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      Described as not so much a musical form, but a style of performance, Star Sound reflected another key LRH analysis from these days--the actual human emotional response to rhythm and tone, i.e., why music moves us, and what constitutes audience rapport and participation. Then too, as he noted: "Studying the more popular groups, listening to their 'singing,' listening to their arrangements, instrumentation and drum shifts of emphasis to sticks and by other signs, it became fairly visible, at least to me, that the sophisticated world was rolling back into the past and reaching for its tribal roots." Whereupon, the Star Sound was born as gregarious, and heavily syncopated with a strong reliance on percussion.

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In addition to the scripting of Scientology training and dissemination films, L. Ron Hubbard also provided the musical scores to many of those films.

      The net effect can only be described as galvanizing--as in normally staid Portuguese crowds spontaneously rushing the stage in a literal gesture of togetherness. (That the stage collapsed beneath their collective weight hardly dampened the enthusiasm.) Indeed, and bearing in mind these Apollo Stars initially performed to residents who had never heard of them--and frequently performing LRH arrangements of Gershwin standards at that--routine response proved extraordinary. As a matter of fact, virtually every Apollo Star performance inspired what amounted to a riot of enthusiasm, and the mobbing of musicians for autographs.

      In addition to the directing of musicians and arranging and composing of material, Ron further took it upon himself to conduct a thorough review of musical history and form. From this research comes a number of key observations, including his analysis of country-western, flamenco, traditional Oriental and even rock music (which he correctly remarked was growing increasingly primitive).* Notable from his own compositions through the period are his innovative blends of modern jazz, reggae and calypso, as well as his modern utilization of traditional Spanish and Oriental forms. Also highly innovative was his delineation of what he termed "the Laws of Proportionate Sound," wherein similar instruments of slightly different timbre were employed to overcome the long troublesome problem of instrumental cancellation, i.e., the sound of one instrument "wiping out" another regardless of volume. Although professionals have devised various remedies, Ron was factually the first to both dissect the problem and define its solution. As an explanatory word on the matter, he noted, "It has been known but only as a theory without application that two cannons, fired at each other at the same instant could cancel each other's sound waves and result in silence. I doubt any scientist ever tried it out. However, the truth is that sound waves can cancel sound waves. And this is the basic fact behind Proportionate Sound."





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