One of my favourite books, and something I go to regularly for a dose of reality when struggling the creative process is ‘The Creative Habit’ by dancer & choreographer Twyla Tharp.
It’s such a fascinating book, with some amazing insights and thoughts. I’m often surprised by just how relevant it is to my practice, despite being written over 20 years ago by an at-the-time sixty-something choreographer.
One thing which resonated particularly with me is the paragraph below. I’d be most interested to hear what you think…
Let’s have a discussion in the comments! Keep it kind :-)
Hey Sim, I read this book a while back when I saw it on your story. It seems to make it's way around all the composers I follow!
In regard to this paragraph, I think some part of the answer depends on who is doing the listening. For example, I think the non-musician putting on a classical playlist or lo-fi hip-hop playlist to study for an upcoming exam is okay because chances are they're not in-tune with the deeper things going on in the music (chord progressions, melodies, etc.). For a musician, I think it can serve as a distraction. It might pull you into listening and wondering about the things going on in the music instead of focusing on what task you currently have at hand.
Some other examples would be putting on the radio when going for a drive, listening to music in the kitchen, having it on in the background at a BBQ, etc. It's nice to break-up the silence with music, but it doesn't necessarily need to be the focus 100% of the time. I'm pretty sure that's how Performing Rights Organizations were developed since music served to create an atmosphere in places like restaurants. Even though sometimes music is used in the background, it actually serves to amplify an experience. Have you ever played Doom Eternal?
For me as someone in tune with music, I do at times listen to music while doing other tasks like commuting, studying, my office work, etc. I actually find it harder these days to listen intently as 'real life' serves as a good distraction. To prevent it from being a distraction in the idea of following chords and melodies, I often play ambient music. I've become a huge fan of Stars of the Lid, Chihei Hatakeyama, and Brian Eno to name a few as it's hard to attach yourself to a certain melody or progression. Ambient music does a great job at creating an atmosphere.
The other thing is that sometimes you have to turn off the music or podcast or whatever distraction you have and listen to nature, real nature, not a '10 hour nature soundscape with birds and streams' video. I think it's important these days to go do something and simply listen to what's going on around you. You have to let yourself get a little bored and let thoughts naturally come up. I think doing that really helps clear my head and allow thoughts that have been on the back-burner to come up to the surface.
Long story short, it's complicated!
I agree with her. I am a piano teacher and collaborative pianist, so I am actively listening to music on a daily basis. If I want to compose, I need silence. I understand that for many people listening to background music while working or studying is a very relaxing and healing experience, but I find it distracting. For me, listening to music is intentional and requires focus and attention.