Pedals.

In tonal (classical) music, composers use different kinds of chords in certain orders to give their music a base to work upon. These chord progressions tend to follow certain orders, i.e. there is generally an order the chords follow. An unmusically inclined individual might see this as a limitation on musical possiblities; however, a good composer will use his creativity to generate unique music through the use of melody and non-chord tones. One such non-chord tone is known as a pedal point.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/JcT9_j2abqU
The pedal point begins at 33 seconds, but you should really listen to the whole piece.

All normal non-chord tones resolve themselves into another note. The unique thing about pedal points is that chords resolve into them. Essentially, a pedal point begins on a consonance, is filled with dissonance by passing chords or melodies, and then the chord resolves back into consonance with the pedal.

To my knowledge, pedal points were first used in ancient Italy. I'm not entirely sure what the intrument looked like, but I do know it operated somewhat like an organ. Fires would heat water and create air pressure via steam. The instrument operators would pull out valves in a wall to allow air to travel through the instrument's pipes. Because deeper pitches required larger valves, the instrument operators couldn't create fast moving bass lines. Instead, they would pull out a large valve and allow it to ring as they used the smaller valves to create the melody. Thus the pedal point is born and lives on in music today.

Just as the pedal point is unique in resolution, it offers a unique mediative quality. The pedal is a theme, a conflict, in life. Dissonance becomes possible solutions to the problem as the melody pushes the meditation along. All the solutions move above the theme - none of them fitting in quite right; while one resolution may be right for another, it certainly isn't right for this particular issue. In time, may it be days, months, or years, the conflict resolves, just as the right chord finds its way back into consonance with the pedal point.

Consider: Don't take partial resolutions to a problem you may be experiencing in life. There is always the right path to take. No matter how long that pedal point may last, how long it may ring, there is always a consonance at the end. Now! Go enjoy the fugue of life.