Best music to listen to while doing Physics?

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    Music Physics
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Discussion Overview

The thread explores the types of music participants prefer to listen to while engaging in physics-related tasks, including studying, homework, and lab work. The discussion encompasses personal preferences, the impact of music on focus and productivity, and various genres ranging from classical to rock.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants enjoy classical music, such as Vivaldi and Beethoven, while working on physics, citing it helps with focus.
  • Others prefer classic rock but note that it can be distracting when trying to concentrate on physics tasks.
  • A few participants mention that they cannot work effectively with music that has lyrics, preferring instrumental pieces or silence instead.
  • Some express a tendency to sing along or get distracted by enjoyable music, which hampers their productivity.
  • There are varying opinions on the effectiveness of different genres for specific subjects, with some associating certain artists with particular areas of physics.
  • One participant shares a personal experience of being unable to study effectively with emotional music, suggesting it may interrupt concentration.
  • Several participants mention a large music collection and the challenge of selecting appropriate music for studying or working.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of preferences and experiences regarding music while studying physics, with no clear consensus on the best approach. Some agree on the benefits of classical music, while others argue that any music can be distracting.

Contextual Notes

Participants' preferences are highly individual and may depend on personal experiences, the specific tasks at hand, and the emotional impact of the music.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals interested in the intersection of music and productivity, particularly in academic or technical fields like physics and engineering.

  • #31
but, the little detail there is somhow buying a house by the ocean. I'm working on that.

Come on over to UCSB; I'm currently hearing the waves crash on my beach, the sound intermingling with the seagulls and the cool breeze blowing through my hair. :approve:
 
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  • #32
Chi Meson said:
The little detail there is somhow buying a house by the ocean. I'm working on that.

Not too close to the ocean, I hope. I mean, like, right on the beach. That's a big no-no.
 
  • #33
Gza said:
Come on over to UCSB; I'm currently hearing the waves crash on my beach, the sound intermingling with the seagulls and the cool breeze blowing through my hair. :approve:

At CalPoly all i hear is that stupid train...
 
  • #34
Chrono said:
Not too close to the ocean, I hope. I mean, like, right on the beach. That's a big no-no.

Yeah, you know it's funny you should say that. I once built, like, this castle on the beach, and you know, the next day it was, like, gone!
 
  • #35
White noise (for some reason). Although I suppose that can't be classed as music.
 
  • #36
Chi Meson said:
Yeah, you know it's funny you should say that. I once built, like, this castle on the beach, and you know, the next day it was, like, gone!

Good thing you weren't in the castle when it went away.
 
  • #37
Chrono said:
Good thing you weren't in the castle when it went away.
But the weird thing is, like, I was. Still got sand in my refrigerator.
 
  • #38
Chi Meson said:
But the weird thing is, like, I was. Still got sand in my refrigerator.

I feel for you, dude.
 
  • #39
Chi Meson said:
But the weird thing is, like, I was. Still got sand in my refrigerator.


So much for those sandwhiches i left in there last weekend...
 
  • #40
My music teacher said that a study showed that listening to Mozart of any kind before a science/math test raised the average score. Seems like it could work during studying.
 
  • #41
Off the top of my head:
Brandenburg Concertos (played by Academy of St-Martin-in-the-Fields or Il Giardino Armonico)
Vivaldi's 4 Seasons (same artists as above)
Goldberg Variations
Beethoven's Eroica Variations
Tangerine Dream - 220 Volt Live
Beethoven's suites for cello & piano (Sviatoslav Richter & Mstislav Rostropovich)
Beethoven's suites for violin & piano (Yehudi Menuhin & the other guy)
Bach Sonatas & Partitas for solo violin (Jean-Jacques Kantorow) <-- some of that is a bit heavy for doing homework though

anything played by Glenn Gould is usually the best there is, except maybe his Well-Tempered Clavier.

& I can't say it enough: Mozart is by far the most overrated composer of them all. The stuff that's in the Truman show is really the only decent stuff by him. The rest is just so boring & simple, kind of the opposite of Bach, really.


motai said:
Agreed. Seems that the 3rd concerto is a favorite among PFers
Not for me; I like the 5th & 6th. The 5th has one of the best piano solos I've heard, and somehow the strings in the 6th concerto sound like horns. Has anyone noticed that there are only strings in that one, and no other kinds of instruments? The 1st one is good too; the audience must have gone nuts at the first performance of the concertos (which was after Bach died), with the loud hunting horns, etc.
 
Last edited:
  • #42
fourier jr said:
Not for me; I like the 5th & 6th. The 5th has one of the best piano solos I've heard


Hate to break it to you, there are no pianos in baroque music--it wasn't invented yet. They're supposed to be harpsichords.
 
  • #43
franznietzsche said:
Hate to break it to you, there are no pianos in baroque music--it wasn't invented yet. They're supposed to be harpsichords.
Agree and also the Harpsichord goes on for too long.

The Bob (2004 ©)
 
  • #44
Studies have shown Mozart is great music to listen to when conducting studies. Correct me if i am wrong?
 
  • #45
Rammstein results in novel theories.
 
  • #46
dekoi said:
Studies have shown Mozart is great music to listen to when conducting studies. Correct me if i am wrong?

I have a Mozart chamber music CD in my car. I find it's too deep to treat as background music and too shallow to really focus on. I'm going back to jazz.
 
  • #47
If I am deep in thought then its the bog-standard C-D:Whale songs and some Dolphin Chorals!

If Iam deeling with abstract thinking then its:Tonto's Expanding Head-band, the track 'Time-whys'.

Relativistic thoughts are accompanied with either Pink Floyd : wish you..or Dark side, or maybe its Mike oldfields:OMMADAWN.

If I am reading up on string theories, then its more than likely some grunge accompianments.
 
  • #48
franznietzsche said:
Hate to break it to you, there are no pianos in baroque music--it wasn't invented yet. They're supposed to be harpsichords.

ok whatever, you know what i meant
 
  • #49
Heavy/Death metal or classical. The last two musical events I went to where; Ozzfest and The Pearl Fishers (an opera). I have always wonder what would happen if I mixed the two's wardrobe up (went to an opera with spike blue hair and and concert in a suit.)?
 
  • #50
I like pop-rock
and country rock
to rock me up,
to rock me down,
and also blues
to soothe me boo
boo boo boo...
when I am feeling moved.

~~AlexContourPlus~~​
 
  • #51
PerennialII said:
Rammstein results in novel theories.
Phillip Glass results in incomplete results in incomplete Phillip Glass results in
Phillip Glass results in incomplete results in incomplete Phillip Glass results in
Phillip Glass results in incomplete results in incomplete Phillip Glass results in
Phillip Glass results in incomplete results in incomplete Phillip Glass results in
Phillip Glass results in incomplete results in incomplete Phillip Glass results in
incomplete sentances.
 
  • #52
Chi Meson said:
Phillip Glass results in incomplete results in incomplete Phillip Glass results in
Phillip Glass results in incomplete results in incomplete Phillip Glass results in
Phillip Glass results in incomplete results in incomplete Phillip Glass results in
Phillip Glass results in incomplete results in incomplete Phillip Glass results in
Phillip Glass results in incomplete results in incomplete Phillip Glass results in
incomplete sentances.


Phillip Glass results in words?

All i can usually think is: "OH MY GOD THOSE POOR PEOPLE! THEYR"E DIENG! THE HORROR!"

Except its far less irreverent when I'm actually listening to Phillip Glass. Much more along the lines of tragic, than bad taste humour.
 

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