Music to Read By...and Write By!

[Chokk Wulgar]

So, to get myself into the feel for contests such as these, I love to have some music to help me out! I thought it would be fun to see what kinds of stuff you guys listen to when you're writing and reading for Redwall Survivor contests.

This kind of stuff is what I like to listen to when I'm reading:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJbu3JgXx4w

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hn5vfUA2rTU

How about you?

[Rousseau]

I'm usually inclined to listen to just some of my favorite bands when I write. Usually it's people like Florence and the Machine, Mumford and Sons, and Lana del Rey, but if I just want music without any lyrics, I'll typically listen to some Lindsey Stirling or something. Besides Lana, most of it is pretty upbeat, so it's easy to just lose myself to my musings and typing.

But yeah- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cE6wxDqdOV0 (Lana del Rey)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGCsyshUU-A (Lindsey Stirling)

Also, if I'm feeling like something different, I'll swap over and listen to some video game soundtracks because video game music is pretty amazing. My favorites are the Okami, Borderlands 2, and Skullgirls soundtracks, all of them have different sounds and fit different moods for whatever subject I might be writing on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ya3yxTbkh5s (Okami, The Sun Rises)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbrL1EUDUno (Borderlands 2, Hyperion Slaughter -also known as the best song on the soundtrack)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0I1eGpunEB8 (Skullgirls, Maplecrest)

Great music and easy to write to, at least for me :P

[Matra Hammer]

I'm not too versed on Celtic music, but I liked what you posted. Do you have any other recommendations?

I listen to music like a person stretching before and after an exercise. I've a pre-writing playlist and an after-writing playlist, but never anything consistent.

These sum up a lot of what's in my library. Not all too cheery but they've helped me with my work so far.

http://rileybreck.bandcamp.com/track/i-wish-you-way-more-than-luck

and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=990kOZxIOKw

[Vizon]

I cannot listen to anything while I'm writing or reading. I can listen to all kinds of stuff while I'm drawing though.

[Balmafula]

Same here, actually.

[TNT]

Hey, me too! The only time music helps me is if I have to write in a noisy environment, like a coffee shop, just because I need something to drown it out. But I prefer to write in relative quiet if I can. ^^

[Matra Hammer]

I cannot listen to anything while I'm writing or reading. I can listen to all kinds of stuff while I'm drawing though.

I find that fascinating. What's the difference? Why does music work for drawing but not writing? I take it you approach each medium with a different mindset.

[Vizon]

Dunno. I always figured I use different parts of my brain for different tasks. I think I "listen" to words in my head when I read, mentally hearing them read and the dialog spoken aloud, so listening to something else interferes unless I can completely block it out by really focusing. Drawing is so visual...it's not connected to listening at all (in my brain). Sometimes when I look at a piece of art it reminds me of a scene in an audiobook I was listening to at the time I was drawing it.

[Aleisou]

Yeah, I feel the same way Vizon -- I can listen to whatever I want when I'm drawing, but I find it really difficult to write and listen. I suppose because I feel like I really have to concentrate to write well, so I can't have any distractions, whereas drawing is something more subconscious for me.

I do like listening to instrumental music when I'm writing, but only if it's sort of ambient and suits the scene I'm doing. Film and game soundtracks are the best. INCEPTION SOUNDTRACK FOR DRAMATIC SCENES. Haha.

[Alan]

That's interesting...  Each of my past characters has required different things to get me writing.  In Alan's case, I had to be listening to music of some kind to get his posts out.  I actually have the song for his epilogue lined up, and I intend to put it on repeat until I'm done.

But like for the final battle scene, I listened to this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9YQPWqTnx4 on repeat.  Drove other people crazy until I remembered I had headphones. 

I like the over dramatic surge of the music at the end, and it just made me think of a battlefield with lots of fuzzy creatures cutting each other up with swords and clubs, and screams... ect.

Yeah.

[TNT]

Okay, sometimes I do just like to listen to the FFVI soundtrack. There is no better video game music (or, y'know, game, period) anywhere, and it's even in a crappy SNES format. XP

For final boss fights, it has to be this one right here! It makes great background music, and it's just. Fantastic. Best end boss music EVER! Nobuo Uematsu FTW.

[Chokk Wulgar]

Some more music I like to read by:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDOhBONYtYg&list=PLZ6wNnb-ED0xPu0I2YwFPBITGoa3-cFfk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWpe2ppRRGg&list=PLZ6wNnb-ED0xPu0I2YwFPBITGoa3-cFfk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06H_6oI4EK4&list=PLZ6wNnb-ED0xPu0I2YwFPBITGoa3-cFfk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INaM813ohL8&list=PLZ6wNnb-ED0xPu0I2YwFPBITGoa3-cFfk

Recommendation wise: Adrian Von Ziegler  ;D

[Frost]

Hey Chokk, check this out and let me know what you think! ;)

I also have some other standards that I enjoy, such as deep diving, some Trek, and even some Walking Dead.

By the by, if you all just enjoy white noise, why not boldly go, too?

[Risk]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJumvqm0qqo this is my Risk song.

For simple background music I really like The Dig soundtrack. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8kBCO8x2JE