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Music for Programming (2011)

musicforprogramming.net

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Re: Music for Programming (2011)

#91

Post by tombert »

inform880 wrote: post #59
tombert wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're not the only person; it's why I absolutely despise open offices. I have trouble getting things done with people talking, and "just putting on headphones" doesn't really work because I have trouble focusing on anything but the music. The closest thing I'll do to address my particular problem is find audio of stuff like thunderstorms or waterfalls and more ambient stuff. Personally, I find that much easier to tu…

I would invest in a pair of nice noise canceling headphones. They work wonders for me and are a must have in open offices.

Don't those only really work with low-pitched repetitive background noise? They don't do a lot for people talking.

I do have noise canceling headphones and I like them, but they don't really do a lot for people talking.

Re: Music for Programming (2011)

#92

Post by carwyn »

coreyp_1 wrote: post #35

Am I the only person who can't listen to anything while coding? My attention goes straight to the music, and I can't concentrate on the task at hand! When I was in high school, my math teacher would play Mozart during tests, claiming it would help us. It would drive me crazy, and I doubt that my grades improved as a result of the distraction. For what it's worth, I have a BMus in Piano Performance. I love music... bu…

I can only listen to certain types of music, usually instrumental. Can't listen to anything with vocals in it.

Re: Music for Programming (2011)

#93

Post by larrywright »

MadWombat wrote: post #60
coreyp_1 wrote: post #35

Am I the only person who can't listen to anything while coding? My attention goes straight to the music, and I can't concentrate on the task at hand! When I was in high school, my math teacher would play Mozart during tests, claiming it would help us. It would drive me crazy, and I doubt that my grades improved as a result of the distraction. For what it's worth, I have a BMus in Piano Performance. I love music... bu…

You are not alone. I went to a music school majoring violin for eight years. Not quite the same as having a BMus in US, but a long way in the same direction. Music is never a background to me. I will occasionally switch music on while working, but with the specific purpose to switch my mind. Usually either when I am trying to work out the best solution to some problem and I need to get away from it for a second or wh…

Sample size of two, but considering you and parent are both musicians I wonder if that’s the reason you pay more attention to the music?

Re: Music for Programming (2011)

#94

Post by LeifCarrotson »

tombert wrote: post #54
coreyp_1 wrote: post #35

Am I the only person who can't listen to anything while coding? My attention goes straight to the music, and I can't concentrate on the task at hand! When I was in high school, my math teacher would play Mozart during tests, claiming it would help us. It would drive me crazy, and I doubt that my grades improved as a result of the distraction. For what it's worth, I have a BMus in Piano Performance. I love music... bu…

You're not the only person; it's why I absolutely despise open offices. I have trouble getting things done with people talking, and "just putting on headphones" doesn't really work because I have trouble focusing on anything but the music. The closest thing I'll do to address my particular problem is find audio of stuff like thunderstorms or waterfalls and more ambient stuff. Personally, I find that much easier to tu…

I think this site does a decent job of avoiding music that can be focused on. They mention on the about page:

> we have found that the most effective music to aid prolonged periods of intense concentration tends to have a mixture of the following qualities:

    Drones
    Noise
    Fuzz
    Field recordings
    Vagueness (Hypnagogia)
    Textures without rhythm
    Minor complex chords 
    Early music (Baroque, lute, harpsichord)
    Very few drums or vocals
    Synth arpeggios
    Awesome / daunting / foreboding
    Walls of reverb
I personally don't mind a bit of rhythm, but this isn't music that your brain will latch on to and want to pay attention - it's more like pleasant ambient sounds.

However, I also suffer from an inability to get things done with people talking - I'm constantly inadvertently eavesdropping on my coworkers' conversations. I find that I have to push white noise up to uncomfortably dangerous levels to drown out conversation - your audio processing systems tolerate shockingly high SNR - but changing, musical audio like this is harder to tune out than thunderstorms or waterfalls and therefore permits me to turn down the volume.

