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.
Flow – FLOW
28 March 2018
I’m in love with this track – I’m listening to it on repeat as I write this.
It has helped me outline the post, encouraged me to focus on what I want to say and created a perfect sonic environment where the outside world has disappeared – it’s just me and the text – and it feels great!
Leidseplein – Klangriket & Sjors Mans
28 March 2018
It’s the ticking clock.
Oh sure, it isn’t always there – you don’t always hear it, but you feel it – feel it in the same way we all do when something is due – when time is running out and we actually have to create. And make no mistake, writing is a creative act and creating is hard – which is why this playlist exists – to make it easier 😉
Three King Fishers – Gábor Szabó
20 March 2018
There’s many ways you can use music to help you write your essay. Sometimes you want something that will set a conducive environment for FLOW – other times you want something that evokes a certain emotion or memory – but every now and then – like this week – you want something to give you energy and get you going.
Lady in Red – Afrosamuraiist
7 March 2018
You know one of my favorite websites?
http://www.ismercuryinretrograde.com/
When I’m feeling like I currently am it’s a definite go to ‘cos when it says “Yes” I can relax knowing that the weird discombobulating shit that’s surrounding me is down to weird ass planetary mechanics and completely out of my control.
In Case of Trouble – Darren Korb
28 February 2018
Still kind of discombobulated but almost getting my shit back together – it’s at times like these that I’m grateful to listen to every track submitted by the entire music to community of curators. While most aren’t suitable for the Essay Writing playlist – some are just gems!
Threnody – Frozen Silence
20 February 2018
It’s been a pretty odd few days – my dog died, I flew to Scotland, my mum had surgery, I didn’t sleep and I’m pretty much all over the place – I had no track for this week and by chance this submission landed right in my lap.
Malagueña – Petri Kumela, Joonas Wideniu, Manuel Granados
14 February 2018
I’m fascinated by music’s transportive qualities – the ability to transport or cause transports. And while I often think of the emotional aspect – how music can move your emotional state – today i’m more intrigued by its ability to ‘virtually” transport you across the globe.
Erland – Joonas Widenius
7 February 2018
Do you ever wonder why we do this? By “We” I mean Music Curators – people who show up every week and write about a track and share it out to the world? We do it for tracks like this – for people like Joonas Widenius.
Growing Up – Igor Longhi
31 January 2018
I’m having a bit of a piano week – actually I’m having a bit of an Igor Longhi week! 😉 His beautiful melancholic track Broken Soul is featured on the Music to Grieve to list and while running through his catalog I feel in love with this track too.
Equilinox Main Theme – Jamal Green
23 January 2018
I’m a big fan of video game soundtracks for writing to – as evidenced here and here – they exist solely to accompany you doing something – and hell – what’s the difference between writing and killing a few trolls?
Green Sugar – Kikagaku Moyo
16 January 2018
Sometimes all you need is a grooving bass line and everything falls into place. There’s just something about the constant motion, the repetition, the familiarity of tracks like this that just make them easy to write to.
Imagination – Elskavon
10 January 2018
I’m grinning, I’m grinning because I like smart music – I like people who make smart music – I think listening to smart music when I’m writing rubs off on me and makes me a better writer!
I do!
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.