Yep has to have no lyrics or I get pulled into the song!
Beats to study/relax to
None. I've tried everything from Mozart to Metallica, and any kind of music playing while I'm trying to concentrate is more of a distraction than a help.
Surprised to see it’s not mentioned here. 24 years old internet radio, still kicking, over 30 channels with hand-picked playlists, almost all of them suitable for concentration. They are sponsoring Def-Con for years. Owner has a great Fediverse presence.
Channels have very interesting concepts like Spy Jazz, Ambient over NASA’s mission broadcasts, Celtic Folk, Vaporwave, 80s Synthpop and my favorite SF 10-33 Ambient over San Francisco Police Radio live feed.
Omg, another Soma fan! I've been listening for years! Groove Salad/Classic, Synphaera, and Suburbs of Goa are my favs. This is my jam!
Baby Shark x Ich Bin Schnappi, 10 hour endless loop.
I've used so many noise apps and sites and this has been my favorite. The thunder storm is my go to but rain on a tent is really good too
Manheim Steamroller put out a Summer Song album that has some great rain sounds with relaxing music.
The music of SILENCE. And I never listen to music at any other time either.
I'm beginning to think this makes me extremely unusual.
Atmospheric black metal, like Vvilderness
Film scores and soundtracks that have no vocals.
I listen while working most of the day most days, my top 5 are probably:
Mount Shrine, Sleep Research Facility, Thomas Koner, Loscil and Brian Eno
Always up for new listens though so I'll check back what others put up for sure.
My go-to is MF DOOM's Special Herbs, which are compilations of his beats without the rapping.
This & some Dilla beats. Something about the drunken wobbly beats helps push me thru a grind
A John Digweed mix is perfect for me and ticks all the boxes
No lyrics
Lasts for hours
Never gets too repetitive, changes over time
No starting/stopping between songs.
I've done my best work to his live in Cordoba mix
I love anything by Solar Fields for tasks requiring concentrating, it's especially good for reading scifi.
Whenever he releases a new album though I have to listen to it a few times, before I can have it on in the background... It's very beautiful and intricate.
Love Solar Fields in general.
For years I was adamant that I didn't like ambient, I think because I'd only been exposed to very boring drone stuff. Then I discovered Solar Fields / Carbon Based Lifeforms and it changed my musical world.
I'm quite horrible at self-promo so sadly it's just gathering digital dust, but after 20+ years of writing dance music for myself and others, I decided to get heavily into writing ambient / chill. Made a load of trippy animation videos and setup a youtube... if you love Solar Fields, without meaning to sound bigheaded I think you'd enjoy them.
Lofi girl, I don’t have to think about a playlist, it’s easy listening that soothes the hyperactive monkey that lives right behind my prefrontal cortex.
Mozart and Bach, mostly.
I like the group audiomachine - they do instrumental music for trailers and commercials.
I also listen to:
Lindsay Sterling
Dallas string quartet
Vitamin string quartet
And dragon force. Lol
Dragon forces music is so fast it's practically instrumental to me.
I also listen to the instrumentals of within temptation.
For physical tasks that require little higher brain function but just need me to not zone out or chase a distraction, I listen to audiobooks and podcasts. It's about the only way I can get stuff done around the house.
For tasks that require real brain power, I stick to original scores from movies and games. No lyrics, easy to find something with the right level of intensity for your mood, and generally designed to compliment an existing experience rather than be your sole focus.
Extended loops of Brothers in Arms from Mad Max Fury Road and Mountains from Interstellar have saved my ass in many a crisis. And the hour long Skyrim morning exploration mix and Witcher relaxation mix combined have probably doubled my creative output.
Usually electronica or classical. Both just fill in with tasty noises that blend into the background. Most music composed with some sort of a music theory background tends to do this well without relying on lyrics, repetition or distractions fighting for your attention.
Mandopop cause I only understand a handful of words.
Depends on how my mind is. If I need to concentrate because I am anxious, I try to put on something without serious lyrics, though gentle enough to calm my anxiety down. If I am calm yet finding it hard to focus, I tend to put on light music that I usually listen to, like my most listened to tracks: I find these tracks are the easiest to drown out with the least distractions, as I already know in my head where the tracks are going, however with new tracks even instrumentals when I lose concentration I tend to focus too much on the new tunes and such.
