Best music to listen to while studying?

Killer Pigeon · 01-05-2010 11:53PM #1

What music do you listen to while studying (or, music you find that helps you study)?

DazMarz · 02-05-2010 12:06AM

Nothing too intrusive.

I'm a huge rock/metal fan, but on those rare occasions that I open a text book (:o), I would tend to avoid loud/brash/intrusive music.

Easy, smooth, slow-paced classical music, light jazz music and mostly instrumentals are good options for studying.

Alyosha · 02-05-2010 12:06AM

I find the Moon Safari album from Air makes makes for a productive Alyosha. Even though I can's speak a word of french.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NINOxRxze9k

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkgfmWfJ11s

Also, Morcheeba, calms me right down + can have it on in the background without "thinking" about it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQWZrDH5X8o

D'Agger · 02-05-2010 10:50AM

Classical music has been proven to improve memory and ability to study - I've stopped listening to stuff I get to engrossed in the music and end up getting nothing done.

Linky here about the classical thing though:

http://www.cerebromente.org.br/n15/mente/musica.html

ntlbell · 02-05-2010 10:53AM

Brian Eno - Music for Airports

rcaz · 02-05-2010 01:30PM

Don't listen to music while you study.

Kold · 02-05-2010 04:26PM

I made a playlist of albums whilst I was writing my seminar paper. Consisted of the following:

Helios - Unomia
Elivium - Copia
A Silver Mt Zion - He Has Left Us Alone, But Shafts Of Light Sometimes Grace The Corner Of Our Rooms...
Ludovico Einaudi - Devinire
Emancipator - Safe in the Steep Cliffs
Balmorhea - Constellations
Harold Budd & Brian Eno - Ambient 2:The Plateaux of Mirror
Boards of Canada - Geodaddi

and some Rachmaninov and Debussy

Very ambient unintrusive stuff.

Mindkiller · 02-05-2010 05:08PM

Miles Davis
Amon Tobin
Gustav Mahler
My Bloody Valentine - Loveless

I second the 'Air' reccomendation as well.

Tiddlers · 02-05-2010 05:16PM

Mindkiller wrote: »

Miles Davis
Amon Tobin
Gustav Mahler
My Bloody Valentine - Loveless

I second the 'Air' reccomendation as well.

I used to listen to My Bloody Valentine when I was studying in school and college. These days I use it as background music if I'm reading.I also used to put on some God Is An Astronaut when I was studying.

Twee. · 02-05-2010 05:32PM

Philip Glass's soundtrack for the film The Hours. Beautiful and unobtrusive.

kwestfan08 · 03-05-2010 03:51PM

The whole of the xx's album is pretty study friendly.

Non intrusive, softly sung lyrics and great melodies

rcaz · 03-05-2010 04:12PM

I used to always have music on while studying, till I realised - you're not studying properly and you're not listening to music properly. You don't get any work done and you don't take anything from the music. So I study when I'm studying, and listen to music when I'm listening to music.

The idea of putting something like Debussy, Rachmaninov, Mahler, Glass, Miles Davis on and not even bothering to pay it your full attention... what a waste!! If you're going to go through the trouble to listen to music so well made and thought out as all those great guys, then to it justice and devote your time properly! Also, don't let this half-assed 'hearing' of music ruin your academic work!

And the idea of using My Bloody Valentine as 'background music'!!

storm2811 · 03-05-2010 04:20PM

Smashing Pumpkins everytime!:D

Actually,Smashing Pumpkins ALL the time!
and some Cranberries.

Mindkiller · 03-05-2010 04:36PM

El Pr0n wrote: »

And the idea of using My Bloody Valentine as 'background music'!!

A lot of their EPs and 'Isn't anything' aren't really suitable, but Loveless is perfect as background music. It's noisy, yet in a subtle way. The lyrics aren't discernible so it doesn't really disrupt your thinking.

Just as long as you cross 'Touched' out of your study playlist.

Of course, as your sig says, you can't do music any justice by passively 'hearing' it around you. It's just nice sometimes to barricade yourself within your own little world of ambient noise and ignore everyone and everything else around you.
The library in UL can be fairly fecking annoying with the noise other people make.

rcaz · 03-05-2010 04:51PM

Mindkiller wrote: »

A lot of their EPs and 'Isn't anything' aren't really suitable, but Loveless is perfect as background music. It's noisy, yet in a subtle way. The lyrics aren't discernible so it doesn't really disrupt your thinking.

Just as long as you cross 'Touched' out of your study playlist.

It's such great music, so much work and thought went it making it, I'd feel bad for putting it on just to block out things around me and ignore it. That's what Merzbow is for :P

Borneo Fnctn · 03-05-2010 05:07PM

I sometimes listen to a bit of King Diamond when I study.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XC3AdRnrMI8

D'Agger · 03-05-2010 06:29PM

Check out Explosions in the sky decent study music imo - they do the instrumental music for the tv show Friday Night Lights - the soundtrack for the movie is their best album to tbh

LYDIABANK · 04-05-2010 03:15PM

Pink Ffloyd - We dont need no education
:P:P:P:P:P:o

JerryHandbag · 04-05-2010 07:30PM

Was studying today and listening to Sigur Ros second album, helped a lot I thought

Spiritoftheseventies · 05-05-2010 04:04PM

The Smiths debut album. Listen now thank me later

Pierce_1991 · 06-05-2010 01:35AM

Kings of Leon - Because of the times

Mindkiller · 11-05-2010 06:00PM

I've been listening to the new Flying Lotus album a lot recently. Great for studying.

hon pa · 12-05-2010 04:21PM

John Frusciante's solo albums are nice easy listening and I prefer to listen to instrumentals by artists, I find it easier to concentrate when there aren't lyrics

superbad50 · 05-12-2010 09:54PM

tracy chapman or enya does the trick for me with some scented lavender. sigor ross a close third with bob marley next in line

SilverScreen · 06-12-2010 12:01AM

The best music to listen to while studying is instrumental music. I find that vocals tend to distract me too much while studying so i aways put on instrumental stuff.

Usually post-rock like GY!BE and Pelican or ambient electronica like Brian Eno, Boards Of Canada or Aphex Twin's Selected Ambient Works.

Clandestine · 06-12-2010 01:28PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uUVX376U4M

And a bit of Them Crooked Vultures

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7_vH3H8LPI

alexandy · 08-12-2010 01:42AM

+1

KeanSeenan · 08-12-2010 01:51AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yd2qRn5Dn-o

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNfKOtlNuWE

Stuff that doesn't reel me in too easily, but keeps me comfortable.
I remember writing a big essay for the next day to a lot of Leonard Cohen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUXC_dhQHzY

Setun · 08-12-2010 06:51PM

Nice to see Eno mentioned regularly in this thread

This album from Biosphere and Deathprod, called Nordheim Transformed, is incredibly beautiful and very ambient:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCyBNlkivwE

I think I basically wrote my thesis to this album last winter.

Nailz · 08-12-2010 10:35PM

Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works Vol. 1
Philip Glass - Koyaanisqatsi
David Axelrod- Song of Innocence
John Coltrane (all of his stuff)
John Cage - Cheap Imitation
Steve M. Reich - It's Gonna Rain
John Zorn - Filmworks XIII: Invitation To A Suicide
Most works of Anton Webern

KylieWyley · 08-12-2010 10:40PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQ5Grncdjlc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEgX64n3T7g

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bzge5vY72hE

Sigur Ros, Massive Attack, M83... something slow and chilled!

Best music to listen to while studying?

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