After a long and stressful day at school or the workplace, the thought of unwinding by listening to loud, powerful music may not be the best bet.

&Gnomusy,& a musical collection by David Caballero, can help one calm down and unwind after a stressful hour, day or week.

Caballero, a musician from Spain, first began composing piano music when he was 10. After several years of piano study at the Royal Conservatory of Madrid, he began to explore other styles of music, such as Andinian, Jazz, Ragtime, Bluegrass, Folk and Celtic. These musical influences helped him to develop his skills in a variety of other instruments, such as the keyboard, guitar, mandolin, banjo and flute.

All these instruments are present in &Gnomusy,& to help create a unique blend of musical melodies. No song is just like another. Some have a lighter and subdued beat, while others are strong and powerful.

Though Caballero composed all his music, there are quite a few songs that reminded me of other types of music. One song in particular, &Dolmen Ridge,& had a beginning very much like a musical track from &Titanic.&

Caballero began composing and sequencing synthesizers using computers and the MIDI protocol in 1993. After discovering that this approach gave a new dimension to his compositions, his style began to emerge. His songs often portray fantasy worlds, which are full of characters and landscapes exuberant to the senses, mythology and ancient cultures and a constant deep emotional component.

In the pamphlet of his CD, Caballero writes about his inspirations for some of his songs. He was inspired by nature, landscape and history while writing many of his works.

&I usually bring a tape recorder with me on long walks through the forests,& he writes. &In them, I annotate ideas, sounds and even effects. New melodies appear suddenly anytime.&

In 1998, Caballero composed &Dolmen Ridge.& His inspiration from this song came from his curiosity on the Neolithic age and the first humans who paid homage to their dead. He visited megalithic formations in Spain and Southern France, and it was at this time that he was inspired to write &Dolmen Ridge.& The song, he said, is one of his most successful compositions.

&Back in my studio, I spent six months fine tuning this track and then published it on the Internet,& he writes. &In light of the feedback, it qualified as one of the most successful compositions in the sense that it touched many people around the world.&

Caballero said J.R.R. Tolkien&s Lord of the Rings books are an inspiration to much of his music. While on a visit to Oxford in 2001, Caballero wrote &Echoes From Rivendell.& It has since become one of his favorite pieces.

The CD is a soothing and relaxing, and one that many students, whether a hardcore country or rock fan, would enjoy.