Many times I don't listen to anything as my head is too cluttered that way.
lofi
ambiance
game soundtracks (chill ones)
Brain.fm. Been using it for years. Hits the spot.
It really all depends on what I am trying to concentrate on.
If I am playing a game, I actually turn the music off.
If I am driving, I have some high-octane rock playing.
If I am doing housework, I throw on the "Lo-Fi Girl" playlist.
Either classical or metal (typically Deathklok and/or Machinae Supremacy). Never any music I haven't heard many times before as that has the opposite effect.
The film score of Koyaanisqatsi
Lo-fi hip hop instrumentals. Think Nujabes and related producers or MF DOOM and Madlib beats.
Jungle/atmopheric DNB. NOT breakcore because I know electronic fans are rabid about genres and categories.
High paced rap and rock/metal. Counter-intuitive for studying but great for physical exercise. This is mostly newer style rap.
The music varies a lot. Everything from Adam Young, via Hiromi Uehara, to Dimmu Borgir. The common thread is that it has to be instrumental and not annoying.
Kammerflimmer Kollektief
Glass Beams
Bohren und der Club of Gore
Khruangbin
Deep Focus playlist on Spotify
My personal playlist with a mix of edm or lo-fi/jazz-rap stuff. The edm part is usually chill and with minimal or no lyrics
Instrumental. I find music with lyrics very distracting and annoying.
Read that as contraception.
Either way, probably some post rock or blues or cool jazz or something.
something without lyrics
Yep has to have no lyrics or I get pulled into the song!
Beats to study/relax to
None. I've tried everything from Mozart to Metallica, and any kind of music playing while I'm trying to concentrate is more of a distraction than a help.
I'm happy to hear that I'm not the only one!
Soma.FM
Surprised to see it’s not mentioned here. 24 years old internet radio, still kicking, over 30 channels with hand-picked playlists, almost all of them suitable for concentration. They are sponsoring Def-Con for years. Owner has a great Fediverse presence.
Channels have very interesting concepts like Spy Jazz, Ambient over NASA’s mission broadcasts, Celtic Folk, Vaporwave, 80s Synthpop and my favorite SF 10-33 Ambient over San Francisco Police Radio live feed.
Omg, another Soma fan! I've been listening for years! Groove Salad/Classic, Synphaera, and Suburbs of Goa are my favs. This is my jam!
Baby Shark x Ich Bin Schnappi, 10 hour endless loop.
This guy anxieties
Synthwave, Post-Rock, Post-Metal, Shoegaze.
It's what I mostly listen nowadays anyway.
https://mynoise.net/
I've used so many noise apps and sites and this has been my favorite. The thunder storm is my go to but rain on a tent is really good too
Manheim Steamroller put out a Summer Song album that has some great rain sounds with relaxing music.
The music of SILENCE. And I never listen to music at any other time either.
I'm beginning to think this makes me extremely unusual.
Atmospheric black metal, like Vvilderness
Film scores and soundtracks that have no vocals.
I listen while working most of the day most days, my top 5 are probably:
Mount Shrine, Sleep Research Facility, Thomas Koner, Loscil and Brian Eno
Always up for new listens though so I'll check back what others put up for sure.
My go-to is MF DOOM's Special Herbs, which are compilations of his beats without the rapping.
This & some Dilla beats. Something about the drunken wobbly beats helps push me thru a grind
A John Digweed mix is perfect for me and ticks all the boxes
I've done my best work to his live in Cordoba mix
I love anything by Solar Fields for tasks requiring concentrating, it's especially good for reading scifi.
Whenever he releases a new album though I have to listen to it a few times, before I can have it on in the background... It's very beautiful and intricate.
Love Solar Fields in general.
For years I was adamant that I didn't like ambient, I think because I'd only been exposed to very boring drone stuff. Then I discovered Solar Fields / Carbon Based Lifeforms and it changed my musical world.
I'm quite horrible at self-promo so sadly it's just gathering digital dust, but after 20+ years of writing dance music for myself and others, I decided to get heavily into writing ambient / chill. Made a load of trippy animation videos and setup a youtube... if you love Solar Fields, without meaning to sound bigheaded I think you'd enjoy them.
