The Power of Music

[ladyseishou]

Music gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination.

- Plato





Likened to a kind of sonic caffeine or creativity endorphin, "music can be used to activate, stimulate and relax the mind and body," says Don Campbell, a classical musician, producer and author of eight books about the influence of music, including The Mozart Effect: Tapping the Power of Music to Heal the Body, Strengthen the Mind and Unlock the Creative Spirit.

But beyond Mozart and similar classical music, "the key is finding the right kind of music to stimulate creativity," says Gerald Haman, a creativity trainer with SolutionPeople, a creative brainstorming group in Chicago. "I recommend a variety, because every time the music shifts from one style to another, your brain shifts wave patterns, making you think in a slightly different way. I advise my clients to make their own recordings, in short segments, kind of like a 'brain barrage,' or like a channel scan on TV, except it's all musical."

A variety of music is also recommended by Vincent Tan of Polymath Programmer:

You need to have fast paced and slow soothing and everything in between. If you only have fast paced pop/rock songs, your mind will shut down from exhaustion. Intersperse that rapid flow of music with a graceful waltz or relaxing cello solo to give your mind a jig. This prevents your mind from getting stuck into a rut and also provides continuous stimulation. The shuffle function of your favourite music player is your friend here.

When selecting music to enhance creativity, Tan also feels that it is important to include music that evokes strong emotion and has a familiar tune "such that you can hum the tune and still be able to function."

When the music all comes together, Tan says that he gets into "The Zone": "where you tune out everything and your muse is talking directly to you."

So what about you, Nano Writer? What music puts you in the zone? Do you have a soundtrack for your NaNoWriMo novel yet? And if not a soundtrack, how about a theme song? Share your playlists with us and tell us why the music works for you!

If you have a hard time getting started, here are a few links to the NaNoWriMo forums from last year that may inspire you. But visit soon as the forums are deleted sometime October to make room for the new!


General

NaNo Soundtracks - NaNoWriMo music forum

Does your novel have a theme song?

Your Novel's Theme Song


Specific Theme Music

What SINGLE SONG do you think reflects your MC best?

Couple Theme Songs

Car Chase Music

Any EPIC fight scene songs out there?

Death Scene Music


Bibliography

Tan, Vincent. "Coaxing Creativity with Music." Tapping Creativity. 17 Dec. 2007. Web. 31 Aug. 2009. <http://tappingcreativity.blogspot.com/>.

Wohlfarth, Jenny. "Designers Tell How Music Influences Creativity." HOW. 21 Jan. 2008. Web. 31 Aug. 2009. <http://www.howdesign.com/generalmenu>.

Comments

[dragonjournal]

Music is the only reason I can write at times. It fades into the background and pushes all the creativity forward. Depending on what I'm writing dictates the soundtrack.

I have several soundtracks for different projects. One goes from soft melodic instrumental, to hard, heavy thrash metal. Because that's what happens to my MC.

I've got others, and it all depends on what the story entails.

Several things that work for me: Asian drum music, movie soundtracks, story songs (songs that tell a story), and classics. (I once wrote a short story to Handel's Water Music)

[ladyseishou]

Asian drum music sounds very intriguing! Can you recommend something for a neophyte?

I really love soundtracks - I'm very much a lazy person when it comes to putting together my own playlist from scratch especially for a new project. Often it's a good match if I can find a movie/show/anime OST that has a similar theme or mood that I'm trying to work on. The same with classical music but perhaps in a broader sense.

Great suggestions!

[dragonjournal]

I like Kiyoshi Yoshida's CD's. (Amazon has them) They have a real flow to them. (Best thing I got from a jerk of an ex, really)

[ladyseishou]

Thank you very much for your suggestion! Kiyoshi Yoshida is very cool! I especially like "Dragon" from his Matsuri CD - very dramatic and evocative of the beast itself. It will be perfect for fantasy writing this November!

[dee_groovy]

interesting!

I'll have to ponder on this, and update my journal with a response (and make sure it's set to public if anyone would like to comment :)

[ladyseishou]

Looking forward to your update!