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I used to be interested in such things, but then I found a really nice Funk/Acid Jazz/House/Soul playlist on Youtube (50 videos). Some of them I don't like, but

by b0rsuk 9y ago

I used to be interested in such things, but then I found a really nice Funk/Acid Jazz/House/Soul playlist on Youtube (50 videos). Some of them I don't like, but overall - very enjoyable and puts me in a good mood when programming. It helps I'm new to Funk. I think Funk and related genres are particularly suited for tasks that demand concentration. Funk de-emphasises melody in favor of rhythm. Melody calls for "active" listening. Funk is at the same time predictable and varied. I spend very little time clicking "next track". For me it's very stimulating listening. So, a problem that could potentially be solved by neuroscience research and programmers (I understand this is interesting in itself) has been solved by good old playlists for me. And experimentation (trying new music).

snarfy 9y ago
> Funk de-emphasises melody in favor of rhythm. Melody calls for "active" listening. I disagree with the assessment that if melody calls for active listening that rhythm somehow does not. It really depends on the listener and what they value. There was a time when I might have agreed with you. That was before I learned to play drums.
- b0rsuk 9y ago
  It may be just me, but the tracks that distract me the most are the ones with a solid melody line. Such as Willow's Song, easily the most beautiful song about milking a bull: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UOtscTCJBk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UOtscTCJBk Or "Peter" from Holderlin's Traum: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGn6nLaTfqU&feature=youtu.be&t=326 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGn6nLaTfqU&feature=youtu.be... Out of curiosity, could you recommend some bands with very good drums ? One that springs to mind is Guru Guru. When I stop to think about it it seems it's the drums that seal the deal for me, in many tracks. And Embryo, especially on Embryo's Rache.
  - snarfy 9y ago
    For good acoustic drums I'm a fan of the tabla/darbuka. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yVWmeFM3-Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yVWmeFM3-Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIUlh8qweAc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIUlh8qweAc Something more western - Mastadon - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwgqenxNUfs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwgqenxNUfs
s_kilk 9y ago
> I found a really nice Funk/Acid Jazz/House/Soul playlist on Youtube (50 videos) Link? :)
- sunsetMurk 9y ago
  yes please @b0rsuk! I'd like the link too. I've been digging funk these days. Here is an instrumental Funk playlist on Spotify that I have been passively listening to: https://open.spotify.com/user/spotify/playlist/37i9dQZF1DX8f5qTGj8FYl https://open.spotify.com/user/spotify/playlist/37i9dQZF1DX8f...
- b0rsuk 9y ago
  Okay, I'm posting. I've been afraid to do so because I might violate some unspoken Hacker News rule and be smitten with downvotes. I think my adventure started with very generic youtube queries for 'afro' or something like that. Then I stumbled upon Black Merda: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHSFsWZM1Gk&list=RDLHSFsWZM1Gk&t=12 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHSFsWZM1Gk&list=RDLHSFsWZM1... ... and I already liked psychedelic / krautrock. But it turned out Black Merda is on a very long playlist itself, a playlist I'm disturbingly compatible with ! I'm far from even the half of the playlist, but some of my favorites (other than Black Merda which is awesome): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q59ZZtiLgYU&list=RDLHSFsWZM1Gk&index=22 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q59ZZtiLgYU&list=RDLHSFsWZM1... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubyOg-K62co&list=RDLHSFsWZM1Gk&index=34 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubyOg-K62co&list=RDLHSFsWZM1... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6lDGgs7jAc&list=RDLHSFsWZM1Gk&index=50 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6lDGgs7jAc&list=RDLHSFsWZM1... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaRhetAoqEw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaRhetAoqEw Watermelon Man https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FzNpto-jnU&t=1164s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FzNpto-jnU&t=1164s The Variations - Saying It Doing It https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OQl4WTkWTc&t=2549s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OQl4WTkWTc&t=2549s Only this track, really: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gXrS6eKfjk&t=841s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gXrS6eKfjk&t=841s Plus, there's the joy of hearing silly things like "Back when Dinosaurs ruled the Earth there was a disco not many people knew about." I didn't have so much fun since planet Gong. I also got some nice recommendations from listening Sisters of Mercy, including Billy Idol. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAZQaYKZMTI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAZQaYKZMTI And I'm amazed how underrated Max Sedgley is. Must be the last name. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugEgKA24dig https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugEgKA24dig Makes me want hone my Inkscape skills.
redcalx 9y ago
My view/experience is that any music with lyrics = cognitive load / distraction.
- gwern 9y ago
  Yes. My belief is that that is due to the "irrelevant sound [or speech] effect". (What about non-lyrical music? I'm not sure. The research literature on music interfering/non-interfering with cognition is old, large, and highly equivocal in my impression: https://www.gwern.net/Music-distraction https://www.gwern.net/Music-distraction )

