Musical Typing
Do you listen to music when you write? Sometimes I do. Sometimes I can’t. See, when I decide to listen to music when I write, I pick some of my favorite songs. And I get distracted by that. Sometimes I can’t fight the urge to sing along or, you know, jump around.
But if I can manage to get in the musical typing zone, I have to have a playlist. Or one single song repeating for hours on end. I’m considering looking for some great songs without words. Not classical, really. Just some solid rocking out guitar riffs with no singer involved. Anyone know of a band like that? Think Jimmy Eat World or Incubus without words.
Anyway, here’s what I’ve been listening to while write TG2.
1. Paramore - Crushcrushcrush
2. Paramore - That’s What You Get
3. Paramore - Misery Business
4. Panic at the Disco - Nine in the Afternoon
5. Panic at the Disco - Time to Dance
6. Panic at the Disco - The Piano Knows Something I Don’t Know
7. Fall Out Boy - Sugar, We’re Goin Down
8. The Early November - Fluxy
9. Ben Folds Five - Brick
10. Yellowcard - City of Devils
Comments
I can’t listen to music when I write, although I am a music lover. I even play some piano. But if music is playing, I start paying too much to the music. So it’s silence for me. Background noise is fine. I grew up with four siblings; I can handle a little noise.
Hey Jen - I wandered over from purgatory to check out the virtual post its!
And I can’t listen to music with words while I type. I wind up singing along in my head and my flow gets totally interrupted!
I need background noise of some kind or else my mind has a tendency to wander all over the place–other stories I’m thinking about, shopping lists, favorite European heads of state.
Sometimes I’ll turn on the History Channel and keep the volume really low, or maybe put on a movie that I’ve seen hundreds of times (so I won’t be tempted to pay attention).
If I’m listening to music, it’ll usually be something like Johnny Cash or Frank Sinatra–anything too rocking will distract me. But, if I get stuck on something, that’s when Zeppelin and the Stones come out to play.
For the last decade or so, I’ve worked at a computer at my day job in a room with other people (and phones ringing, etc.), which can make it very hard to concentrate. So, you almost HAVE to wear earphones and listen to music to block everything else out. I guess the habit stuck, because I need to have music playing while I write or draw.
I don’t listen to anything specific, though; I just set my entire iTunes library on shuffle. For me, the words never, ever become a distraction, I’m not sure why. I don’t think I really notice what’s on at all, regardless of style. It’s just “white noise” to me– but noise that I need!
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