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Music to read to


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We've had a few discussions in the past in individual book blogs and some other threads about music to listen to while reading.  I often listen to classic music, film scores and soundtracks and latin music while reading in public to drown out the noise around me … for example, yesterday in the café, Chopin was required to overcome the loud Bill Withers songs.  Don't get me wrong, I love Bill Withers, but I can't be listening to him singing to me while I'm trying to read!

 

I try to find something to listen to that will compliment my reading, and it's not always a perfect match.  I know I want to broaden my collection, but it's not easy to find suitable music.  Anyway, I saw this blog on the Guardian this morning, and I'm rather intrigued … ambient music made for specific book genres.  One of the difficulties in finding music for reading is to match the mood of the book to the style of music, and I can imagine that science fiction and horror would be quite difficult.  Would anyone consider buying music designed specifically for reading accompaniment?

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I don't think I would buy music specifically for listening to while reading unless I liked it enough that I would listen to it at other times as well. I don't often listen to music when I am reading but on the odd occasion I do, it tends to be either Jazz or Post Rock, Trip Hop or Electronica with no lyrics.

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I would definitely. I find I need to block out noise when reading .. not at home necessarily as it's usually quiet in my reading places but if I want to go to a cafe and read or just to the park. I think it might be helpful if the music I was listening to matched the book genre .. though where this would take me with all the murder mysteries I don't know  :hide: I can't have words in the music though .. Bill Withers or otherwise (and I too love Bill) .. words in music just start leading me down a path .. not helpful when you're reading.

I really like listening to The Hours soundtrack that you recommended Claire .. that is excellent music for reading  :smile:

 

Classical music is best but again you have to pick wisely .. a lot of classical music can get quite strident and then it starts intruding.  

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I don't really listen to music while reading either. I think I can, if it's not songs I'm familiar with (so I don't get caught up in singing the lyrics :P ) and if it's through speakers at a low volume. But I can't really concentrate on anything else while listening to music with headphones. I'm listening with headphones now, and actually struggling to type at the same time. :doh:

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if I'm in the house on my own, I like to read in silence. I can and will read with the tv on, but I don't generally like to read to music - I don't know why.  Instrumentals I can cope with, but if it's music with words, I tend to find myself listening to the words of the song and not concentrating on the words on the page!

 

However, if I'm in a cafe or something and there is music on in the background, I can block it out and read, but only if it's not too loud.  Speaking personally I would never buy music to read to - I'd be more likely to buy some noise reducing headphones instead :-)

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What I like about the musician in the article is that what he's aiming for is:

 

music that is heavily atmospheric, while avoiding sudden peaks and dramatic changes in volume. The music can ebb and flow throughout the journey of a story. Drama without distraction


Like I've said, I use music to drown out other noise in public places such as cafés, and at work during my lunch break … I've tried ear defenders and noise cancelling headphones and they don't work, I can still hear ambient noise enough that it distracts me. But it can be difficult to find the right music. I've got a small collection that I can match to some books, but I would like more choice, and to have music specifically to create the mood of a book, but without having dramatic changes in intensity or volume would be ideal.

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When I read, I prefer to have silence or almost silence. It's really hard for me to read if I hear a lot of noise around me. Those who know me will understand why this is (if you're confused or a new member, feel free to ask and I'll direct you to a post that explains it, or I'll write a short new one). The only time I read while I listen to music, is if I'm reading while travelling, such as in the train. I have to listen to music during longer train trips, because the noise of people chatting and the train sounds quickly tire me (particularly hearing lots of conversations of people at once). So I use familiar music to not hear the other noise. If I have enough energy and particularly if I'm travelling on my own, I sometimes read in the train and then the music will be on because that is preferable over the ball of noise that I would otherwise hear. It is tiring for me to read and hear the music at the same time, so I only read in the train if I feel up for it or if it's a long trip, otherwise I listen to the music and just think to myself, process all the things that have happened and that made my head feel full (like when I traveled to and from uni, though I sometimes studied too of course). But, if I must choose music to go along with reading, I would want something very familiar to me. If it must be unfamiliar, I prefer it if it's instrumental (ie. no vocals), such as classical music. In the train, I usually listen to gothic metal, power metal, rock, the kind of music that has the right instruments to fade away the other noises (electric guitars can work well for this).

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I enjoy listening to music while I'm reading, but it's generally only jazz instrumentals. Love the trios of bass, drums and piano so Dave Brubeck is high on my list :D

 

I'm good with silence too, but never the TV unless it's something like a baseball game. Something I can glance up and check the score.

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I was going to put that I couldn't have music on while I'm reading. But then I realised that when I read here at work, on my lunch break, and before I start first thing in the morning, the radio is on in our office, and it doesn't bother me. I suppose that is just background noise, rather than 'listening'.  My music taste tends towards Rock & Heavy metal which I couldn't imagine reading to really; it's far too distracting. I think I could certainly read with quite classical, or instrumental jazz playing (and the idea is certainly appealing while I'm here at work!) but anything else wouldn't work for me.

 

Ultimately, when I read, I want to be doing just that. I don't want to be multi-tasking!

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I don't think of it as multi-tasking, Ian, as it's really just a way to drown out the ambient noise around me.  I rarely actually listen to the music that's playing, but it's always something very familiar to me, so that my brain doesn't focus on it, and I can concentrate on the book I'm reading.
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  • 2 years later...

It all started by coincidence. I had a big playlist with slow songs when I read my first book. At some point something intriguing happened in the story, while I was listening to Cotton Jones. A week later that same song came on in my office at work, and it instantly reminded me of the story.

Since then I put together a playlist for every novel I read, so my brain connects the songs with the story. I think it brings the reading experience to a whole other level.

I've put together six now, and I thought it would be nice to share them with my fellow book-loving spotify users.

22-11-1963
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MYSTIC RIVER

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SECRET WINDOW

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IT

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THE DEVIL'S ADVOCATE

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Edited by chesilbeach
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I've merged your post with the existing topic of music to read to, as it's the same subject.  As a new member, your links to external sites won't work until you have posted more on the forum, so they have been removed from the post.  Perhaps you'd like to list the music in some of the playlists instead?  I don't have a Spotify account myself, so I don't think I'd be able to see the playlists anyway, but would be interested to see what your music choices are. :) 

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  • 4 years later...

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