Ask HN: Good coding music?

#1

Post by sarreph » Fri, Aug 02, 2013, 8:10 PM UTC

I don't know why, but recently I've been unable to listen to music whilst doing work for extended periods (45 mins or more). It seems to distract me or get in the way.

Would anyone care to tip me off with some good (preferably non-mainstream, as I like discovering new artists) music to work/code productively to? I was thinking anything along the lines of Minimalism/House/Electro, although I like to dip into Classical from time to time.

... Or just share anything (music) that makes you work productively :)

Re: Ask HN: Good coding music?

#2

Post by paul_willis » Fri, Aug 02, 2013, 8:14 PM UTC

Try this out, it's Keith Jarrett live at Köln http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-a7xoYZZE4s

Re: Ask HN: Good coding music?

#3

Post by reisub » Fri, Aug 02, 2013, 8:19 PM UTC

I usually like instrumental music, words take my attention away from the code. Mozart, and other classical music is a great background for coding. Other than classical, God Is An Astronaut (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34C41eEpM48).

Re: Ask HN: Good coding music?

#4

Post by sarreph » Fri, Aug 02, 2013, 8:20 PM UTC

paul_willis wrote: post #2

Try this out, it's Keith Jarrett live at Köln http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-a7xoYZZE4s

He's great! Hadn't heard of him before.

Thanks for the share.

Re: Ask HN: Good coding music?

#5

Post by 2mur » Fri, Aug 02, 2013, 8:20 PM UTC

The Glitch Mob - Drink the Sea and We Can Make the World Stop EP

Re: Ask HN: Good coding music?

#6

Post by tjr » Fri, Aug 02, 2013, 8:20 PM UTC

I have for years found that if I really needed to concentrate deeply on a programming project, I tend to be immensely helped listening to Electric Light Orchestra's "Mr. Blue Sky". Yes it is (was?) mainstream, and yes it has been cliche'd into the ground in countless movies that used it for overtly happy scenes. But regardless, it helps me. (If the ELO original is too mainstream for your tastes, you might like the version by The Delgados.)

More generally, I find that light classical music, especially Bach, is pleasant to have playing while I work.

Anything else may or may not help, and it's pretty random. A song that helps a lot one day may be a distraction on another day. For just "listening" to music, I mostly enjoy jazz, but that often doesn't really help me much to focus on programming.

Re: Ask HN: Good coding music?

#7

Post by yulaow » Fri, Aug 02, 2013, 8:25 PM UTC

I usually listen the related broadcast in Grooveshark http://grooveshark.com/#!/writhem/broadcast

Re: Ask HN: Good coding music?

#8

Post by chewxy » Fri, Aug 02, 2013, 8:28 PM UTC

My playlist today is full of Tchaikovsky and a few Bear McCreary interleaved.

Re: Ask HN: Good coding music?

#9

Post by carlyle4545 » Fri, Aug 02, 2013, 8:28 PM UTC

The Diplomats are ideal for maintaining an optimal level of concentration. Their album, "Diplomatic Immunity Vol. 1" will put you in a zone. The song "Dipset Anthem" is the undisputed gem. Thank me later...

Re: Ask HN: Good coding music?

#10

Post by darkmethod » Fri, Aug 02, 2013, 8:33 PM UTC

I'm a fan of anything by Zoe Keating. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TTX0ryyoac

"Into the Trees" is my default coding music.