SciFi and Fantasy eBook Club discussion
Member Chat
>
Do you listen to music while reading?
I like to listen to classical music while reading. But I can't do it with music that has lyrics that I like, because I do find them distracting.
I either stream music to speakers or i use headphones (ATH-M50) as I love listening to music while reading. Been listening to a lot of Chevelle lately
Yep. Whatever is on my playlist. Especially at the gym. It blocks out everything else.
Actually I don't listen to music while reading. Of course, when I'm reading, it's usually an audio book thanks to my vision loss.I also don't listen to music when writing my books. I have to hear what i am writing.
ATH-M50's are excellent Chris! I've got a set too and that's what I use. I tend to listen to abstract stuff when reading. Such as Future Sound of London, Redshift, Ulver, Alcest. Doesn't distract me, and provides a screen for outside noises to let me focus on the story.
Nope: when I read, I only read. When I listen to music, I only listen to music. I prefer to give my full concentration to each. (Exception: there is certain music I'll play while programming, especially while at work to filter out the distractions.)
I like my m50s but man I wish I had something high end - like LCD-3 or something like that
Yeah, for me though, headphones are headphones. Monitors are worth spending $$$ for.
I'm one who would rather read without accompaniment, but I find listening to familiar music when I'm writing helps because it becomes 'white noise' and I don't hear it. (And it cuts out other distractions) But I never listen to music on head phones. To wear head phones when I'm walking about feels as alien to me as wearing a blindfold I'm afraid
No. Music would affect my imagination and ultimately my feelings towards the book I'm reading. I like to let the prose alone carry me, unbiased.
Ken, I'm with you on this one - I used to listen to music while reading all the time, but don't now - probably because the only time I 'properly' listen to music is in the car. (I tend not to use headphones in the house because I'm frightened of missing something!).In the same way that you describe, for me Lord of the Rings and Kate Bush 'The Kick Inside' will always be inextricably intertwined...
That is one interesting combination Paul :-)
Jim, you read while walking? I'm curious?
No, I don't wear headphones whilst walking (or doing anything else)Actually I 'write' while walking. Walking is an excellent way to get space to hammer out plots, follow though what a character is doing and why and that sort of thing.
Sometimes I even take notes :-)
Randy wrote: "I like to listen to classical music while reading. But I can't do it with music that has lyrics that I like, because I do find them distracting."Have to agree with this 100%. I actually prefer to listen to extremely familiar music for the same reason. New songs are engaging, and I find myself listening more than reading. However, there are a few movie or game soundtracks I know inside and out, and they end up acting as pleasurable white noise.
Jim wrote: "No, I don't wear headphones whilst walking (or doing anything else)Actually I 'write' while walking. Walking is an excellent way to get space to hammer out plots, follow though what a character i..."
I do the same. I guess exercise stimulates the brain. I often carry a notebook when I walk in case good ideas come to me. I've actually resolved plot problems while walking. The other time I get good ideas is when in the shower. Then I have to keep the idea in my head until I'm out lol!
It has to be either classical piano music. Anything else is too distracting because it has lyrics. If it has lyrics then I'm going to sing along and not take in anything I read. :P
Classical music can be mighty distracting. If it's too complex my brain will try to listen to it instead of focusing on the book. Generic pop music is much better. At least at work I notice that I don't even realize there is singing when I am concentrating on a problem. Maybe it's like Alexander wrote, listening to familiar music makes it easier to have a "soundtrack" without being distracted by it. I think that's exactly what a good soundtrack should be like.
No, music would be too distracting. I can sometimes tune out back ground noise (including music) while reading, but I prefer a quiet place. Good music requires you to listen. You need to focus your mind on it. Other wise it would be like listening to an audiobook while reading a different text at the same time.
Not realy, but when i do, i listen only to instrumental music.
When I wrote my book I listened to heavy metal. I dont know why, but it just me get into the 'zone'.I am sure that my next book will have different music playing...perhaps...
Many times I do :) When I listen to my fav bands I have no problem concentrating on my read :)
For me, listening to music is part of my creative progress. I rarely write without it. In fact, for each of my works, I usually end up picking a single soundtrack or even a single song (always instrumental) and just set it to repeat. To that end, one of my favorite writing songs currently has a play count of 5670 in iTunes.
Hard to believe I've listened to it that many times and still don't get tired of it!
To that end, one of my favorite writing songs currently has a play count of 5670 in iTunes.I'll bite, what's the song?
"Requiem for a Tower". I think it was used in some Lord of the Rings promotional material and there are a couple of versions of it out there. The one I have is from London Music Works.https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/req...
