Does Music influence your writing? Options

[Cleo_Serapis]

A GREAT topic for discussion!

From Merlin:

Studies done on the subject show that certain music puts the mind at ease, and aids in a person's ability to study, or relax... different things.  Baroque music is said to be best.  It has also been established that teenagers can do very well studying while listening to rock.  Others may do the same with their own preference.

Music affects the brain in particular ways - even peculiar ways.

Does this relate to poetic styles?  Do some age groups prefer one over the other?  

Merlin

Good topic Merlin!

[Guest_Jox_*]

It seems to me that the requirement for ambient music for cerebral working is that it should blank-out the small noises which, in an otherwise silent environment, would irritate - yet not produce discrete sounds from itself. Therefore, anything with a discernable beat may not be the best background music.

Of course, none of the above accommodates anyone's personal taste which may well ignore such ideas.

For me, almost all classical music is far too distracting, as is the later romantic music of Beethoven et al - however excellent is musical quality. The only exception I would make is some of Elgar's "picture the Malverns" work. However, I think I simply enjoy Elgar, so I'd better discount him.

My own preferences are either silence (but when a car passes in the lane near this window I am put off) or a alternation of Jean Michel Jarre, Tangerine Dream and plainsong (e.g. Gregorian chants). I can also often work to some madrigals and other medieval / Tudor falsetto singing but these can start to be distracting after a while.

James.