Welcome to Gaia! ::

These days, I only really listen to string instrumentals while writing (and that's really the only time I listen to music anymore). In particular, Mundi's Apple Howling, E. Muzeki's Sindh, and the Tea Merchants' titular album, thrown into a playlist on shuffle.

I also particularly like the music of Celtic Woman and Loreena McKennitt, but only for certain things, like cleaning house and whatnot. Ooh, and I strongly recommend the soundtrack of The Red Violin, as well as the movie.

As for write-fu, I find that lyrics and certain kinds of rhythms interrupt my thought process when I'm writing. Five years ago I would have said this is bull, but I need to be able to hear the rhythm of the sentences I'm coming up with, and certain kinds of music seem to get in the way of that. That's why I mostly listen to string instrumentals these days; I find them less intrusive than, say, Josh Groban crooning away in Italian. Not that I don't love Josh Groban, mind you. He's just not for writing.

I'm also crap at finding "mood music" for writing, since my exposure to music is actually pretty limited. Everything I listen to is either up-tempo and renfesty, or mysterious and woo-woo. Or from musicals. So no mood music for me.

@Rae: It's been a while since I've seen The Red Violin, all I really remember is that one dude having sex while playing the violin. Also Samuel L. Jackson because he's hard to forget.

I used to listen to classical almost exclusively while writing (either that or G&S operettas) but any more I go for a mixture of Whatever. My current R&N playlist is a lot of Elbow, Beirut, Vienna Teng, Mark Schultz because I'm a dork, a smidgeon of Heather Dale and some Powerhouse 5000. Mostly smoother stuff with some rock.

I listen to music a lot, even if it's only for the background noise. Occasionally I find it too distracting (usually if I'm enjoying the music too much) and have to either turn it off or find something like Enya that melts into the background better.

[edit] And Celtic Woman I'm not very familiar with, although they have a version of Carol of the Bells I like and their Ave Maria isn't bad. I like collecting covers of both songs. xd

I do listen to music, mostly because it helps block out background noise, and since I'm probably going to get up and pace ANYWAY having music lets me time the pacing. I usually listen to whatever pops up on Pandora unless it's REALLY distracting, or just put on the iPod and play it... mostly because there aren't too many distracting songs.

I usually only match music to mood if I'm pacing--my brain makes little music videos when that happens. That and the combination of music and walking helps my brain work better.

I tend to listen to Nightwish, Apocalyptica, Gackt, and whatever the hell I find on the internet. Totally legitimately, of course. >_> I also have a fondness for the Toroden Dance when I'm writing Rags for some reason. It's one of those things you have to hear to believe. Also, the Leekspin song.

I listen to... um... I have no idea how to describe my tastes in music. I'm kinda discovering that they're pretty typical alternative, but I don't even know what this does and does not encompass. I do have a set of... well, they're not exactly requirements, more like observations.

1. I'm a sucker for a nice melody: I prefer Debussy to Mozart because Mozart likes to pile a thousand melodies on top of each other and not have them last very long. This is why I will never like Gackt, though I find what I hear about him endlessly entertaining.

2. If there are lyrics, they have to be interesting. They can be nonsense. I like nonsense. But they have to at least shoot for some insight. None of this pop romance. I will put up with Super 80's stuff, like "We're Awesome Because WE'RE AWESOME" because it packs so much conviction into it, it's kinda impossible not to like.

Oh dear, I came up with more, but I forgot them. There are more. There are lots more. I think "everything's better in Spanish" is in there somewhere.

As for writing, well, I come up with thematic soundtracks for whatever I'm writing. Helps set the mood, and remind me of the themes, and whatnot. And it's really hard to write a scene of sober realization when something really energetic comes on.

And Bon Iver just came up on iTunes, and I remembered that they used Bon Iver in New Moon, and I'm listening to "Skinny Love" and I'm pretty sure it's about an abusive relationship and I kinda want to find out what songs they used for New Moon, because it would be hilarious if they used one that was actually totally opposite of what Stephanie Meyer intended. And I am trying to see how many clauses I can stick into a sentence without making it a grammatical run-on, as opposed to simply an aesthetic one.

I have never liked Mozart, actually. I always preferred Beethoven.

@Rae: Yeah, they have (or had, it's been a while since I watched it) a youtube up for Carol of the Bells and their stage presence annoyed me, especially because they seem to be the type that won't stop smiling while they sing, to the point of looking unnatural. I know smiling while singing is important, but I think only to the extent that you don't look bored or irritated with what you're doing (even though sometimes you are xd ).

[edit] Aha, it is still up: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKrx-4Awe70 Watching it again, I do really like the movements of their violinist, but even she seems like she's trying too hard to be pretty, smiling, and uplifting. Chill out, guys. Oh God even their chorus smiles too much it's like the Stepford Wives gonk

I think my favorite Carol of the Bells is the Trans-Siberian Orchestra's instrumental, though. So far my favorite Ave Maria was actually in the Hitman movie, because they played it creepy and that's a creepy song.

More pacing while getting words straight in my head. sweatdrop I would write while pacing, but I don't have anything that can survive a high-speed fall that I can type on. sweatdrop

Let me see...

Most of my "Elmarien, start writing" musics are from Voltaire (I think you know him from The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, he's the singer of BRAINS! and Land of the Dead). His evil songs are really wonderful when writing my villains.

Another band that pops up a little too much in my playlist is Rasputina. I have a few loose songs - Fire & Ice, 1816, The Year Without a Summer, A Retinue of Moons, In Old Yellowcake.

Lots of rock bands have joined my playlist: Deep Purple, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, R.E.M., Metallica, Led Zeppelin and Rolling Stones.

And, of course, I have a few treasures in this playlist. Hi, LazyTown, hello, Reachground, HELLO, Dschinghis Khan, hi, Glee Cast.

Moscow, Moscow/ drinking vodka all night long/ keeps you happy, makes you strong/ Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho, HEY!