Like most millennials, I grew up with a pair of headphones on my head and don’t think properly if I’m not listening to some good music. I can’t concentrate in silence; if you put me alone in a quiet room and told me to write a chapter, I’d probably never get past the first paragraph.
But it can’t be just any music. The right music is needed to properly isolate myself from the surrounding world and open the creative floodgates.
What Makes The Right Music
There are two overriding criteria for what constitutes the right music for me. It has to be inspirational; I need the music to open up my mind and lift it to a point where whatever I’m writing feels just plain epic at the time. At the same time, it can’t be distracting.
My favorite choices are either instrumental or comfortably familiar. I get easily distracted listening to unfamiliar music with vocals, and I’m liable to find myself just listening to the words instead of writing. I’m an auditory reader, so I read everything I write aloud to myself mentally. If there’s words bouncing around in my brain from the music, those crash against the words I’m writing. It doesn’t work.
The music also has to fit the emotional feel of whatever I’m writing. Often, there’s a particular song or album that really has that precise essence I want, and I’ll actually listen to it on repeat until I’m done. I want to crystallize that feeling and feed it to myself.
My Current Favorites
Here’s what I’m currently favoring for my writing music:
Two Steps From Hell
Probably my most consistent option. Epic, orchestral instrumental music, it’s great for pumping me up without distraction.
Highly specific favorites include the last six songs from the Archangel album and Heart of Courage from Invincible.
Lindsey Stirling
On the softer side of things, I like a good violin/dubstep soundtrack for when my writing doesn’t quite need that epic touch, but I still want something to inspire me.
Current favorites include the Artemis album, particularly the start. This is the album I listened to while writing this post.
Kamelot
Quite possibly my favorite band of all, this one falls into the comfortably familiar category. If I’m looking for something with a darkly epic tone, I know I’ll get the feeling I want here.
The entire The Black Halo album is my go-to.
Iced Earth
Just two albums here – Framing Armageddon and The Crucible of Man – but I listen to them a lot for that epic storytelling feeling. A two-part concept album, they deliver plenty of inspirational highs I can draw on.
Nightwish
The most recent addition to my list, this symphonic metal band is a good mix of soft and heavy in tone.
I remain neutral on the debate of which singer was the best, but my favorite album is Once.
Avantasia
The other band besides Kamelot that might be my favorite of all, Avantasia is basically a supergroup formed for the express purpose of producing epic metal. I try not to overuse this one to avoid any possible burnout, but I’ll turn to it for something particularly important or if I need that last bit of inspiration to really push me into the proper writing state.
The Ghostlights album is my current favorite, offering a good mixture of emotions to draw on.
My Listening Gear
As an audiophile and longstanding member of Head-Fi, I feel this wouldn’t be complete without touching on my listening setup.
Headphones: Isolation is everything. I need headphones that can seal off the rest of the world and transport me. My choice has been the same for over ten years now: the BeyerDynamic DT770 (250 ohms).
Setup: I’d catch some flak from my fellow audiophiles, but the rest of this isn’t as important. Headphones are 80% of the sound of the music. I use a Lavry DA11 digital/analog converter and a HeadAmp GS-1 for amplification.