In general I tend to write code a lot more than I design for the web. Depending on the task at hand I can find my playlists change and maybe even go away entirely. The music I like to design to is the music that makes me dream, good and bad. It is music that travels and taps into emotion. Sigur Ros, Aphex Twin, Xiu Xiu and Cinematic Orchestra would feature well on that list.
However, it is the music I code to that I’d like to examine. It plays the same role and fulfils identical needs as music I used to listen to while doing math in school. The idea is to get focussed and stay focussed. While you’re there you’d hope for the music to be intricate and challenging enough without being distracting. Classical music works best and if what they say is true, it will also make you smarter.
I love symphonies in particular. Your familiarity with a piece will ensure that your concentration does not break with every rise and fall. Chopin has seen me through some very productive days and then there is the symphony in my head which remains nameless. I heard it on television first in the late 80’s accompanying a montage of the best films made in that decade. I often find myself whistling it to anyone who cares to identify it for me. No luck there but quite often it plays in my head and my fingers pretend to play just before I sit down with an inspired task.
Classical music is not always my first choice though and I revert to it when nothing else seems to work. Instrumentals or anything that isn’t lyrically demanding is a safe bet. Ratatat, Four Tet, Mulatu Astatqe, Battles and Fat Freddy’s Drop works wonders. I prefer listening to entire albums rather than creating a hand picked playlist if I can avoid it. A good album tells a story and there is a familiarity and continuity that runs through it. It should be punctuated with a couple of songs that break the mould and keep things interesting. From experience, these songs often coincide with breakthroughs on the coding front.
Then there is the music that does not quite fit the requirements but it is music I love and listen to often. Like that old blanket you don’t pack away in the summer, it stays on my playlist. Andrew Bird, Yeasayer, Antony & the Johnsons, Joanna Newsom, M. Ward, Vetiver and many more who should make it to another post. Music is essential to my coding habits and a good playlist has often improved my work. What is your experience with music and code? We’d love to hear from you.
Ratatat - Wildcat (Classics)
Battles - Tonto (Mirrored)
Fat Freddys Drop - Ray Ray (Based On A True Story)
Yeasayer - 2080 (All Hour Cymbals)
Andrew Bird - A Nervous Tic Motion Of The Head To The Left (The Mysterious Production Of Eggs)
Vetiver - Farther On (Vetiver)
Chopin - Nocturne In C Minor
