"Study" Music

[Yakult]

While studying, I can't seem to study in a dreadfully silent room. My mind starts to get filled with thoughts... so I turn on some music in order to have some ambient sound.

However, songs with lyrics also tend to grab my attention away from my reading. I have had an experience where I studied in a room full of fish tanks (odd... isn't it?) and it seemed to be the perfect sound to study in. No voices of people to distract me, and it seemed to work. However, I can't always be in a room full of fish tanks and water flow What do you guys listen to while studying? Mozart? Rock and roll music? Classical? Write about what you prefer to listen to while studying, or if you don't prefer to listen to anything at all.

[Redalchemy]

I think it all depends on my mood. If i have to read something, I wont listen to anything, or i will go outside. I live in the middle of the woods so its nice and peaceful out there. But if im doing work (especially any type of math) I like to listen to my mp3 player. Usually Alesana or something like that. But sometimes I like to just set it to random and listen to anything lol.

[KholdStare]

I can listen to anything that's not too catchy, but it has to be in a very low volume. I can't work well with even classical if it's loud, but music definitely helps with my studying.

Also, I love instrumental music, especially soundtracks from anime suck as Naruto, 5 Centimeters per Second, or Princess Mononoke.

[Miko Miko]

anything as long as it isn't Motteke Sailor Fuku or Caramell Dansen

[-KarumA-]

depends on my subject
when i had to study for a french test i would listen to french charsons that helped me a lot int hsoe days
other than that.. either classic music, opera or grunge.. depended on my mood..
normally i would just put on the french Mezzo (opera and classical concerts) channel and study

[Ice Climbers]

Joe Hisaishi music definitely for me

[Avantoe]

I always listen to music, but i guess my random playlist on Itunes decides what im going to listen to But in general i think i skip the more "intence" songs with complex lyrics and go for the softer ones with less lyrics. Instrumental would be awsome.

*runs of and makes a new instrumental playlist on Itunes*

[Z3120]

I can study with music on, but it depends what music though or else my mind could be easily distracted. Heavy bass, rock and such will definitely get me feeling the adrenaline the moment I listen to it, but you can't have that while studying! Or could you?

I tend to only listen to video game and anime background music nowadays (no vocals/lyrics unless they're really minor). If you break down those two into genres, then I suppose I easily study when there's solo piano pieces being played.

[UzumakiW]

I tend to listen to music that's not too heavy while I'm just studying. However, when I'm doing actual work like math, I'll listen to anything.

[King Lycan]

I don't listen to anything i get distracted if i do

[Thentus]

I can listen to anything as long as I am not reading a book. Not like a textbook, but a book with the plot and all. Everything else is personally fine and doesn't affect me that much.

Unless of course, the music is extremely addictive and your mind just can't help but sing along .

[Deathkillz]

Originally Posted by UzumakiW

I tend to listen to music that's not too heavy while I'm just studying. However, when I'm doing actual work like math, I'll listen to anything.

Same here

I usually slap on a good OST track for studying or homework but when it comes down to frustrating topics like maths, something with tempo is a go way to make me think

[Marina]

I tend to listen to classical music when I'm in a studying/quiet mood (not that it has to be quiet classical, it can be crashing Beethoven )
List of favorites: Chopin, Debussy, Brahms, Ravel, Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, Wagner, etc.
I also quite like movie soundtracks that make use of orchestras. Think Joe Hisaishi soundtracks: Princess Mononoke, Castle in the Sky, Spirited Away.
Another anime I like for its music is the piano soundtrack from Kanon (2006).

[EXEs]

Lord of The Rings Music is excellent. It's so peaceful and relaxed, and I concentrate pretty well by listening to it.

[Vexx]

Originally Posted by Yakult

While studying, I can't seem to study in a dreadfully silent room. My mind starts to get filled with thoughts... so I turn on some music in order to have some ambient sound.

However, songs with lyrics also tend to grab my attention away from my reading. I have had an experience where I studied in a room full of fish tanks (odd... isn't it?) and it seemed to be the perfect sound to study in. No voices of people to distract me, and it seemed to work.

We could hope your mind is filled with the thoughts of what you're studying

I can study in complete silence but I prefer some sort of ambient noise/music. One of my favorite places to study in college was in a basement study area near the air conditioning equipment -- semi-random thrum drowned out any distraction, much like your fish tanks.
My favorites are ambient music in general, "new age", or classical (especially chamber music Mozart period). I can study to certain kinds of rock music - but it has to be lyrical (e.g. Jethro Tull) and it still doesn't really work as well. I get slightly better results with j-ska or soft j-pop since its easier to treat the lyrics as just another musical instrument, but still not as good as ambient/newage/classical.

Really, despite what students claim - most research shows music with lyrics, areas with people chatting, or television blaring produces less valuable study results. Television in particular is a negative for studying to because it is often projecting anxiety-ridden situations which the brain is wired to process at a higher priority.

So it isn't really a matter of what music or noise you may like best... but which provides the best study results (---> better grades).

[Utter_iMADNESS]

I find that as long as the lyrics don't distract me (if there are no lyrics or lyrics in other languages that I don't understand), I can generally listen to anything while studying. But when I'm intensely studying for a test I prefer not to listen to any music so that I can use 100% of my concentration for studying.

[Asamidori]

I'm the kind that can completely ignore the lyric no matter how much I like it, so I usually just play whatever I'm liking at the moment as my work BGM.

[Daughter!]

I've found that I get really good concentration when I listen to electronic music like Aphex Twin.

[tripperazn]

I prefer silence/white noise while trying to "study", that way it's easier to make connections and to remember concepts.

When I'm doing math/physics problems that really only involve processing and not memory, I either listen to trance or classical.

I hear that reading/writing uses the same parts of the brain as listening to music, so that's why some have a hard time concentrating, or get slightly worse results with music.

[Mueti]

I'd rather not listen to music while studying most of the time; it's a distraction. If I really feel like putting something on then it has to be ambient, e.g. Eno's ambient series, Stars of the Lid, William Basinski or the like.