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Ask HN: What music do you listen to when programming?(or do you not?)

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21–30 of 44 posts

Re: Ask HN: What music do you listen to when programming?(or do you not?)

#21
I find that fairly fast and rhythmic, or 'spacey' instrumental or electronic music can help me get into a focused state, but I often turn it off after a while when I’m really into it. I particularly like psychedelic trance/goa, instrumental hip hop, or electronic video game/horror film music.

Some examples I've listened to a bunch while working: Trifonic, Govinda, Metaform, Hallucinogen, Shpongle, Blue Sky Black Death, Emancipator, SURVIVE, Trentemøller, Carbon Based Lifeforms.

Re: Ask HN: What music do you listen to when programming?(or do you not?)

#23
I have a playlist that I've been working on for the last couple years[1]. It's mostly instrumental, and it's my pride and joy :) I listen to it every day for most of the day while working.

If you end up listening to it, feedback is welcome!

[1] https://open.spotify.com/user/124904258/playlist/7gOx724pPSe...

Re: Ask HN: What music do you listen to when programming?(or do you not?)

#26
post #20

I usually have no music or distractions, but sometimes I like music. I tend to need music without lyrics, or in a foreign language, or sometimes that is so familiar to me that I don't pay attention to the words. Usually I can't have music for high-focus tasks. Talking, either, so I use a linux shell command to generate whitenoise sometimes, it sounds a bit like ocean waves: alias whitenoise='play -q -c 2 -n synth bro…

I also don't like music or distractions when coding, maybe unless it's "mechanical" like another user commented. I didn't know about the play command and generating noise though, that's really cool! Saving that command for sure.

Thanks!

Re: Ask HN: What music do you listen to when programming?(or do you not?)

#29
Subtle, not too emotional, harmonizing, complex, repetitive, no words I can understand.

Some examples

Tabla: Ustad Alla Rakha -Ustad Zakir Hussain Jugolbondhi (complex, listen on low): https://youtu.be/zcUZiuejt9g

* Ali Farka Toure (African, warm, joyful): https://youtu.be/qI_h49D1xo8

* chill hop: axian’s mixes do it for me https://youtu.be/hdmSovWFhig

* sometimes a pandora station seeded with Keith Jarred, bill evans.

* sometimes a pandora station seeded with Pugliese and Treilo because I’m learning Tango and those songs won’t memorize themselves. Plus they’re incredibly beautiful.

Re: Ask HN: What music do you listen to when programming?(or do you not?)

#30
One of two things depending on my mood:

1. A Pandora station seeded with Moonlight Sonata. It plays calmer classical music, avoiding the more in-your-face classical like Bach's Toccata and Fugue. Sometimes plays modern stuff like Piano Guys. I frequently combine this with some rain noise from Noisli.

2. Classic Trance. Stuff like Paul Van Dyk - Words.

I generally avoid anything with lyrics. Lyrics are incredibly distracting.

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