Happy Friday! Today I’m sharing a bit of a different post from usual: a playlist. I’ve been wanting to get more creative with my posts lately. I’d like to try video, use my own photography instead of stock photos, and add different types of media (like music) to posts, not just pictures. So here’s a start!
What’s on the playlist?
I don’t consider myself well-versed in music on the whole at all. I don’t listen to much pop, rap, or rock music, although I do get the occasional catchy tune stuck in my head. I usually listen to jazz and folk music, and I love new age piano music. My parents introduced me to the genre when I was eight and it’s been my favorite ever since.
It’s hard to describe what I love so much about this piano music. It evokes very strong emotions for me, although that would differ for everyone. I like that it doesn’t have lyrics, so I’m not directed to think about a particular person or situation while listening. And I love all of the brief pauses and longer silences interspersed with the musical phrases. In my last religion class, we talked a lot about the power of intentional pauses during sermons or guided prayer–they leave time for the listener to let the words echo, to reflect, and to anticipate what’s next. The same can be said for silence within music, I think. Tasteful lack of sound actually evokes more emotion than constant noise.
Long story short, this playlist is mainly new age piano songs. (There are a just couple of electric songs thrown in.) Even if you haven’t heard of the genre, give it a try! They’re really beautiful–I’ve converted E 😛
Why “thinking and clarity”?
Basically, I’ve got hundreds of new age piano songs in my Spotify library and I’ve been wanting to organize them into playlists for certain occasions or emotions for quite a while.
So, it follows that these are the songs that I usually listen to when I’m writing, or thinking about what I want to write, or thinking about a decision I need to make in general. (I listened to the playlist while writing this post, actually.) They’ve got pretty even tempos and not much dynamic variation, which is conducive to focus for me. And the playlist is about an hour long, which is approximately how long I can usually focus without taking a break.
Just hit play and write or think away. 🙂
(You can listen to song previews on the list above, but you’ll need Spotify to find the full playlist. Don’t worry, it’s free! My username is c_branz–thank you, high school self, for that very cool name–and the playlist is called “Thinking & Clarity.”)
But I’d love to know what genres of music you like and what songs you’re listening to right now! Comment below with your favorites. Also, if you’d like, feel free to share your Spotify information! I’m always up for listening to something new.