by b0rsuk 9y ago

snarfy 9y ago

> Funk de-emphasises melody in favor of rhythm. Melody calls for "active" listening. I disagree with the assessment that if melody calls for active listening that rhythm somehow does not. It really depends on the listener and what they value. There was a time when I might have agreed with you. That was before I learned to play drums.

b0rsuk 9y ago
It may be just me, but the tracks that distract me the most are the ones with a solid melody line. Such as Willow's Song, easily the most beautiful song about milking a bull: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UOtscTCJBk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UOtscTCJBk Or "Peter" from Holderlin's Traum: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGn6nLaTfqU&feature=youtu.be&t=326 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGn6nLaTfqU&feature=youtu.be... Out of curiosity, could you recommend some bands with very good drums ? One that springs to mind is Guru Guru. When I stop to think about it it seems it's the drums that seal the deal for me, in many tracks. And Embryo, especially on Embryo's Rache.
- snarfy 9y ago
  For good acoustic drums I'm a fan of the tabla/darbuka. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yVWmeFM3-Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yVWmeFM3-Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIUlh8qweAc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIUlh8qweAc Something more western - Mastadon - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwgqenxNUfs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwgqenxNUfs

s_kilk 9y ago

> I found a really nice Funk/Acid Jazz/House/Soul playlist on Youtube (50 videos) Link? :)

sunsetMurk 9y ago
yes please @b0rsuk! I'd like the link too. I've been digging funk these days. Here is an instrumental Funk playlist on Spotify that I have been passively listening to: https://open.spotify.com/user/spotify/playlist/37i9dQZF1DX8f5qTGj8FYl https://open.spotify.com/user/spotify/playlist/37i9dQZF1DX8f...
b0rsuk 9y ago
Okay, I'm posting. I've been afraid to do so because I might violate some unspoken Hacker News rule and be smitten with downvotes. I think my adventure started with very generic youtube queries for 'afro' or something like that. Then I stumbled upon Black Merda: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHSFsWZM1Gk&list=RDLHSFsWZM1Gk&t=12 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHSFsWZM1Gk&list=RDLHSFsWZM1... ... and I already liked psychedelic / krautrock. But it turned out Black Merda is on a very long playlist itself, a playlist I'm disturbingly compatible with ! I'm far from even the half of the playlist, but some of my favorites (other than Black Merda which is awesome): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q59ZZtiLgYU&list=RDLHSFsWZM1Gk&index=22 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q59ZZtiLgYU&list=RDLHSFsWZM1... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubyOg-K62co&list=RDLHSFsWZM1Gk&index=34 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubyOg-K62co&list=RDLHSFsWZM1... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6lDGgs7jAc&list=RDLHSFsWZM1Gk&index=50 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6lDGgs7jAc&list=RDLHSFsWZM1... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaRhetAoqEw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaRhetAoqEw Watermelon Man https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FzNpto-jnU&t=1164s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FzNpto-jnU&t=1164s The Variations - Saying It Doing It https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OQl4WTkWTc&t=2549s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OQl4WTkWTc&t=2549s Only this track, really: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gXrS6eKfjk&t=841s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gXrS6eKfjk&t=841s Plus, there's the joy of hearing silly things like "Back when Dinosaurs ruled the Earth there was a disco not many people knew about." I didn't have so much fun since planet Gong. I also got some nice recommendations from listening Sisters of Mercy, including Billy Idol. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAZQaYKZMTI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAZQaYKZMTI And I'm amazed how underrated Max Sedgley is. Must be the last name. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugEgKA24dig https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugEgKA24dig Makes me want hone my Inkscape skills.

redcalx 9y ago

My view/experience is that any music with lyrics = cognitive load / distraction.

gwern 9y ago
Yes. My belief is that that is due to the "irrelevant sound [or speech] effect". (What about non-lyrical music? I'm not sure. The research literature on music interfering/non-interfering with cognition is old, large, and highly equivocal in my impression: https://www.gwern.net/Music-distraction https://www.gwern.net/Music-distraction )