Music & Writing

[Bookman]

When music is on, I listen to it. I don't use it for background: I use it for foreground. I do use "white noise" (an oscillating fan) to block out external noises when necessary.

[Arcadian]

I enjoy listening to music while exercising my fountain pens, regardless whether it's a focused piece of writing, or just writing for the sake of writing.

 

However, the music I listen to differs depending on the task. If it's a specific piece of writing, I tend to benefit mostly from instrumental music - no voices. Voices tend to grab my attention. So Mozart, Chopin, Barber - or more modern instrumental music of calm-but-nondescript nature.

 

Jazz is one genre that does not Work well for me when writing. I enjoy jazz immensely, but there's something about the rhythm of it that prevents my mind from focusing. But when relaxing and listening to music for its own sake, jazz is fantastic. Probably precisely because it stops my mind from being occupied with anything else.

 

 

- P.

[flyingfox]

What an interesting thread!!!

 

I always have some kind of music playing when I am at home, in a hotel room, or in transit (only when I am sitting down- I don’t listen to music when I am walking or biking, I leave that to younger folks.)

 

I mostly listen to pops, although I am also open to hip-hop, jazz, samba, Latin, gypsy music, folk songs from various parts of the world... just about everything and anything other than classical. And yes, I am even open to occasional Country and Western LOL, some of the songs have amazing lyrics!

 

My iPod has over 2000 songs in it. My current playlist of about 100 songs features music from Greece, Latvia (songs in Latvian as well as Russian), Estonia, Ukraine, Russia, France, local band from Philly performing Brazilian music with lots of percussion (yea!!!), collaboration of a Hindustani artist and a hip-hop singer from Washington DC, Iraqi oud music...

[asnailmailer]

I tend to have a rock music radio station on in the background when I write letters. If I have speech radio on, there have been times I have been distracted and use the wrong words (ones that have come up in the speech radio).

[Doulton]

I listen to classical music when I write. I only listen to pieces that I know well so that if my attention is drawn away from the music, I can pick it right back up. Bach works well as do Haydn symphonies and baroque music in general. I know Beethoven's works so well I can even listen to the late quartets when I write. But I would not try a new (to me) artist as background music even if the work is very familiar.

[sidthecat]

I prefer to listen to BBC or NPR - spoken-word stuff. Music tends to take over the side of the brain that I work with.

Of course, the news tends to fill me with rage, which unfortunately tends to fill up both sides of the brain.

 

I'll go listen to someone reading a book.