Studying Music
 

What kind of music do you generally listen to when you study? Or do you study better in a quite environment?

It seems like most experts agree that when you study you should stay away from music that contain words. I'm trying to find some relaxing study music. What are your studying habits? I'm entering college this fall and I feel like I really want to make a transformation into a good student with good habits.

Classical and non-vocal jazz work best for me. I find that words in languages I don't understand (like in most classical music) are fine. However, one thing to look out for is a theme that you know too well. I know some of my non-vocal music so well that I sing the melodies in my head the same way I would do if they had lyrics. The key is to have some variety, and nothing that demands too much attention. Finally, I think silence is the best for writing, while music is relaxing for reading and math/science/other kinds of work. You should experiment some in the beginning and see what works for you.

Yes, I've found myself paying too much attention to the music and not enough to my work (sometimes with classical songs that I don't even know), so any type of music that doesn't really catch your attention would work well. The problem is finding that music and then not paying attention to it :).

Mine's either drum and bass, jazz, or classical; I find it's harder for me to focus on what I'm doing in silence then with any kind of background noise (even a babbling brook, or a singing bird is better than sheer silence for me).

I agree, pure silence is a killer, I end up straining to hear the quietest noise possible and blow my concentration. I usually play some good instrumental music, something along the lines of Godspeed You! Black Emperor, or Silver Mount Zion. Classical music usually works pretty good too, Mahler's fifth is one of my favorites to listen to while reading. When I write though, I find that I can listen to just about anything, sometimes I even get some inspiration from what I'm listening to. There was one paper I wrote for an English class that was based on the disco version of "C" is for Cookie that I was listening to at the time I was trying to come up with a topic. You never know where inspiration may come from.

If you play any sort of instrument, stay away from things in your genre. :) I play both percussion and piano, so if I listen to music that is primarily either of those, I start concentrating on the music out of pure habit and interest. So I throw in some jazz or more orchestral music so I hear it more as background music.

A recent study found that the best study music is European Baroque (and, of course, the best European Baroque is Bach). If you want shoutcast stations, Magnatune is OK (but has too much choral stuff for my taste), and Otto's Baroque is great. Both stations should be available on Shoutcast.