I can't listen to any music with lyrics as they distract me from the words on the page. But I will often listen to classical or instrumental tricks when reading. When the first Harry Potter film was released, I re-read Philosopher's Stone up to Goblet of Fire with John Williams's score playing over my headphones, something I continued to do with each subsequent film and book release (I also did this for the Lord of the Rings when the film came out).The only problem with this is that the music doesn't always suit the book, so I'd often have to hit pause.
When the novel of Jurassic Park came out I took it on holiday and read it on the beach, listening to Hergest Ridge by Mike Oldfield. Now whenever I listen to that album I think of dinosaurs!
I also listen to music when I write, and posted on my blog about it a little while ago (http://adelliott.wordpress.com/2013/0...)
It all depends on my mood and sometimes the level of concentration I have available.If music is distracting also depends on the language. I'm german, but do most of my reading in english. The weird thing is that I get distracted by english lyrics, while reading english and by german lyrics, when I read german.
But it's totally okay to listen to english music, while reading german and vice versa.
But as I listen to a lot of Black and Death Metal, singing is sometimes very abstract, so that works. And if the band sings in a foreign language, like swedish, finnish or russian, I hav no problem at all.
It depends on book. Usually I don't listen music while reading, because i prefer focus all my attention on the story. But sometime music and earphones help me to keeps away any other noises.
I mostly read on the bus or subway when I travel to and from work, and usually listen to music as I read. The last years metal has been my music of choice. But that has changed over the years. When I was younger I prefered instrumental and music like Era.
A bit of classical music is ok but not music with lyrics. However, I can read comfortably with the tv on in the background that someone else is watching. I guess I can just zone out voices like I do in a noisy office at work.
"Silence is Golden" is my rule when reading. Besides if I need a soundtrack when I'm reading, I'll imagine one.
It really depends on the depth of what I'm reading. I often listen to music (wide variety) or watch cooking shows on Food Network while reading. Most books I can listen to something. I did have to turn off the music for Saul Garnell's Freedom Club. It was deeper than most of the stuff I've read lately.When I'm writing, I need the music to block out the rest of the world. Otherwise, I end up wondering: wht is the dog barking, is that my phone buzzing.
Thomas wrote: "When I'm writing, I need the music to block out the rest of the world. Otherwise, I end up wondering: wht is the dog barking, is that my phone buzzing."Like I said, I prefer silence when I read. But I won't admit that there are times when you just want to shut out the ambiance around you.
Kristian wrote: "I mostly read on the bus or subway when I travel to and from work, and usually listen to music as I read. The last years metal has been my music of choice. But that has changed over the years. When..."And when I am forced to shut out the world, Metal is exactly what I listen to. In any event, it's the perfect soundtrack for reading one of J.R.R. Tolkien's battle scenes. 'The Fall of Gondolin' comes to mind.
No.Well, since I typically only read while in restaurants or coffee houses, there's usually music playing in the background but I have no control over it and I'm not listening to it.
I used to listen to music while I wrote. But now I typically write . . . in restaurants and coffee houses, so see above.
I also used to listen to music like I was reading (i.e., giving it all my attention and doing nothing else at the time). That's a mode of musical concentration I find sadly missing in today's hyper ADD, instant gratification, "I've gotta check my text messages RIGHT NOW" addicted society.
[You kids get off my yard!]
Micah wrote: "No.Well, since I typically only read while in restaurants or coffee houses, there's usually music playing in the background but I have no control over it and I'm not listening to it.
I used to l..."
You know your getting old when...
There are times I want to listen to music and nothing else. Same with reading or writing.
I don't know if I could write or read in a coffee shop. I've tried reading in waiting rooms and the people moving about is very distracting. I think a coffee shop would be worse for me. If it works for you.. more power to you. I'm easily distracted. Ooh my dog wants to play.
Actually coffee houses work extremely well for me. Alone in a crowd I get to feel like I'm part of society and out in the daylight, rather than shut up in a dark cave.I largely stopped working on music production because I'd lose whole weekends confined in a studio/cave with no light and no connection to the world.
I had the same syndrome when doing all my writing on a desktop PC. It was like solitary confinement (with a soundtrack, though, 'cause I'd put 5 CDs on random shuffle and zone out).
I think that's two "yesses" and two "nos" for me. Yes #1, I listen to music when I'm doing the PC housekeeping - jobs like spell-checking and keeping emails/ websites up to date. I'm listening to Bruce Springsteen (the Ghost of Tom Joad) right now.