Ambient / Chill by Ain
Thrash Metal or Mozart.
Spaceslug https://spaceslug.bandcamp.com/album/lemanis-remastered
It's spacey and sluggy.
Lofi girl, I don’t have to think about a playlist, it’s easy listening that soothes the hyperactive monkey that lives right behind my prefrontal cortex.
Mozart and Bach, mostly.
I like the group audiomachine - they do instrumental music for trailers and commercials. I also listen to: Lindsay Sterling Dallas string quartet Vitamin string quartet And dragon force. Lol
Dragon forces music is so fast it's practically instrumental to me.
I also listen to the instrumentals of within temptation.
Tool :-)
I get most of my brainstorming done at 2:20 -- https://youtu.be/DFI6cV9slfI?si=RaMdKtk3GUXB0XZw
For physical tasks that require little higher brain function but just need me to not zone out or chase a distraction, I listen to audiobooks and podcasts. It's about the only way I can get stuff done around the house.
For tasks that require real brain power, I stick to original scores from movies and games. No lyrics, easy to find something with the right level of intensity for your mood, and generally designed to compliment an existing experience rather than be your sole focus.
Extended loops of Brothers in Arms from Mad Max Fury Road and Mountains from Interstellar have saved my ass in many a crisis. And the hour long Skyrim morning exploration mix and Witcher relaxation mix combined have probably doubled my creative output.
Usually electronica or classical. Both just fill in with tasty noises that blend into the background. Most music composed with some sort of a music theory background tends to do this well without relying on lyrics, repetition or distractions fighting for your attention.
Mandopop cause I only understand a handful of words.
Depends on how my mind is. If I need to concentrate because I am anxious, I try to put on something without serious lyrics, though gentle enough to calm my anxiety down. If I am calm yet finding it hard to focus, I tend to put on light music that I usually listen to, like my most listened to tracks: I find these tracks are the easiest to drown out with the least distractions, as I already know in my head where the tracks are going, however with new tracks even instrumentals when I lose concentration I tend to focus too much on the new tunes and such.
Many times I don't listen to anything as my head is too cluttered that way.
Brain.fm. Been using it for years. Hits the spot.
It really all depends on what I am trying to concentrate on.
If I am playing a game, I actually turn the music off.
If I am driving, I have some high-octane rock playing.
If I am doing housework, I throw on the "Lo-Fi Girl" playlist.
Either classical or metal (typically Deathklok and/or Machinae Supremacy). Never any music I haven't heard many times before as that has the opposite effect.
The film score of Koyaanisqatsi
Bonetones/Lab Jams
strings
Opera music
I have a whole selection for that, it's not just one song.
cafe noise real one
Taylor Davis.
https://dorado.timetwister.one/public/radio_sims
I like to listen to relaxing videogame music, especially if it is water themed!
When I actually need to concentrate, I usually stop listening to music. When I want to get into a flow state and it isn't 100% critical I focus, it could be just about anything. This remix of the Call of Duty World at War Black Cats theme is awesome for that purpose.
The music varies a lot. Everything from Adam Young, via Hiromi Uehara, to Dimmu Borgir. The common thread is that it has to be instrumental and not annoying.
Kammerflimmer Kollektief
Glass Beams
Bohren und der Club of Gore
Khruangbin
Deep Focus playlist on Spotify
My personal playlist with a mix of edm or lo-fi/jazz-rap stuff. The edm part is usually chill and with minimal or no lyrics
Instrumental. I find music with lyrics very distracting and annoying.
Read that as contraception.
Either way, probably some post rock or blues or cool jazz or something.
Ambient jungle/PlayStation DnB
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Owldd4hs7wQ
Barber beats.
Dark Academia or Bossa Nova Jazz
One of:
Although I think options 2 and 3 are more helpful for helping me getting back from being distracted rather than concentration itself...
Any number of lofi channels, or video game music.
Aphex Twin
If I want little distraction it'd either be no music, or music I never have or rarely listen to.
Usually nothing but sometimes classical or lofi. Mostly I find it distracting but occasionally it works for no discernable reason