Music to Read By

[9bit]

I like to have some non-intrusive music going while I read. Mostly I've been listening to the classical and piano stations on Grooveshark, but I'm wondering what other people like to listen to while they read. Maybe even silence? I can't do the silence thing personally, my mind tends to wander for some reason.

So let's share some recommendations for great music to listen to!

Creepy music for horror books, suspenseful music for mysteries, upbeat music for action! What's your favorite?

[suzy1124]

Interesting thread!

weather permitting, when outside in the garden the sound of water from the fountain is the perfect background...
indoors, i'd have to say a crackling fire ( from the fireplace of course )

music, no matter how insipid would distract me...

[Dazedandconfused]

Not sure about recommendations (going through a bit of a Bill Evans phase at the moment) but I've always found myself associating the books I've read with whatever I've been listening to at the time. Love hearing a track and finding myself transported back into a book that I read 5 years ago and hadn't thought about in nearly as long.

[WebsterMal7]

Sigur Ros is an option.

[Loveabull]

Given the choice I enjoy silence when I read...living in a house filled with people and critters, silence doesn't happen very often.

[MandiKenendy]

I prefer to have the TV on rather than music while I'm reading. I like something that I've watched before so it's just on and I'm not distracted. I can't read in complete silence, particularly at night, because I get too caught up in the book and then get scared when I realise everything's silent. The only place I don't mind reading in silence is if I'm outside or in the bath.

[shamicabuenaflor]

Ok you should all listen to "Intro"(Long version) by The XX its so good its basically the music I want playing in the background for my life

[darcyb123]

Classical works best for me to read by. Everything else is too distracting.

[Megan Young]

I can not focus at all on what Im reading when any music is on, I cant even have background noise.

[Zannie]

I can read with any noise in the background. However I prefer to have songs I don't know in the background without vocalization so I don't start to sing while reading.

[Megan Young]

For some reason when I'm reading and there's background noise, it's all I can focus on.

[suzy1124]

When reading " silence is golden "

[TD Matzenik]

Silence is very good. If you can't handle silence, you need to learn why. I also like post B Bop jazz, sitar music, Paganini, Ullean pipes and Bach's patitas and sonatas when reading or writing.

[KMilliron]

For creepy? Nox Arcana or Midnight Syndicate all the way I also write my own ambient stuff if I can't find anything that's working for me. I read in silence a lot, though. When living with my mom and 3-4 other siblings, white noise helped drown out the extra sounds.

[Jo90]

If anything, and a lot of the time it has to be nothing, instrumental music. Preferably something that fits the atmosphere of the book. So I listen to a lot of Explosions in the Sky, Mogwai, Godspeed You! Black Emporer and And So I Watch You From Afar.

So For example, I read the Millennium Trilogy last week. And I played 'Moya' by Godspeed You! Black Emporer pretty much on a loop as it kind of supplied a nice rhythm to the whole thing.