"Study" Music

[Thentus]

Actually, most of the time when I study I simply tend not to "listen" to it. As in, I do not really focus on it and it really SEEMS like a background thing while it is the only thing I am listening to .

I am currently writing this essay for next week, and I have notice that when I am actually thinking, I don't notice the music as my mind is preoccupied with other things, like writing an essay .

What is the psychological thing about ambient music, and other music? Unless it is EXTREMELY LOUD I don't see the problem.

[aka Providence]

Whenever there is time when I have to actually study seriously, I actually listen to what I listen to on a regular basis -- which is rock, metal (lots of metal), some rap, and anime songs. There's a small amount of instrumental stuff but they border on the intense most of the time. Most of the time though I'm familiar with the music already so the distraction level is zero.

The funny thing is I get good scores on the tests when I do that.

[Kristen]

When I try to study, most of the time I listen to anime soundtracks. Like, I prefer the more orchestra heavy ones, so things like Fate/Stay Night, EF, and Sola go really well. But even the synth heavy ones are fine too, like Kanon, Air, and Clannad. Rock heavy ones like Death Note are a no go.
Sometimes I also listen to Mahler (Generally either symphony 3 or 8), Copland, or some of the recent wind ensemble composers like Steven Reinke or Tichelli.

[oompa loompa]

ive only ever used music while writing.. i love the idea of trying to use music while studying, cos i get distracted really easily.. but it never works out too good.. only for maths or comp sc i guess.. but i guess i enjoy those subjects anyways, and can do them even if im slightly distracted.. when it comes down to nitty gritty reading and memorizing music doesnt work at all -_-

[Nenkitsune]

silence is a distraction for me and my attention killer.
in school i couldn't focus on any work given to me unless i had music.
same with studying. i'm not actually listening to it 90% of the time, I just use it to kill the silence.
I listen to anything though. metal, ska punk, oldschool punk, rock, and tons of anime tracks, jpop, jrock, etc.

[Edgewalker]

Sometimes when I was in college I would listen to the Kino no Tabi soundtrack while working on projects.

"Artistic" music in general is nice. Its actually the only music I listen to anyways.

[Zu Ra]

I have tests coming up next week recommend me some hymns chants calm type of music I need to study .......... preferably with little lyrics

[brocko]

I think it's already been proven that music has an effect on brain function with regards to learning and studying. The general consensus is that classical type of music helps enhances, while loud rockish types hinders instead.

Also a little tip to those that do study with music, just be careful because your brain may start getting use to the music and start relying on it as a trigger to increase brain perform and recall studied knowledge. And in cases of exams and such, you won't have the music there to help you through it.

[Zu Ra]

Is Budha Bar good study music . When I googled ' study music ' I came upon Buddha Bar a lot . is it great for studying ?

[grey_moon]

LOL I do study music too. I have a really really poor memory, but what I find is if I am studying (aka repeatedly doing model answers) to a piece of music I associate it. So during the exam when I am thinking about a subject I think of the music I was listening to at the time and the right info pops into my head.

Great isn't it.... NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOo it's horrible. I can't listen to some of my favourite pieces now since I get reminded of the horrible 2 weeks of exam cram I put myself through

[Kingdom]

Anything that's lyric intensive (ballads etc.) is usually a no for me. I'll get too distracted and just fall into the music (Kanye West and Ne-Yo are pretty bad for me -__-).

Usually, the best music for me to listen to studying is J-Pop and piano pieces.

[Yakult]

Originally Posted by brocko

I think it's already been proven that music has an effect on brain function with regards to learning and studying. The general consensus is that classical type of music helps enhances, while loud rockish types hinders instead.

Also a little tip to those that do study with music, just be careful because your brain may start getting use to the music and start relying on it as a trigger to increase brain perform and recall studied knowledge. And in cases of exams and such, you won't have the music there to help you through it.

I wonder if the Mozart Effect really exists

Silence seems to make my mind question why the silence exists; I start wondering where everyone is. I had a friend who used to have a CD with "sounds of the ocean". Maybe such compilations are beneficial while studying.

However, when I'm solving physics problems, it seems that since I'm actively using my brain, I can listen to any type of music. I'm guessing that this problem exists, for me at least, only while passively studying a subject (example: simply reading).

[Vexx]

Interestingly, I've seen Gregorian chant albums have positive effect

I think the "mozart effect" is iffy.... but Mozart had a knack for writing music that could both work beautifully as "background noise" for parties or meetings. Yet it can also be specifically listened to. Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" is another example --- but chamber music in general often has that dual functionality.

[brocko]

I know i believe in the Mozart effect, not limiting it to just music coming from Mozart though, but generally anything that has a slow, soft and relaxing calm to it. Loud, upbeat and high tempo sort of music I find just adds extra workload and stress to the brain, forcing it to decode 'difficult and heavy' sound messages, which in turn, detracts from your other brain functions such as thinking.

[Goshin]

I listen to music sometimes while I am doing work, most of the time I can't listen to music with english lyrics because I will start paying attention to the words and no do the work correctly. so I listen to anime/japanese music cause I can't understand the words and just hear the music. there are some task however that needs concetration and i can't listen to anything while I am doing it. recently while doing some excel homework, I found that I made more mistakes in entering values when i have music playing. its really cool when I type and listen to music cause I type to the rythm

[grey_moon]

Not quite studying, but I just had to learn a web app and tear someone's php/java code apart and re-write it. 30 hours with a few power naps and I'm still fresh thanks to any of the fast pace Naruto tracks (and lots of caffeine) is keeping my brain sharp

[reloaded]

side note: So many interesting topics in general chat...I should check this section a little more

When im studying there has to be a constant sound of some sort or itll feel odd. I generally tend to listen to calm old school Garage (Uk music) tunes, I wouldnt really listen to the words that much (although I probably know them off by heart) I would just be satisfied that im not sitting in silence.

One thing I dont fully understand is the fact that its so easy to remember song lyrics even if you dont necassarily like the song but its so easy to forget what you studied.

[thepainfulpain]

progressive metal makes me concentrate a lot since its not as heavy as other things i listen to

[Blizzer]

I can't concentrate on studying if there is absolute silence as my mind starts to wander, I usually have the radio, tv or stereo on low.

[KholdStare]

Originally Posted by Blizzer

I can't concentrate on studying if there is absolute silence as my mind starts to wander, I usually have the radio, tv or stereo on low.

Wow, yes, same here. My parents always comment on how the tv or music will distract me, but it's actually the other way around. As long as I'm not singing or humming along, a little noise is good for studying.