Music is pretty much constant in my room. It’s the first thing I do on my computer when I wake up in the morning and the last thing I hear before I go to bed. I do not purport to be a music guru, and I don’t have very diverse taste, but I do love it.
Usually my mood decides what genre I listen to, for which I have several corresponding playlists. My “shlep” playlist is about 20 songs of mellow, indie music that I put on before retiring to my blankets, if I don’t decide to put on a Disney movie or one of the Harry Potter audio books. When I feel like singing, the “sing” playlist — creative, huh? — is full of tunes that I can’t help but sing along to. I defer to “boom” when I want something funky and instrumental or sound-effects-heavy featuring Daft Punk, Ratatat and Gorillaz. Then of course are the indie, emo, and booty-popping playlists, and the one with the “songs that make me go AH.”
Then I have my “good and hard.” It includes my friends Avenged Sevenfold, Metallica, Dethklok, Killswitch Engage, Disturbed, The Burning of Rome and several other similar bands. And they are my study buddies. While many people probably default to classical, soft or easy-listening music during intense study sessions, I go for metal.
It probably seems counter-intuitive to focusing, but it works for me much in the same way classical does. The soft, soothing melodies of a symphony always put me at ease. Without the temptation to sing or drum my fingers along to the rhythm, productivity is a great side effect. But I like dynamic sounds and fast-paced beats. I like the accelerated thumping of my heart, the automatic head-bobbing and the way my leg bounces in sync. It keeps me alert and awake. It actually makes me work.
With some bands, Dethklok especially, the extremely gutteral and monotone vocals sort of meld into the thrashing sounds of the band; it’s just noise. It’s still rhythmic and definitely has a melody, but once I enter the studying frame of mind, it almost turns into a buzz with a subliminal “get your shit done” undertone. Occasionally, I’ll fade out and hear “turn to the chapter concerning your death,” “You’re so fucking weak. I’m so fucking strong. That’s right,” or a checklist for murdering mermaids, giggle a bit, but quickly return to my metal zen studying.
I highly recommend all of the aforementioned bands, and some particular favorites, All That Remains, Opeth and Demon Hunter, for anyone in want of some hardcore studying.