Where does the magic happen? Focus: Music
Whether it's PERL, PHP, Python, C#, VB, C++, Ruby, ASP, WCF, WPF, or assembly - the music you listen to while you program can have a profound impact on your mood.
Programming is an exciting excercise, and having the right music while I play/work can be the difference between being up all night in a good mood and not enjoying my work. Programming different things call for different playlists. Below, I've highlighted my some of my general programming playlist.
I like happy music, with a high-tempo and no words, or words to songs I already know. If a song meets the following criteria, it's likely that I'll enjoy listening to it while I program.
My programming music include:
- A fast tempo - Prefferably fast. The faster, the better.
- Few words, or a song I already know - I'm rarely thinking about the song I'm listening to while I'm programming. I'm more focused on exactly what I need to get done at that exact moment. "Books on tape" are especially distracting.
- Nothing sad - If a song affects my mood in a negative way or reminds me of something depressing it's off the "Programming Mix"
I've taken a minute to highlight a few of the favorite songs in my programming mixes:
- C89.5 worldwide - This is the best station I've ever heard. I was introduced to it while radio-channel-surfing in Redmond. It has great dance music with ZERO commercials. It's run by high school kids out in Seattle, and there's nothing to compare it to. They usually play the best music I've ever heard before it hits the major stations. StreamRipper is a must if you're using Winamp to listen. StreamRipper will save broadcasted music to your hard drive for later listening.
- Happy Hardcore - This is a genre of music that meets all my requirements most of the time. They're all remixes of existing songs.
- Inspirational Rap - Sometimes it's not fast, but the lyrics usually get me pumped up. Tupac, Talib Kweli (I Try), Eminem (When the Music Stops, 'Till I Collapse), Will Smith (Lost and Found), Fort Miner (Remember the Name)
- Bands - Ultrasonic, Scooter, ATB, Vengaboys, Infected Mushroom, Black Eyed Peas, D-Devils, Dance Nation
- Mashups - Sometimes it's hard to find good ones for programming, but there are some gems out there. The Grey album is nice (Beatles/Jay-Z mashup from Danger Mouse) .
- Relaxing night caps - For when you're sleepy and getting ready to go to sleep after a long night of programming. The Postal Service, Gladiator Sound Track
I'd love to hear what other programmers listen to and why. Share the wealth! Comments are welcome!