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Ray Group: Members Posts: 857 Joined: Jan. 2000 Posted: Nov. 08 2011, 07:40 This is taken from the BBC news item from today. I certainly have found that listening to Tubular Bells or Ommadawn or incantations whilst studying was far better than listening to music with words. Ray See below............. BBC News Excerpt.... The neuro-nonsensical notion became known as the Mozart effect. And the IQ claims started with a science paper in the journal Nature in 1993. The research described an experiment in which Californian university students did a series of spatial reasoning tasks. The students who heard a Mozart piano piece before the testing began did a bit better than those who listened to relaxation tape music or silence. But the sonata-charged enhancement disappeared after about 15 minutes. Within a couple of years, the media had snowballed this interesting observation into the concept that playing Mozart to young children made them brainier. Companies marketed and sold CDs of the musical genius' works for this purpose. In the USA in 1998, the state of Georgia issued mothers of newborn babies with their own Mozart discs. Some people theorised that the musical structures of Mozart's compositions had a special biological influence on the brain's wiring. In subsequent studies, the truth turned out to be more mundane. It emerged that any piece of stimulating music just before a series of brain teasers makes you more alert and enthusiastic so you perform a little better. ( End of BBC News Excerpt) -------------- Looking out over the harbour in Peel....... Back to top

Ugo Group: Members Posts: 5495 Joined: April 2000 Posted: Nov. 08 2011, 18:40 I don't normally listen to music while studying. It distracts me too much. But I do listen to lots of music while I drive my car. And I have to admit that listening to wordless music while I drive is indeed very satisfying and stimulating. My mom says that the great advantage of instrumental music is that I don't have to worry about following words with my head while I drive - and she's perfectly right, of course. But the worse side of this is that, apart from Mike and (maybe) Moby, no-one currently does good instrumental music any longer - or, to be more specific, instrumental music that I like enough to accompany me on a long journey by car. Classical? Well, yes, but I know most of the classical stuff I have well enough that I start humming tunes in my head while I listen and drive - and that's distracting. Is there anyone else? JMJ is pretty much dead. Vangelis is too. Kitaro and the New Age stuff - never really liked it. Enya? Great for listening at home, but too soft for the road. A great contemporary composer, who I absolutely love, is Hans Zimmer. But he only does soundtracks. Most of them are stunning, but it may happen that he does stuff which only works within the movie he's doing it for, and it sounds like shit without the images. For example, his Inception soundtrack is fantastic, but you have to have seen the movie before listening to it. Otherwise it's just pure crap. Do any of you out there have any suggestions? -------------- Ugo C. - a devoted Amarokian Back to top

bee Group: Members Posts: 1227 Joined: Jan. 2004 Posted: Nov. 09 2011, 03:16 Jon Hopkins is good.  I don't know much of his work, but what I have heard is definitely good.  As for driving with it, well a long open road maybe, no traffic...early morning perhaps. It could be a little too 'ambient' I can recommend Bob The Screamer's Adventuring, for me it's perfect for a long journey. -------------- ....second to the right and straight on till morning.... You heard me before Yet you hear me again Then I die Till I call me again Back to top

Ugo Group: Members Posts: 5495 Joined: April 2000 Posted: Nov. 11 2011, 17:13 Is that Jon Hopkins = the live keyboardist for Coldplay? I didn't know he did stuff on his own. Ambient, you say? Well, ambient can shape itself in lots of different forms.  Some of it is remarkable for having no beats at all, and that's definitely not the kind of stuff for me, because keeping a beat with my fingers or with my feet definitely helps me to drive. Anyway, I shall check him out. Thanks. -------------- Ugo C. - a devoted Amarokian Back to top

bee Group: Members Posts: 1227 Joined: Jan. 2004 Posted: Nov. 14 2011, 10:19 Quote (Ugo @ Nov. 11 2011, 17:13) Is that Jon Hopkins = the live keyboardist for Coldplay? I didn't know he did stuff on his own. the very same I have an album called Insides, and quite like it. the Wire I like this, and the whole album grows on you slowly -------------- ....second to the right and straight on till morning.... You heard me before Yet you hear me again Then I die Till I call me again Back to top

Sir Mustapha Group: Musicians Posts: 2802 Joined: April 2003 Posted: Nov. 16 2011, 05:10 Dude... Mogwai! They're not as awesome today as they were in the late 90's/early 00's, but nonetheless, their last few records are still worth listening. They record one of two songs with words once in a while, but the effect is pretty much the same as instrumental music. If you dig that stuff, there are plenty of post rock/math rock/post-post rock or whatever they call that stuff such as Battles. And, hey, lots of people here make good instrumental music too -- I even made a record for driving -- so watch yer goddamn mouth. I find that the presence or absence of words makes absolutely 0 difference to me when I need to focus. I can isolate the words pretty well, even when I understand them perfectly -- they just sink into the level of the sounds themselves, and it all goes fine. The problem, in fact, with listening to music while doing something else is that I am unable to listen to music without being sucked into it completely, and the outside world nearly disappears... which in certain occasions is a problem. And I was always very skeptical about that "classical music makes you SMART!" thing. It always seemed either like a media trick to increase sales of classical records, or yet another way for classical listeners to feel superior than the others. I just didn't figure that it was an actual scientific study that got blown out of proportion. That is truly sad. -------------- Check out http://ferniecanto.com.br for all my music, including my latest albums: Don't Stay in the City, Making Amends and Builders of Worlds. Also check my Bandcamp page: http://ferniecanto.bandcamp.com Back to top

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