{"id":785,"date":"2019-12-06T08:47:53","date_gmt":"2019-12-06T08:47:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.clippings.me\/blog\/?p=785"},"modified":"2019-12-06T08:52:04","modified_gmt":"2019-12-06T08:52:04","slug":"music-for-writing-spotify-playlist-picks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.clippings.me\/blog\/music-for-writing-spotify-playlist-picks\/","title":{"rendered":"Music For Writing: Spotify Playlist Picks"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

To an easily-distracted freelance writer like me, the right music playlist is like gold. I put on a Spotify list and the words just flow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s a very good thing. Those words are my living.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finding the best music for writing hasn\u2019t been easy. Some playlists\nare too distracting. Others make me so mellow that I want to go to sleep, which\nis not great for my productivity levels.  So I did some research.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am a writer, after all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My Music for Writing Spotify Picks…<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Music<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Music tastes are highly individual, but certain qualities suit writing better than others.  For example, research shows that vocal music can reduce listeners\u2019 reading comprehension<\/a>. As writers, we want our reading comprehension to be in top form, so it\u2019s generally best to avoid songs with lyrics in our background music.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I say \u201cgenerally\u201d because there are always exceptions and caveats. A study out of Taiwan<\/a> found that when listeners strongly like or dislike a piece of music, that music is more distracting. This particular finding connected the dots for me because I usually listen to lyrical music while writing, but I skip over the songs I love.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now I know why.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks to these studies and tips from other writers, as well as paying attention to my preferences, I\u2019ve found a few options that keep me focused, awake, and engaged with what I\u2019m doing.  I hope they’ll do the same for you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a Boost of Energy: Movie Soundtracks<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Movie<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ever since I discovered curated playlists, I\u2019ve loved writing to\nmovie soundtracks. There\u2019s so much variety available within the genre; I can\nalways find a playlist to suit my mood and the topic I\u2019m writing about. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I\u2019m working on a particularly dramatic piece of fiction, I head\nfor something truly epic like Lord of the Rings<\/em>, Star Wars<\/em>, or\neven Harry Potter<\/em>. I just have to be careful because, as science\npredicts, I get too distracted if the piece is too familiar. Unfortunately,\nthat puts most of Harry Potter<\/em> out of the running, unless I can find a\nplaylist that leaves out the truly iconic pieces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If I\u2019m working on web content,<\/a> editorial articles, or copywriting, I\ntend to go for something labeled \u201cstudy\u201d or \u201catmospheric.\u201d These are more\neven-keel and better suited for trying to produce a corporate or \u201cbusiness\ncasual\u201d tone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pro Tip:<\/strong> Search through the Soundtracks playlists on Spotify<\/a> or Apple Music, and find something that suits your taste. Consider video game soundtrack playlists, too. Like epic movie soundtracks, they\u2019re fairly high-energy.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Calm and Comfort: Instrumental Covers  <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Instrumental<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

If I\u2019m feeling anxious and on-edge\u2014hello, looming deadline\u2014I tend to\nswitch over to a playlist of instrumental covers. I like the familiarity minus\nthe lyrics. Again, the lists marked \u201cstudy\u201d are usually safe bets, unless they\ncover one of my favorite songs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are lots of great playlists of pop and instrumental covers, as\nwell. These help me focus and write well because the sound is contemporary\nenough to feel familiar, and there\u2019s usually plenty of variety. People have\ndone instrumental covers of all most every genre out there, from Broadway to\nBach to The Beatles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pro Tip: <\/strong>Search \u201cinstrumental covers\u201d and your genre of choice on Spotify<\/a>, and see what comes up.  Don\u2019t be afraid to try a few out, even if they don\u2019t have tons of followers. There’s nothing to lose.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Extra Focus:\u00a0Ambient Sounds<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Ambient<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

On days when I\u2019m having extra trouble keeping my eyes on the screen\nand my rear end in the chair, I go to my ambient sounds playlists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m a Spotify user, and I\u2019ve always been happy with the number of different playlists that come up when I search for \u201cambient.\u201d Spotify makes several that are well-followed\u2014at the time I\u2019m writing this, \u201cAmbient Relaxation\u201d has almost one million. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I tend not to go for anything labeled \u201crelaxation\u201d when I\u2019m writing because I need the jolt of energy, but that’s my preference. With so many other choices, from ambient techno and electronic to specialty lists with labels such as \u201cNordic\u201d and \u201cmedieval,” I never lack for options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pro Tip: <\/strong>On your chosen playlist-friendly streaming service, search for “ambient” and see what’s available (here’s my Spotify pick<\/a>). Try something and if it works, mark it as a favorite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Even More Focus: Meditation Music  <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Meditation<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

If ambient isn’t getting me to the level of focus I need, I turn to\nmeditation music. Spotify has all kinds of meditation playlists, from the\nintense to the seriously chilled-out. You can even find playlists of a New Age\ntype of meditation music labeled with Hz (Hertz) frequencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of these frequencies align with what some refer to as the ancient scale or Solfeggio frequencies, a series of six notes that some say were the original frequencies for the Gregorian chant<\/a>. Today\u2019s Hz tone music still has a spiritual quality to it, and each one is believed to have certain healing qualities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other Hz tonal music is linked to chakra stimulation, energetic\nstimulation, mindfulness, and more. I\u2019m usually a skeptic about these kinds of\nthings, but I have to admit that a Hz tonal playlist will get me focused when\nnothing else does.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pro Tip: <\/strong>Try a few different styles and see what works. Expect different playlists<\/a> to work for different moods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Lyrical Calm: Coffeehouse<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Coffeehouse\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

If you spend as much time working in local coffee places as I do (hey, the best writing can be done on the road<\/a>), you know what \u201ccoffeehouse\u201d means as a genre.  It can be bluesy, folksy, and even a little bit country\u2026 but don\u2019t expect a little bit rock \u2019n roll. It has a chilled-out acoustic sound, and yes, it usually has words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I find that it makes good writing music despite the presence of\nlyrics. The tempo is even enough that the words don\u2019t jump out at me, and the\nsongs aren’t ones that I’m particularly passionate about. That’s not a bad\nthing at all, it just makes it easier to focus, just as the science said it\nwould.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pro Tip: <\/strong>Search for coffeehouse playlists and browse the sub-genres. The ones curated by Spotify are usually popular, but go with what you like. Here’s the Starbucks playlist<\/a>, if you’re curious…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your Mileage May Vary…<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Spotify<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

These are the genres that I like as music to write to, but everyone\u2019s\ntastes are different. There are lots of styles that don\u2019t work for me, but\nother writers swear by them. For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  • Classical<\/li>
  • Hip Hop<\/li>
  • Chill<\/li>
  • Tropical House<\/li>
  • Jazz<\/li>
  • New Age<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Do some searching. Try out a few options. When you find the right playlist for your tastes and your mood of the day, it feels so good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"listening<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    For many writers, the right music picks can make all the difference between a blank page and nailing that deadline. Here are our picks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":786,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-785","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-creative-writing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clippings.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/785"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clippings.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clippings.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clippings.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clippings.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=785"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/www.clippings.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/785\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":814,"href":"https:\/\/www.clippings.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/785\/revisions\/814"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clippings.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/786"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clippings.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=785"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clippings.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=785"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clippings.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=785"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}