Yes #2, I sometimes use music to get into a mood. I'm just putting the finishing touches on a James Bond spoof and I found it useful to play the James Bond theme tunes on repeat. You can't beat a little bit of Shirley Bassey or Tom Jones to get yourself shaken not stirred.
No #1, I can't do the serious writing bit with music playing unless it is very quiet and instrumental only. Two many words distract me.
No #2, I can't read and listen to music. Again, too distracting.
I prefer Tibetan throat singing. The monks are smallish, so they don't get in the way. The incense is a bit distracting, though. :}
Me, I just love the vast range of situations in which we're comfortable :-)
Though I often read without music, I think the arts all complement each other, since so much music (classical music, anyway) was written to accompany a literary text (Romeo and Juliet, The Firebird, Thus Spake Zarathustra, etc.), so I enjoy finding connections between text and music. As some people have said, singing makes me concentrate on the words and pulls me away from the text, but orchestral music in particular is a natural landscape/frame to fantasy and science fiction. And I don't mean it's elevator or background music; on the contrary, when you choose the right pieces, it works with the text so you pop in and out of one experience, and it can actually accentuate a book--and the book can accentuate the music. I'll always associate certain scenes from LOTR with Arnold Bax's symphonies, since they 'unlocked' that music for me, and often seemed written blow by blow for the text. I think our age is constantly comparmentalizing the arts into this and that forum and ghetto, whereas art is all one--and the more we tap into it, the more enjoyment and enlightenment we ultimately receive.
So the short answer is, yes, I choose my music carefully almost like a soundtrack, and when something doesn't work, I tinker with it until sound and text match seamlessly. If the music pulls you away at times, all the better; you need moments of rest while reading a longer text so you reflect before diving back into the story. Too many people (or my students, I should say, as I've seen this over and over again) plow through 100+ pages in one go, and then say to themselves, "what did I just read?" Music makes you reflect and read slower, perhaps, but more thoughtfully. But it all depends on the right music, just as much as the right book.
So the short answer is, yes, I choose my music carefully almost like a soundtrack, and when something doesn't work, I tinker with it until sound and text match seamlessly. If the music pulls you away at times, all the better; you need moments of rest while reading a longer text so you reflect before diving back into the story. Too many people (or my students, I should say, as I've seen this over and over again) plow through 100+ pages in one go, and then say to themselves, "what did I just read?" Music makes you reflect and read slower, perhaps, but more thoughtfully. But it all depends on the right music, just as much as the right book.
Generally speaking, I listen to music while I'm doing everything! When I'm reading (or writing) I tend to listen either to instrumental music (of any kind, although in 'classical' more often from the Romantic period than the Classical period) or to something I know quite well, so that it doesn't distract me. I listen to all kinds or stuff, but mostly rock and metal orientated.Does anyone else find that they associate certain music with certain books, having enjoyed them both together at some point? I always find Big Country and Led Zeppelin remind me of the Belgariad (and vice versa), simply because that's what I was listening to alot when I first read it. I tend to end up putting those on when I re-read it as a result.
I've started doing that. Themed playlists for writing topics, reading not so much. One of my favorite authors posts her writing playlist. That's Yasmine Galenorn. You can see the influence in her writing.
T. wrote: "Generally speaking, I listen to music while I'm doing everything! When I'm reading (or writing) I tend to listen either to instrumental music (of any kind, although in 'classical' more often from t..."I listened to so much Led Zep whilst writing my first book I ended up slipping in several not so subtle references to the great band.
I don't normally listen to music when I read. I find it too distracting and I'll stop reading and go into musician mode. Every now and then I might listen to some classical while reading, but that's rare.
I mostly listen to classical or similar when reading. Among other things, it drowns out some of the noise distractions created by other family members. I even have some themed playlists - background music from all the Star Trek movies for military sci fi, western music for westerns, Pirates of the Caribbean (1st 3) for certain adventure novels, etc. I'm still working on a playlist for detective novels.
I actually pick songs that remind me of my characters. I've devoted an either page on my website to music. Check it out at pursuitofmeaning.com. It's a great method for getting to know your characters better.
I don't listen to anything in my environment while I'm reading; this includes timers and alarms, my family, the phone, dogs barking, sirens...I'm listening to the voice in my head that's narrating the book, and I literally don't hear anything going on around me, at least, if it's a good book.
I love to read while listening to music..but it depends on what type of music it is
Nowadays I can't do that anymore, because I find that music distracts me too much from reading. Sometimes I miss the old days. I still love reading and music.
Luckily I can still write while listening to Steely Dan's "Do It Again". In the morning you go gunnin' for the man who stole your water...
What are your opinions on mixing music and books?