Music while reading?

[islandclimber]

The ONLY music that doesn't prevent me from focusing on the book, is the beautiful piano concertos by Rachmaninov. Otherwise, ANY music is such a distraction for me that I end up LISTENING (...and dreaming...) and not reading.

I love listening to his piano concertos while I read as well, especially 2 and 3...

and then Mozart's Requiem I can do, I have always loved the mood this music has for any particularly sad or tragic story...

and Abbess Hildegard of Bingen... A Feather on the Breath Of God... There are a couple good versions of this, and I love it for reading... it is so wonderful and relaxing... and immerses you in beauty...

and recently: Oliver Schroer--- Camino... it is so amazing, what he does with a fiddle in this piece.... it is so relaxing, and beautiful... it turns the fiddle into a sad and soft instrument, lonely and forlorn and melancholy, and then joyous at the same time... it is wonderful...

[capek]

I don't listen to music while I read any more, although I can, but I use to when I was a teen, and always enjoyed the combination a lot. For me, they always combined in interesting ways. For instance, I had this great synesthetic experience with the combination of Radiohead's The Bends, and Clive Barker's The Great and Secret Show. Not something I could really communicate, just that the experience of reading the book while listening to the music was such that the two are totally linked in my memory, and both together take on a great significance than either would have on its own.

[SleepyWitch]

last week, I read Pride and Prejudice and listened to Iron Maiden at the same time, of all bands. It didn't distract me at all, although I normally don't listen to music while reading.

[sixxfretz]

I listened to The Shins while reading Of Human Bondage, i found that the music matched the mood of the novel perfectly, i had New Slang on a loop

[Janine]

New Age music works well, because it is relaxing and not invasive/distracting to my reading. I often listen to soundtrack recordings also, while reading. I try to pick one that is synonymous with the novel's tone. I collect soundtracks so I have a ton to choose from.

[moose gurl]

I listened to The Shins while reading Of Human Bondage, i found that the music matched the mood of the novel perfectly, i had New Slang on a loop

God that song is so good. I've never thought about listening to it while reading but I can see how it would match my mood sometimes. Very mellow. The Shins are awesome.

[Sir Bartholomew]

I tried it once with Wild Sargasso Sea and My Bloody Valentine, and it worked. But I wouldn't try it again.

[asilef73]

i always listen to music when i'm reading. can't seem to focus without it.

[Ryduce]

I believe I'm gonna go try it right now.

I'm thinking either Brahms or Ravel.

[Trillian]

I used to love to listen to music whilst reading! My favorites were Dead Can Dance - A Passage in Time, and Beethoven, turned low.

Then I got cats. Now it goes something like: Bum bum bum bum *MROW* Bum bum bum bum *cat head-butts the book* Bum bum bum bum *PURRRR, MROW, cat lays down on the page I am reading* Bum bum bum bum *Trillian locks herself in the bedroom and reads in silence, 'til the cats start scratching at the door*

[thelastmelon]

I listen to a lot of African music in general, and also when I read. I can't understand the lyrics, so they don't get mixed with what I'm reading, and the rythms works well with most everything. I mostly listen to Salif Keita, Oumou Sangare and Angelique Kidjo.

Classical music would be good as well, but I don't listen to it much, so I don't know what I prefer or would like the most.

[sprinks]

It depends on what mood I'm in as well as what I'm reading. In general though definitely classical music is the way to go. Most of my friends already thought it was weird that I read so much, so when they discovered that I like to listen to classical music often, they really thought I was weird! apparently thats not "cool" these days for a teenager .... but I never have been normal!

The main reason I don't think I'd even try listening to modern music while reading is because if it has to do with school I can almost be certain that I'd end up replacing words from the books with lyrics from the songs! Luckily sometimes though when I'm trying to recall something I've read and I was listening to music at the time if i get the tune in my head I can remember what it was faster. But I'm quite sure that this isn't a good thing to become reliant on!

[Classrocker24]

i am listening to music almost constantly...when i sleep, read, do laundry, watch tv, play games, just about everything. the type of music i listen to is more relaxing, chill out music, suck as REM, radiohead, oar, dave matthews, hootie and the blowfish, all that sort of thing.
on a side note, i have been fascinated lately with the effect of music on people's mood. i myself have begun taking my ipod to class and listening to it in one ear, and i notice a definately more positive experience during classes...just kind of interesting...

[toni]

I don't listen to rock while reading, I don't know, the drums and the bass seem to distract me. So I just listen to mellow songs from Coldplay or Nothing in My Way, Try Again, Walnut Tree from Keane are also good songs to listen to when reading. Something classical always works like Mozart's requiem

[naomi moon]

I do like reading and listening to music in the same time, I listen to rock music actually, and that's weird, lol! I am addicted to music and I do enjoy my addiction most of time. But when I'm tired cuz that's when I really can't concentrate on whatever I'm reading I simply drop music, and carry on reading.