Music to Write An Essay To
the perfect writing music – get an “a” with andrew
featuring artists like:
Fiona Joy Hawkins, Cesium Swimsuit, ODESZA, Flow, DJ Food, music2work2, Cliff Martinez, Moby, Aphex Twin
YouTube was the first place where essay writing music really kicked off. Long form instrumental tracks created the perfect balance of blocking external noise without distracting cognitive centers with words or lyrics. Often falling into the “New Age” category, it wasn’t the sexiest of genres and would never appear on radio but there was a huge and hungry audience.
Many of the tracks on this playlist have millions of streams and views and are very much people’s go to writing music, others are brand new compositions but are great at setting the optimal environment for getting the words out.
Here’s the thing though – there’s no way that every track on this list is going to work for you – it’s likely that you’ll experience some tracks as jarring or too disruptive or even too boring and soporific. The point of this playlist is less about stringing tracks together in a sequence and more about finding tracks that you can put on repeat and get into a state of creative flow – it’s why we generally prefer longer form submissions.
While we cover pretty much all genres and intensities, typically the tracks are ambient in nature, mid tempo and are instrumental. There are some tracks with the odd word or two but there is no lyrical story telling to distract the writer when they’re trying to get their own words out.
Wait – Adam Protz
10 September 2021
Part of me wants to talk about the texture of the piano, the organic mechanical sound of the instruments and the lush patches that bring color, warmth and indeed protection, but what I really want to talk about is time.Calling County Clare – Fiona Joy Hawkins
23 June 2020
Some sheer unabashed emotional manipulation coming your way this week ;-p Yep – if you’re tired of your apartment’s four walls, let alone your roommate (or child’s) disinclination to shower – then I have a treat for you!..
Tolling of the Fire Bell – Fiona Joy Hawkins, Jill Haley, Eugene Friesen
31 January 2020
I just wrote something i’m kinda proud of. Not that I’m a big fan of pride – it being one of the seven deadly sins or so – but – i really had to work at this one – it took me a long time to work out what i wanted to say and – in the process of doing that – it changed me and will change my behavior in the future…
Lux Aeterna – Clint Mansell
23 March 2017
Another writer from the PLOS article, this time Ed Yong, Science writer at The Atlantic. He only had one recommendation – this track and here’s what he had to say about music to write to:
Summer Fog – The Album Leaf
7 March 2017
I’ve received a lot of e-mails asking me how I write. The simple answer is, I write late at night, with my headphones on, listening to music. These are some songs I really like, especially for writing. They frequently find a place on my midnight playlist. I hope you like them, too.
The first visual memory I have is that of the white upright piano in Singapore, Hell and the Dark Forces lived at the bottom, Heaven and the Angels at the top, they would play battles through my fingers and I was hooked.
As a psychology graduate I studied how sound affects human performance.
As a musician I compose instrumental music that stimulates your brain but doesn't mess with your language centers, leaving you free to be creative and brilliant without distraction.
As a curator I research how music can improve your life and create flow - I can tell you what music to listen to when studying for a test and why listening to sad music can make you feel better.
As a creator / contributor at musicto I’m part of a global creator community that collaborates through music. You can learn more about our community here.