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Music for Programming (2011)

musicforprogramming.net

121–130 of 272 posts

Re: Music for Programming (2011)

#121
post #48

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…

It’s because of your music education that you become an active listener and can’t use the music as just noise.

It has nothing to do with it. I've spent 7 years in music school too, with violin as an instrument of choice. I still do play it sometimes too. Not to mention al the concerts I visit.

Still - I can barely code or work in general without music. Not any music though, that's for sure.

Re: Music for Programming (2011)

#122
post #54

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 recommend in-ear headphones. You just put them in. No music is necessary.

Re: Music for Programming (2011)

#123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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~

I also don't parse singing as language intuitively. It might be a result of context-based parsing mixups in human brains, so it may not be so easy to just try.

Re: Music for Programming (2011)

#124
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 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…

> However, I also suffer from an inability to get things done with people talking

Just like for the parent poster, I recommend in-ear headphones. You put them in the ears, and that's all. Listen to all the sound of no one talking and nothing playing.

Re: Music for Programming (2011)

#125
post #54

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…

Like you suggest, ambient noise (I'm fond of GNOME's pomodoro bird sounds :)) can help. However I've found that earplugs work even better. I had some nice ones because I attend a lot of shows/dance concerts and want to protect my hearing. Started using them in class during tests and found it to be really effective. Generally useful for every situation I needed to 'turn the volume down' on life.

Re: Music for Programming (2011)

#126

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…

For me it's only gonna work if the music have already been what I use on repeat while doing other mundane tasks, like white noises sort of thing. Otherwise distraction for sure.

Re: Music for Programming (2011)

#127
post #105

I have found several “brown noise” tracks which I find great for getting into the zone. Right now, my absolute favorite is “cockpit” brown noise (the sound of muffled airline jet noise). For example, you could set this track to repeat endlessly: https://open.spotify.com/track/01Kk9an41cyVj7oIXd2Fsj?si=NnC... For whatever reason, it gives me the feeling of “fast” (jet), important (I’m the pilot of this important thing…

I can't hear anything. Is it normal? Does it only works with headphones?

Re: Music for Programming (2011)

#129

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…

If I could have absolute silence I would take it. Unfortunately, music is often then only option to block the constant noise and chatter in an open office.

Have you tried white noise instead?

Re: Music for Programming (2011)

#130
post #105

I have found several “brown noise” tracks which I find great for getting into the zone. Right now, my absolute favorite is “cockpit” brown noise (the sound of muffled airline jet noise). For example, you could set this track to repeat endlessly: https://open.spotify.com/track/01Kk9an41cyVj7oIXd2Fsj?si=NnC... For whatever reason, it gives me the feeling of “fast” (jet), important (I’m the pilot of this important thing…

I would summarize the differences between noise types this way:

White noise: equal energy per Hz (flat)

Pink noise: equal energy per octave (-3dB/octave)

Brown noise: spectrum of Brownian motion (-6dB/octave)

White and brown are easy to create mathematically.

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