4 ms·

If it's code I have to think about (i.e. non-boilerplate), I find that most music distracts me and makes me code slower -- especially music with recognizable ly

by jcl 18y ago

If it's code I have to think about (i.e. non-boilerplate), I find that most music distracts me and makes me code slower -- especially music with recognizable lyrics. I have some nature soundtrack CDs that seem to improve my concentration, though.

qhoxie 18y ago
It all comes down to recognizable lyrics for me as well. This is largely why I turn to breaks/trance/etc when coding.
bdotdub 18y ago
Agreed. Recognizable lyrics is usually not good, unless its music that'll pump me up when I need it. I've been trying out listening to some sort of white noise, ie. running water, static, etc., borrowing from the idea on this post: http://cameronmoll.com/archives/2008/11/showering_and_thinking/ http://cameronmoll.com/archives/2008/11/showering_and_thinki... It can get pretty noisy where I work, so something that distracts me so constantly and blocks the noise out helps me focus.
jerf 18y ago
The solution to wanting lyrics-based music but not wanting music to have recognizable lyrics is, of course, music in a foreign language. (I am sure this will be news to a well-below-average number of people on this site, but it's still a novel idea to a lot of people and worth pointing out.)
- unalone 18y ago
  You could always try Sigur Ros, which invented their own language for exactly that reason: they wanted lyrics but they didn't want people focusing on the words over the music.
  - astrec 18y ago
    Dead Can Dance also sing in made up languages but it's not everyone's cup of tea.
    - unalone 18y ago
      Sigur Ros I'm not such a fan of. I love Dead Can Dance, though.
  - zach 18y ago
    And if lyrics in Icelandic aren't obscure enough, that's really saying something.
  - mikeyur 18y ago
    Love me some Sigur Ros.
lpgauth 18y ago
I usually listen to music with stupid lyrics (rap/hip hop), this way I don't really bother trying to understand what they are saying but still have a good rhythm to work with.

by jcl 18y ago

qhoxie 18y ago

It all comes down to recognizable lyrics for me as well. This is largely why I turn to breaks/trance/etc when coding.

bdotdub 18y ago

Agreed. Recognizable lyrics is usually not good, unless its music that'll pump me up when I need it. I've been trying out listening to some sort of white noise, ie. running water, static, etc., borrowing from the idea on this post: http://cameronmoll.com/archives/2008/11/showering_and_thinking/ http://cameronmoll.com/archives/2008/11/showering_and_thinki... It can get pretty noisy where I work, so something that distracts me so constantly and blocks the noise out helps me focus.

jerf 18y ago

The solution to wanting lyrics-based music but not wanting music to have recognizable lyrics is, of course, music in a foreign language. (I am sure this will be news to a well-below-average number of people on this site, but it's still a novel idea to a lot of people and worth pointing out.)

unalone 18y ago
You could always try Sigur Ros, which invented their own language for exactly that reason: they wanted lyrics but they didn't want people focusing on the words over the music.
- astrec 18y ago
  Dead Can Dance also sing in made up languages but it's not everyone's cup of tea.
  - unalone 18y ago
    Sigur Ros I'm not such a fan of. I love Dead Can Dance, though.
- zach 18y ago
  And if lyrics in Icelandic aren't obscure enough, that's really saying something.
- mikeyur 18y ago
  Love me some Sigur Ros.

lpgauth 18y ago

I usually listen to music with stupid lyrics (rap/hip hop), this way I don't really bother trying to understand what they are saying but still have a good rhythm to work with.