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What Music Helps You Write?

By Michael Stelzner

Since the new iPods are getting a lot of attention, I thought I would ask a music question.

What tunes help you write?

I am looking for the album name if possible.

I’ll get this discussion started:

I like Yo-Yo-Ma’s Unaccompanied Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major a lot.

Also like almost any Bach!

How about you?

PoorOkayGoodGreatExcellent (3 votes, average: 5 out of 5)
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This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 11th, 2007 at 8:26 am and is filed under Freelance Writing, Writing White Papers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

  • I like the music BandeRui!
    Hey,do you like it?!!
  • Actually i'm not writing but coding and prefer listening to mpegradio, trance. What for names, darude's 'label this' fills me with energy to go on. Yeah, i know it's not trance at all :)
  • Jonny
    how about sabastian bach from Skid Row. 18 and life is the song which helps me write about anything, but of course then I write with emotion
  • Nothing if I'm writing or editing. It's too distracting. I'm inspired by music, though, and occasionally I find this paradox frustrating. If I must listen to something, a nice piano or symphonic piece I don't know is best. Nothing I'm familiar with, and certainly nothing with words--I sing along!
  • Thanks everyone for your great comments!!
  • I have the radio set to oldies (60s to 90s) rock. I have set low. I don't like music to be too loud because it distracts me.
  • Rich Whiteside
    When I truly need to concentrate but want to feel the heightened emotion that comes from music, I typically play orchestrated feature film music. If I'm writing a script that is action oriented, then I tend to play that genre of music. I also use action genre music when writing technical pieces--the pace helps me to maintain mental concentration and, more importantly, emotional motivation.

    I prefer orchestrated music because my thoughts are not tugged at by lyrics; although, on occation, I do play music with lyrics (but usually, only in a language I don't speak, like Chinese or Japanese). Maybe if I do that long enough, I'll pick up those languages--then I'd have to switch to something in a really obscure language.

    I also love Strunz & Farah (http://www.strunzandfarah.com/flash/index.php). Check out their "Primal Magic" CD.
  • Doug Rosbury
    When I write, I need quiet. Whatever Is to be written comes automatically,
    however, I cannot write with the tv on or anything else. Sorry Mike. I seldom listen to music anyway. Quiet is my accompaniment. logic and wisdom are my
    inspiration. I require that all "outer influences" be kept to a minimum. Writing,
    for me, is an inner dialogue. Sincerely, Doug Rosbury
  • I don't know why, but Enya does it for me. Very inspiring, flowing, and enrergetic at the same time. It helped me write one of my books that addresses the often overlooked 'emotional' needs of every writer.
  • Bjork, Peter Gabriel, The Beatles, 36 Crazyfists. DJ Shadow is amazing, too.

    I like stuff that is really mood driven. If I'm working on something creative, I feel like an album with the right mood can help me get in the right/write groove better.
  • I'm almost embarassed to admit this, but when I write scripts for a web TV show I freelance a bit for, I go to a coffee shop, set up and crank up Journey's Greatest Hits. For some reason, writing short, choppy stuff for the masses requires poppy 80s love ballads and Steve Perry's vibrato. When I write for fun, though, I listen to punk. Most recently, The Dollyrots.
  • I also like BACH, Goldberg Variations

    Also, that Yo-Yo-Ma album is actually called The Cello Suites, Inspired by Bach

    Mike
  • Best of all is music I know well but don't love to much (then I get distracted). Classical music, even if I don't know it, does work pretty well also.
  • Smooth, no adrenalin driven beat, and no singing.

    The main ingredient for me is - not distracting. I don't like creating in a silent room.
  • 2chey
    Disturbed (the band), DJ Shadow, and Underworld's live album 'Everything, Everything.' It has to have a really driving beat or fast tempo and high energy, or in the case of DJ Shadow, a lot of mood and atmosphere. Some jazz can be a little distracting for me, especially if it's improvisation all over the place.
  • I'm usually fine with most types of music. I think classical probably helps me focus better, so I would go with Vivaldi's Four Seasons
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