questions is where it's at. It's more fun to find your own answers. It's almost magical.
3. Say you MM your lectures. As soon as the lecture is done, just say the PhRing affirmation: I just allow my other than conscious mind to process this info. You can even do it walking by looking into the distance and soft gazing on your way to the next class. Boom! Soft gaze ='s a-state & say your affirmation. Then say: I wonder in how many cool ways my mind & body will show me that this material is available to help me. Done. 20 seconds. That's all it takes. Then when you go to study, turn on the baroque>>>quiet scene (a-state)>>>state ....what i already mentioned. Any time you feel tension building up in your shoulders or head, take a break, exercise, drink a glass of water. Really, you can go on for hrs. doing the helpful techniques, but the nice thing is that you won't have to. The BIG picture will GEL & you'll feel you have a handle on it.
For MM, just do'em. I look back at my first MM & can't believe how much i've improved. You'll improve naturally. It's a process & so are you. Nothing ever stops!!!! 
I bottom line stuff. (you're gona do it M!). Then i say: Ok, i'll do it in LAYERS. That takes off all the pressure. Life is all about a little here; a little there. Next thing you know you've accomplished more than you could have ever imagined. I also trick myself. If i feel i've got too much to handle, i just make a decision to do one certain thing. The rest falls into place in time, usually faster than i expected. So, w/ MM, just do lectures for main points & be very loose. If the lecture seems to start another topic before the other was done, just move to a different place on the paper (use nothing smaller than legal size) or i start another sheet. When you're done, you can lay them all out & you will suddenly see some interesting connections.
Please NOTE: your MMing skills are what they are. They are not inadequate simply b/c you are not inadequate. They are in a particular stage of development. That's all. No more no less. Give'em a chance to grow: water'em, sunshine, etc., i.e., confidence, practice & this time next yr. you'll be teaching me a few tricks.
That's the thing: You will totally AMAZE yourself w/ your creativity & ability to see the big picture. I am definitely not exaggerating here. Good Luck 
quote:
Originally posted by explorer:
1) Do you listen to Baroque music for 5 mins at the start of your work period or throughout the whole time?2) Does the baroque music get you into a-state? (personally I really like the tangerine technique but I can't seem to keep the relaxed state for more than a few minutes) And how do you know if you're in a-state?
3) Can you please explain a bit more about the visualisation part? For example, what should I visualise when revising my lectures?
About MMs instead of linear notes, I agree MMs would be so much easier to learn from. But I feel my MM skills are still inadequate for MMing lectures.
PS Sorry to take up some more of your time!! Thank you so much for your helpful advice.
[This message has been edited by Margaret (edited June 13, 2001).]
It probably isn't a-state, but I hope it's still a good indication!