Music I Listen to When I Write

Violinist - Image by Niek Verlaan (Pixabay)

More often than not, there’s music playing in our house regardless of what I’m doing.

Even when I’m cooking and can barely hear the music over the hum of the extractor fan, I still have music playing.

So, no surprise then that I also listen to music when I’m writing.

However, I can only listen to classical or instrumental music when writing. Almost magpie-like, I get distracted by sung pieces.

Back when I first started writing, my music of choice was classical, anything by Beethoven and a couple of pieces by Brahms that never failed to get the creative juices flowing, his Violin Concerto in D Major and Piano Concerto No.2.

Sometimes, it felt like magic, the way the writing flowed.

I seldom listened to anything else.

As time went on, I widened my selection to include other classical pieces, some of which I listen to specifically for certain scenes.

As an example, I find Rimsky-Korsakov’s ‘Scheherazade’ perfect for getting me in the mood for magical, fantastical scenes.

Not strictly classical but which fit the bill is Two Steps From Hell.

I’ve saved various playlists featuring their music, which last about a couple of hours, and anything of theirs just works for me, from calm, gentle scenes to action ones.

Another artist whose work I enjoy is Adrian von Ziegler, a hugely talented composer from Switzerland who creates music across the genres, from Celtic to Fantasy to Oriental music, to name a few.

If you haven’t heard his music before, do check him out, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

What’s your music of choice?

It doesn’t matter what your creative outlet is, let me know in the comments. You just might introduce me to a composer or singer/band I’ve not heard before, which means I get to broaden my music horizon.