Music to write by

[JohnDalglish]

Hi,

I've been writing pretty solidly for the last few months and I've done something completely new (for me) with music this time, and I'm finding it working very well.

I always have music on from wakening to sleeping, but I find lyric driven music very distracting while I'm writing - it wouldn't be the first time I've unconsciously rewritten Bob Dylans 'Sad-Eyed Lady of the Lowlands' for example.

So in the past I've tended to play classical music from the likes of Bach, Beethoven, Vivaldi and etc (even Wagner!).

This time what I'm doing is leaving the television behind me tuned to the MTV Dance channel; the dance music has virtually no cerebral content whatsoever and is purely written to be physical music, usually with a bouncy rhythm (and a tempo of 128 bpm), so it doesn't distract from the creative process, but just has me bopping along on the keyboard.

Mind you, when I tell people my favourite tracks these days are by the Pussycat Dolls and Tiga's 'Shoes, I get some strange looks.

Anyone else have favourite music to write/paint etc to?

Long days and pleasant nights

[sam peebles]

I find my preferred choice of music--rock--also a distraction when attempting to write. Not just due to lyrical content, but when the song may reach a crescendo or finale, it would sometimes influence the pace of the writing. Even classical music can get very intense, and can still leak into my prose with negative results. A lot of music is personal and conjures specific memories, connatations that cannot be purged and may worm their way into a story that was not intended. It's not always a bad thing, but in my personal experience, it usually is.

[aptpupil]

Largely agree with you, John. Nothing that's lyrically meaningful, because it can be distracting. Lately I've found David Bowie's "Low" album creates an agreeable ambience for the writing process.

Mostly though, I prefer the sound of silence (No, not the old Simon and Garfunkel song)

[marew1]

I like instrumental music but never tried writing while listening to it. I'll have to give it a try.

[dumakeykate]

I'm struggling with getting writing, let alone being able to multi task!

I guess once you are in a good flow anything can happen... aliens... earth quake! Wow, that's how I hope it will be... just the first line and then I'll be off!

Instrumental would be favoured, less distraction and at a sensible, quiet background level!

What genre do you write John?

[JohnDalglish]

Not just due to lyrical content, but when the song may reach a crescendo or finale, it would sometimes influence the pace of the writing.

Hi,

Indeed, that's exactly why I'm finding the 'constant' rhythmic nature of 'dance' music good, there are few peaks and troughs in it.

Long days and pleasant nights

[Damaris]

I used to write a lot while listening to the same old albums over and over. They weren't particularly good albums, just ones I didn't mind listening to. And I knew them so well they just blended into white noise but served to block out other intrusive and distracting noises. Sometimes I wore headphones to help reduce surrounding sounds, too. It worked for me, anyway.

[Srbo]

Great thread, John.

When I write it`s usually blaring loud heavy metal...or death/trash metal...whichever CD I grab first.

[HeWhoWalksBehindTheRows]

I haven't written anything in a few months, but when I do, I really like Ozzy, Metallica, Blues Traveler or Jazz. I know that it's a pretty diverse list, but it works. Depending on what I am writing, I will occasionally throw in some Emenim or Bone Thugs N Harmony.

[SixPins]

I like to write to Tori Amos, but only certain albums by her. To Venus and Back, Scarlet's Walk, and the new Abnormally Attracted to Sin all work terrificly because they all have a spacial quality that sort of hypnotizes me into the world I'm crafting. Certain David Bowie works do this too. There's also a song called Into Dust by the band Mazzy Star, and it usually does the trick so perfectly that I just put that sucker on repeat.