What is your Concentration Music?

[Domski]

Oh I don't know about that. I might start a list

 

[xld]

Well yes... I don't really want to see a music video with 10000 half naked anything, thankyou very much...

Then turn it off, that is what the button is for.

 

[MrKowz]

Well yes... I don't really want to see a music video with 10000 half naked anything, thankyou very much...

They still make music videos? I thought those died out around 2000 when Real World, Jackass, and all of those other tomfoolery shows took over MTV and VH1.

 

[Andrew Fergus]

When elbow or knee deep in VBA coding I like to drown out noise from others so will usually listen to either 80's music or rock. Blink 182 is usually the band of choice (love the drumming and power chords). I can also shut the door to my office if things are a bit noisy (luxury!).

I have often wondered why music? What is going on with the body that makes us choose music through headphones? How does bombarding ourselves with music help us concentrate more?

I think we want to control the noises we are hearing, which we couldn't normally do. Our subconcious can readily pre-process the noises we are about to hear, being music we are familiar with. Given we know the sounds that are coming we don't have to concentrate on them and we don't have to consciously process any unexpected noise. In effect we are blocking one of our senses so that we limit the amount of external uncontrolled information received (to almost nothing given we are visually glued to the screen). Which means we can concentrate more on what we are trying to do (hence the 'concentration' music).

Some personal observations that this:
1) try it with unfamiliar music and it doesn't have the same effect;
2) the speed with which the songs seem to fly by (just the one chorus!?),
3) the inability to recall in sequence the songs you have just listened to, and
4) the number of seconds it takes to re-engage your brain to an external interruption (e.g. a simple question like "tea or coffee?" - it may take say 5 seconds to respond.)

Cheers
Andrew

 

[MrKowz]

When elbow or knee deep in VBA coding I like to drown out noise from others so will usually listen to either 80's music or rock. Blink 182 is usually the band of choice (love the drumming and power chords). I can also shut the door to my office if things are a bit noisy (luxury!).

I have often wondered why music? What is going on with the body that makes us choose music through headphones? How does bombarding ourselves with music help us concentrate more?

I think we want to control the noises we are hearing, which we couldn't normally do. Our subconcious can readily pre-process the noises we are about to hear, being music we are familiar with. Given we know the sounds that are coming we don't have to concentrate on them and we don't have to consciously process any unexpected noise. In effect we are blocking one of our senses so that we limit the amount of external uncontrolled information received (to almost nothing given we are visually glued to the screen). Which means we can concentrate more on what we are trying to do (hence the 'concentration' music).

Some personal observations that this:
1) try it with unfamiliar music and it doesn't have the same effect;
2) the speed with which the songs seem to fly by (just the one chorus!?),
3) the inability to recall in sequence the songs you have just listened to, and
4) the number of seconds it takes to re-engage your brain to an external interruption (e.g. a simple question like "tea or coffee?" - it may take say 5 seconds to respond.)

Cheers
Andrew

I love the truly intellectual discussions that spawn on these forums.

You bring up some good points! I've noticed such things as well, especially in my choice of music I sleep to. I love sleeping to certain types of classical music (soundtracks to movies like Lord of the Rings or Gladiator are AMAZING). If I try to sleep to anything that has guitar or comlpex vocals, it keeps me awake.

 

[SuperFerret]

If I try to sleep to anything that has guitar or comlpex vocals, it keeps me awake.

So no Dragonforce for you then?

 

[HalfAce]

the songs seem to fly by (just the one chorus!?)

I've noticed this too. There have even been occasions where I've repeated the song because I didn't hear the parts I like best the first time through.

 

[HalfAce]

You know, there's something else I've noticed too.
Since when did bands start choosing such stupid, meaningless names?
Lady Ga Ga??? Come on!
Don't get me wrong, I've heard some of her music and it sounds just fine for the most part, but that name!...

What ever happened to "Mott The Hoople" and "Toad The Wet Sprocket", you know, band names that made some kind of sense?

 

[MrKowz]

What ever happened to "Mott The Hoople" and "Toad The Wet Sprocket", you know, band names that made some kind of sense?

Those make sense!? What is a Hoople!?

 

[HalfAce]

A Hoople?

Why, that's what Mott is. (...what else would it be?)