| While I'd love to drop some "wisdom of the ages" on everyone and reveal some hidden new secret skill that I've discovered while editing my current novel... I got nothin'. I do have a question though. During the last revision, I listened to an awful lot of angry guy music when I was editing Eric (my male cotagonist) and plenty of angsty gal music while I was editing Tabitha (my female cotagonist). This time around, it's been instrumental music. When revising a fight scene (or adding one) I've listened to tracks like "The Hot Gates" or "To Victory" from the 300 soundtrack, the orchestral version of Nightwish's "Master Passion Greed", or even "The Call of The Ktulu" from The Symphony & Metallica cd... (Don't get me started on why Metallica can't spell Cthulhu...) Scenes that needed emotional revelation have been written to "Memories of Green" from the Blad Runner soundtrack. The only word intensive songs that have gotten play are (and I cringe a little when I type this) "Fever for the Flava" by Hot Action Cop, Mickey Smiley's "Magic", and Sugar Ray's cover of "Abracadabra", and a rather dated track by 2 Live Crew... all for scenes involving Rachel's sex magic. I've been listening to my iPod while reading lately, too. Shortly after beginning Liz William's first Detective Inspector Chen novel, Snake Agent, I built a playlist for that series involving lots of Vangelis (China, The Mask, The City, and Blade Runner) and Jean Michelle Jarre (Hong Kong). So here's the question: How does music impact your reading and/or writing? Do you listen to a little? Lots? Instrumental? Vocals? Loud? Soft? Hard? Fast? If you don't listen to it while doing those activities... What are you doing when you *do* listen to music? |
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Okay, well, I don't often listen to music while reading (or writing)... I get so into the words on the page that I wouldn't hear any real-world music anyway.
I do listen to music- usually instrumental stuff- while cooking, baking, doing needlepoint, etc. One of my current favorites is Bowfire. I'm also a fan of the Symphony and Metallica CD you mentioned.
And then, of course, road trip music is a vacation necessity... I can't possibly drive more than an hour or so without my They Might Be Giants albums and crazy Disney sing-a-long stuff.
I can't listen while reading. I used to play guitar and drums so whenever something comes along with a beat or riff I like I want to sit down and start picking it apart until I can fake it enough to sound good.
While writing, I zone with electronic instrumental, like Tangerine Dream or Vangelis. I especially dig the Bladerunner soundtrack. That's my kind of whitenoise.
While reading I have a hard time listening to music with lyrics, because then I want to sing along. So usually some kind of mellow techno or indie rock on low. When writing the music helps move me along if it has lyrics.
While reading I have a hard time listening to music with lyrics, because then I want to sing along. So usually some kind of mellow techno or indie rock on low. When writing the music helps move me along if it has lyrics.
I usually listen to music when I am in the shower or on the way to work. Now and again I will have the need to just come home and turn up something loud and heavy to sing along to.
Sometimes when I read books songs come into my head that would fit to the characters or story...
When I read on the subway I listen to music to not be distracted by the outside world.
but son songs and music are more distracting and in no time your singing along (in your own head :)) and not reading anymore. That's when i know i need to change. I found out that for a lot of urban fantasy Nickelback is not bad it puts you in the mood and does not disturb you. Muse is good for some SF. When those to doesn't work I need to browse (or had new music) :)
This is similar to a post I was going to write for my LJ.
I don't necessarily need something on while writing--if the mood strikes me, I scribble.
However, quite often I'll find one song that just fits perfectly with the overall mood of the piece I'm trying to write, and I'll go back to that repeatedly to get myself in the right mindset.
There's the infamous James Bond themes CD that I suffered through with Rob's last book...
I listen to a lot of music on the job, and find that just about anything works for me. It's not so much "mood music" as "block out the rest of the world" music. In the car and other times I don't have to really concentrate (sewing, cooking, cleaning, etc.) I like audiobooks. Or old radio programs.
I mentioned to a coworker just the other day that my internal iPod was always on shuffle. I got an odd look from him. But really, even if the radio isn't on, I usually have some type of music filling up the dead air in my head. Very often I am humming and don't even realize it until someone says something about it. And I even hum while reading and such.