Dave Combs is a songwriter, author, photographer, and publisher. A native of Erwin, Tennessee, Dave grew up in a family that enjoyed making music. Both of his parents and his grandmother Combs played the piano, which began his musical journey that included being a church choir director and pianist. After college, Dave move to Winston-Salem, North Carolina where he served as Minister of Music at a church while working as a computer programmer at a Fortune 500 company.
Dave Combs is a songwriter, author, photographer, and publisher. A native of Erwin, Tennessee, Dave grew up in a family that enjoyed making music. Both of his parents and his grandmother Combs played the piano, which began his musical journey that included being a church choir director and pianist. After college, Dave move to Winston-Salem, North Carolina where he served as Minister of Music at a church while working as a computer programmer at a Fortune 500 company.
His songwriting began with the now popular standard, Rachel’s Song, which was arranged and recorded by Gary Prim in 1986. Since then, Dave has written over 120 songs and recorded 15 albums of soft, soothing, and relaxing instrumental music that has touched the lives of millions around the world.
An article written by Dave about how music has changed his life and touched the lives of millions of people appeared in Guideposts magazine. Click here to see the article.
A multitude of inspiring stories about Dave’s lifelong journey with his music can be found in his best-selling biographical book, Touched by the Music: How the Story and Music of “Rachel’s Song” Can Change Your Life. Dave is here to talk about Music for Mindfulness.
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Contact Info
- Website: www.combsmusic.com
- Book: Touched by the Music: How the Story and Music of “Rachel's Song” Can Change Your Life by Dave Combs and Jack Canfield
Most Influential Person
- Maxwell Maltz -psycho cybernetics.
- John Debbie Peterson
Effect on Emotions
- When I need to relax, calm down and become in a mindful mode, I'll sit at the piano. That's my mechanism.
- Some people will go to their quiet place and close their eyes and say their mantras or whatever they do. I sit at the piano.
- Sometimes I don't even play at attuning. I'll just play a chord on the piano.
- I love my Steinway grand piano. I'll just play a chord on that grand piano, it will sound for about a minute before the sound completely dies away.
- There's something about paying attention and trying to say, Do I still hear that zone? Do you hear it fade away? and as you're doing that, It does something to you to center you and help you focus. That's how we have music for mindfulness.
Thoughts on Breathing
- I've read a lot about the power of slowly exhaling.
- You can just slowly breathe out that will help. It'll bring your heart rate down and help bring your blood pressure down.
- A lot of us these days have our Apple watches and it has a breathing function on their way. It will guide you as you inhale, and exhale in a very slow rhythm (music for mindfulness).
Insight To Your Creativity?
- I am a Christian, and I have a deep faith in Jesus Christ. And I believe that this song was given to me.
- I can still remember sitting down at that piano that evening in January of 1981. It was strange while playing this song. As a musician, you can sit down and you'll play whatever song that you want to play but commonly it's something written by somebody else.
- I just set and I played, and the song never changed. I didn't have to work at it. I just played it.
- It had to have been an inspired gift to me because I did not work at it. It was as if it had always existed. And I was just blessed to be the first person to actually play it.
Suggested Resources
- Book: The Success Principles by Jack Canfield
- Book: Touched by the Music: How the Story and Music of “Rachel's Song” Can Change Your Life by Dave Combs and Jack Canfield
- App: The Breathing App
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