Why Military Music Makes Us Feel Uplifting

Observations from China's military parade

Today, I watched a grand military parade in China (September 3rd victory parade) online with my family. The tanks rumbled past, fighter jets roared overhead, but what truly made my heart race was the military music. Brass instruments blazed, drums thundered, and every beat felt like it struck directly in my chest. I even found myself unconsciously sitting straighter.

That moment sparked a question: why does music have such a strong effect on both body and spirit?

The Power of Military Music

Military marches are designed to be uplifting and forceful. Bright brass tones trumpets and trombones fill the air with energy, making listeners feel heat in their chest and a surge of adrenaline. Psychology explains that such stimulating music activates the sympathetic nervous system, quickening the heart and boosting circulation.

Interestingly, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has long held a similar belief: that different musical tones can directly influence the body’s internal energy. This is called “Five Tones Healing.”

What Is Five Tones Healing?

In classic texts such as the Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon (Huangdi Neijing), Chinese medicine describes five primary tones, each linked to an organ system:

• Gong (宫) → Spleen
• Shang (商) → Lung
• Jue (角) → Liver
• Zhi (徵) → Heart
• Yu (羽) → Kidney

The idea is simple yet profound: each tone resonates with a specific organ, adjusting energy flow and restoring balance. In this view, music isn’t only entertainment, it becomes a therapeutic tool that can “enter the organs” and support healing.

Military Music and the Zhi Tone: Uplifting the Heart

Parade music often emphasizes the Zhi tone, which corresponds to the Heart in TCM. Bright, soaring brass instruments sound like sunlight pouring into the chest, instantly lifting energy and mood. Since “fire governs the heart,” according to Chinese philosophy, these fiery tones invigorate the heart’s yang energy, promoting circulation and vitality.

Modern science supports this as well: research shows that music can synchronize with heart rate and breathing, quickly boosting energy and emotional engagement. No wonder an anthem like the Military Song can bring tears to the eyes of an audience.

The Secret of Rhythm: Resonating with the Heartbeat

Most military marches are set at 120–140 beats per minute—almost identical to the natural resting heart rate and walking pace. This rhythm creates what scientists call entrainment: our heartbeat and breath naturally align with the beat. That’s why, while listening to a march, you may find yourself straightening up or even marching along.

In psychology, entrainment stabilizes the nervous system and reduces anxiety. In TCM language, such rhythm “soothes liver qi,” releasing emotional tension. What feels like a burst of motivation is, in fact, your body finding harmony with the music’s pulse.

Ancient and Modern Harmony: Music to March and to Heal

Ancient Chinese doctors prescribed specific tones to regulate emotions and organ function. Today, music therapy uses piano pieces, drumming, or choir singing to treat anxiety, depression, or insomnia. Across centuries and cultures, the principle is the same: music is both an art and a medicine

My Final Thoughts

That parade taught me something unique: music can magnify the might of army, but it can also resonate within the human body. The philosophy of Five Tones Healing reminds us that music doesn’t just please the ear, it also aligns heart rate, emotions, and energy.

So next time if you feel tired, play a bold march to lift your spirit. When your mood feels blocked, try a gentle ancient melody to ease the flow of breath and qi. Music is the world’s universal language and perhaps, the gentlest doctor for our mind.

Example of military music for reference