I just wish someone would build an audio-cancelling headset, instead of the usual noise-cancelling ones that take away background noise but let voices come through clearly...

Re: Music for Programming (2011)

#95

Post by DanitaBaires »

coreyp_1 wrote: post #35

Am I the only person who can't listen to anything while coding? My attention goes straight to the music, and I can't concentrate on the task at hand! When I was in high school, my math teacher would play Mozart during tests, claiming it would help us. It would drive me crazy, and I doubt that my grades improved as a result of the distraction. For what it's worth, I have a BMus in Piano Performance. I love music... bu…

You're not alone. To me is a matter of if I have to _think_ on what I'm doing or not. During graphic design work, music allows my mind to wander and be more creative; I could say I _need_ it. But during coding is more difficult: I can listen at low volume some instrumental music while coding CSS and HTML; but for Javascript or other programming languages I need no music (but not necessarily silence, I can code with mild background noises).

Re: Music for Programming (2011)

#96

Post by rickdmer »

vyper91 wrote: post #89

There's a guy who makes a playlist on Spotify called Programming with a coffee emoji, I listen to it so often I even found his Twitter or something and reached out to him to show appreciation. Turns out listening to Scandinavian Rock (melodic and lyrics I can't follow) is really good for productivity lol

Link for anyone interested: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2mtlhuFVOFMn6Ho3JmrLc2?si=...

Re: Music for Programming (2011)

#97

Post by Filligree »

wry_discontent wrote: post #50
Filligree wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's tons of different kinds. Here's one I've been enjoying lately: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPugYPbO66E Pay attention to the lyrics. Treat it as a story, and try to guess at what's happening. There is a canon answer -- Aviator's albums are in fact all stories -- but try to come up with your own before you look for it. Everyone sees something different in the lyrics.

I can't listen to lyrics because I find it hard to a) parse them at the speed they come out, and b) hearing them through the distortion of them being sung. I also get distracted very quickly. I do not know most of the words to my favorite songs.

This is, again, situational. Try it~

Re: Music for Programming (2011)

#98

Post by larrywright »

s_dev wrote: post #70
coreyp_1 wrote: post #35

Am I the only person who can't listen to anything while coding? My attention goes straight to the music, and I can't concentrate on the task at hand! When I was in high school, my math teacher would play Mozart during tests, claiming it would help us. It would drive me crazy, and I doubt that my grades improved as a result of the distraction. For what it's worth, I have a BMus in Piano Performance. I love music... bu…

>Am I the only person who can't listen to anything while coding? Listen to music without human voices. Lyrics are distracting. Maybe use OST music for films and games. This music is designed to not to compete for your attention with whatever you're watching or examining.

Same here. I use Brain.Fm and a number of playlists that have instrumental jazz (Miles Davis, Bill Evans, etc), and television/film scores (anything by Alexandre Desplat is great).

Re: Music for Programming (2011)

#99

Post by pier25 »

coreyp_1 wrote: post #35

Am I the only person who can't listen to anything while coding? My attention goes straight to the music, and I can't concentrate on the task at hand! When I was in high school, my math teacher would play Mozart during tests, claiming it would help us. It would drive me crazy, and I doubt that my grades improved as a result of the distraction. For what it's worth, I have a BMus in Piano Performance. I love music... bu…

> I have a BMus in Piano Performance

That's probably then reason. The more you know about music and music production the more it consumes resources of your brain.

Re: Music for Programming (2011)

#100

Post by kongfucius »

coreyp_1 wrote: post #35

Am I the only person who can't listen to anything while coding? My attention goes straight to the music, and I can't concentrate on the task at hand! When I was in high school, my math teacher would play Mozart during tests, claiming it would help us. It would drive me crazy, and I doubt that my grades improved as a result of the distraction. For what it's worth, I have a BMus in Piano Performance. I love music... bu…

I like working while having music as background noise but with a couple rules: no vocals and not many instruments. I tend to listen to atmospheric, jazz, hotel lobby music (but I cant take out Morcheeba or Portishead from my playlist, it deserves my divided attention).
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