I’m working on a long legal brief tonight, third day in a row. Due Monday. Tonight’s music: Tori Amos, “Scarlet’s Walk.” Currently playing: A sweet and lofty song called “Your Cloud.”
My brief-writing music earlier today: “In Stride,” an album by an excellent eccentric jazz group called “Oregon,” featuring Ralph Towner, stunningly good on both piano and guitar. Check out the comments for a sample video, a song called “If.”
When it’s time to do mechanical proof-reading, I sometimes ride the hypnotic energy of Essentials of Deadmau5. Played Loudly. Rather amazing thing about Deadmau5. He composes on a regular keyboard (numbers and letters, not a keyboard that looks like a piano). I watched his Masterclass course and was mesmerized.
I have a difficult time sitting still when reading and writing 12 hours per day. Music helps to keeps me in my seat. . .
I have many other favorite artists, but many of them take my focus too easily from the legal work to the music (e.g., Wes Montgomery, Tower of Power, Sarah Tavares, and lots and lots of covers).
Kudos. I have to turn off all music to write. I’m a pretty good theoretician and arranger, and can’t listen to a piece for enjoyment only while turning off analysis. Then my scarce brain matter is overwhelmed and I give up the easiest one first – writing.
Bill, I should have mentioned that I cannot listen to music at the beginning conceptual blank-page stages of writing. I need total silence. I can only listen to music with words (while writing) when I hear the words as a music instrument and I’m not hearing them as communicated ideas. Probably half of my time writing is in silence. I’m wired much like you, much of the time.