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Music Soothes the Savage. . . code?

by CloneArmyCommander (Friar)
on Nov 15, 2004 at 19:37 UTC ( [id://407926]=perlmeditation: print w/replies, xml ) Need Help??

I did not realize until earlier today how much music influences my code, especially perl code since it seems to take some of its syntax from English. Some of you Monks who live in the Houston area have probably noticed that Rock 101 has been taken off the air and replaced by rap music, but that isn't the point of this meditation. As I have scanned past postings to Perl Poetry I have noticed this trend, using music to influence code (I generally use Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, as I code into the midnight hours ;). But, this led me to notice how much Perl code has come to take on characteristics of something that is more towards the creative part of the brain, including code that is integrated into ASCII art :). Sorry if I am stating the obvious, but it was a thought that came to mind and seemed to fit as a meditation ;).

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Re: Music Soothes the Savage. . . code?
by Yendor (Pilgrim) on Nov 15, 2004 at 21:02 UTC

    Stating the obvious, but you're not the first person to make this connection (nor am I, for that matter.)

    What I have found is that what kind of music one likes to listen to during "crunch time" depends highly on (drum roll, please...) what kind of music one likes to listen to.

    No, really.

    For me, I code best when listening to popular classical music (Overture of 1812, Holst's Mars, Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, Ravel's Bolero.) However, I know other coders who do their best "writing" to Tool, or Megadeth, or something else that makes my ears fall off.

    So, I guess, whatever stimulates the creative part of your brain also helps the analytical part. Matter of fact, now that I think about it, there was a report on NPR this morning during Morning Edition about doctors who play musical instruments. Unfortunately, it came on just as I arrived at work, and it wasn't exactly a Driveway Moment kind of story for me. Would be interesting to go back and listen to it now, though...

      what kind of music one likes to listen to during "crunch time" depends highly on ... what kind of music one likes to listen to.

      Strangely enough, I find that the opposite is true for me. I very seldom listen to trance (I don't have any trance on cds or mp3), but when I'm coding, there's no substitute for it. Might be the repetetiveness, the fast beat or the (usually at least) lack of lyrics, but it sure makes me code faster and better.

      There's a very nice shoutcast called Tag's Trance Trip that I recommend if you'd like to try if it works for you too.

      jobi

        SomaFM has some killer grooves, as well. Their Groove Salad is a great trance station, and Drone Zone is lo-beat ambient. Both make for excellent background music.

        Personally, what I listen to depends on what kind of code I'm writing. If I have the algorithm all figured out and I'm just slapping down reference code, I'll go for harder tunes and trance. When doing work that requires deep concentration, like detailed refactors or complicated debugging sessions, Ambient is the way to go.


        radiantmatrix
        require General::Disclaimer;
        Perl is

Re: Music Soothes the Savage. . . code?
by Zaxo (Archbishop) on Nov 16, 2004 at 04:01 UTC

    Thelonious Monk, naturally.

    After Compline,
    Zaxo

Re: Music Soothes the Savage. . . code?
by zentara (Archbishop) on Nov 16, 2004 at 11:43 UTC
    The Music of the Spheres

    As an aside, I was listening to a jazz show interview of Thelonius Monks's father, and they asked him about why he named Thelonious with the initials T.S. ?

    He said the S. stands for Sphere, "because he definitely ain't square". :-)


    I'm not really a human, but I play one on earth. flash japh
Re: Music Soothes the Savage. . . code?
by csuhockey3 (Curate) on Nov 16, 2004 at 06:34 UTC
    the live Metallica S&M concert is the best of both worlds -- enough tempo to keep you working, yet not too overpowering that you can tune it out; Nirvana Unplugged is a favorite as well. It's intresting to see how your mood (or music, usually one reflects the other) find their way in to code.
Re: Music Soothes the Savage. . . code?
by Anonymous Monk on Nov 15, 2004 at 22:07 UTC
    Paranoid, Communication Breakdown, and When the Levy Breaks .. yep, I diagnose Cube Farm Depression for you.
Re: Music Soothes the Savage. . . code?
by TedPride (Priest) on Nov 16, 2004 at 16:03 UTC
    Studies have shown that classical music tends to improve concentration, and rock music tends to disrupt it. Something to do with how the format of the music builds logic connections in the brain. Given, the latter is probably better at waking you up (unless you listen to Sousa), but I don't really see how it could improve your coding.

    Rap is about as useful as shooting yourself in the head.

      The occasional disruption is a good thing for some people. If you're prone to getting into intellectual ruts, and need to shake up your complacency to get a fresh look at code and get interested in it again, then disrupting influences like rock might be exactly what you need.

      For my own part, I listen to a wide range of things (probably two songs in a thousand being "rap" of any description, and certainly not any gangsta rap or hip hop). I set XMMS to random and let it play. There's a great deal of rhythmic, complex, energetic stuff to keep my focus at its peak, with occasional jarring changes in musical style to help keep the code from turning into a homogenized blur.

      I find, though, that Wagner is truly awful for coding, as is Tom Waits. The former just makes me want to watch Looney Toons, and the latter makes me wonder at my own sanity for having such odd sounds on my playlist.

      - apotheon
      CopyWrite Chad Perrin

Re: Music Soothes the Savage. . . code?
by benizi (Hermit) on Nov 16, 2004 at 20:59 UTC

    Lately, I've been listening to classic Nintendo Entertainment System video game music, via (the oddly named) "nosefart" utility, mainly a lot of Mega Man and the Castlevania series. VG music tends to be upbeat and goal oriented. Plus it subconsciously makes the coding seem like more fun than it is...

Re: Music Soothes the Savage. . . code?
by dreadpiratepeter (Priest) on Nov 16, 2004 at 17:46 UTC
    I've had much success listening to fast, complex music like Phillip Glass, King Crimson, Tangerine Dream and Jean-Michael Jarre lately. It really gets my synapses kicking. Ooh, and ELP's Tarkus!


    -pete
    "This sort of ting used to be civilized. You'd hit a guy, he'd whack you and that would be the end of itit."

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