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Well, the point is, to my experience: If you really listen to the music, you cannot fully concentrate on the problem at hand (whatever that is). On the other hand, when you're working on a problem and you've got music on, you don't really listen to it. It's more like there is something running in the background. And that's actually multi-tasking - look at it as two different processes, one is coding, the other listening to the music, and they switch context from time to time, while coding has (should have) a higher priority. Problem is: it's always time sharing, real multitasking would require a second brain, because you're only single-core by nature. 
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FIorian Schneidereit wrote: because you're only single-core by nature
Speak for yourself!
FIorian Schneidereit wrote: while coding has (should have) a higher priority.
No reason to be so judgmental! Or, put another way, what are you doing that's really so important, anyway?
Rainy day . . . dream away . . . let the sun . . . take a holiday.
| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | | "As far as we know, our computer has never had an undetected error." - Weisert | | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
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W∴ Balboos wrote: Speak for yourself!
You mean you've got more than one discrete brain in your head? Now I'm curious...
W∴ Balboos wrote: No reason to be so judgmental! Or, put another way, what are you doing that's really so important, anyway?
Shhh... no one needs to know that my coding thread is running on idle priority most of the time.  But that's mainly because I downgraded coding and all things IT to a hobby, it's a long story but there are more important things in my life now, for example, living. I mean, that's why I claim you cannot really listen to music while doing something else, because if you really want to enjoy it, you have to listen to it actively without distraction and not degrading it to something that just plays in the back. That's why I usually don't listen to music while doing some coding stuff these days, and if I do, it's just some classical or "atmospherical" stuff, works of Brian Eno, Jon Hopkins, Sigur Rós, some Schubert etc. because of it's subliminal soothing influence. No lyrics because they are too distracting in this situation.
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My first ace-in-the-hole is that I started programming for fun - an now someone pays me to do it. Already off to a good start.
Ahhhh. But the Music!
Conceive of it differently. Like a comfortable chair whilst you work. The music surrounds me - envelopes me - almost as though I I'm riding it to do the coding. Good Blues. Good Classical. A good Klezmer jam. More my private and better world. At least for a while.
As for 'more important things' - I will, now and then, ask someone how much they'd charge to lose a day of their life: not at the end, mind you, but right now - a premium day. What's it worth and how many would they like to sell. When you realize it's priceless you do what I've been fortunate enough to be able to do: whatever I want.* So I'm not wealthy - but I play for a living. And before that, my childhood dream came true: I became a for-real chemist and did things that actually got attention of my peers.
You're on the right track - but beware you don't overreact. Take charge and, euphemistically, at least, you can have it all.
* You can do whatever you want if you're willing to accept the consequences.
| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | | "As far as we know, our computer has never had an undetected error." - Weisert | | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
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I agree that if you listen to music you can not truly concentrate on the problem, and I find myself tuning out the music when I working out a complex issue. However, I choose my music without words so that I don't get caught spending processing power on the lyrics. However, I choose music with a beat that is fast paced and aligned to my typing speed. I find it easier to code and put down my thoughts when the background is not other people talking or the phone ringing, and instead a steady beat that my hands fall into sync with.
I also wear full ear headphones with active noise cancel to break out of all the background sounds.
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Or listen conditionally. E.g.
if(music = food-of-love) playon();
else getbacktowork();
I may not last forever but the mess I leave behind certainly will.
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Herbie Mountjoy wrote: if(music = food-of-love) playon();
else getbacktoworkon();
FTFY
M.D.V.
If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about?
Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you
Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.
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For me music has the opposite effect. It help me focus by drowning out everything and everyone else.
And in my world nothing moves without the music.
My plan is to live forever ... so far so good
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I am definitely in the No Music camp.
I read a study 20 years ago that associated listening to music with decreased task performance, particularly when the task required the creative centers of the brain.
If it gets too noisy in my work area, I have a pink noise loop I will play to drown out the distractions (without distracting me).
I will listen to music if I have to do a large batch of brain-dead, repetitive tasks.
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I'm with you...my ideal coding environment is one where you could hear a pin drop.
That's partly why I have my beefy VM host with the loud fan in another room, and only have an Intel NUC on my desk to remote into my development VMs. It's not fanless, but the fan never comes on, given all it has to do is display remote desktop windows), and I never hear it.
(yes, I work from home)
If there's outside noise I can't control (ie, neighbors), I've been known to play white noise over a pair headphones to drown it out, although I wouldn't necessarily recommend it for extended periods of time.
modified 10-Dec-15 8:53am.
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My choice is Native American traditional such as The Dream Catcher, Pow Wow Radio or Native Voice One (KLND). I am not Native American, but I find the music calming while at the same time stimulating.
__________________
Lord, grant me the serenity to accept that there are some things I just can’t keep up with, the determination to keep up with the things I must keep up with, and the wisdom to find a good RSS feed from someone who keeps up with what I’d like to, but just don’t have the damn bandwidth to handle right now.
© 2009, Rex Hammock
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Nope, I have some in my mix. For me it's the rhythm. I can get some really fast typing done when I have the drums going in the background.
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You might enjoy this then.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZnNisthmLE[^]
Steve Roach and some of the other ambient brotherhood did a series of these North, East , South , West Kiva. All damn good. Cant for the life of me find the others in the set
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I listen to a variety from rap to classical.
i cri evry tiem
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And NO, R&B is not Blues. 
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Here, have some of my (slow) blues[^].
/ravi
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Thanks. The key of "A" is one of my favorites for playing guitar.
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Key of G might be even better, although the key of A (5th fret) is the guitar's sweet spot IMHO
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Yeah, there are good spots for "G". Also like "C", and "E".
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Yeah, I know. But I like how the 9th chords sound up there when playing a little jazzy blues.
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Jazzy blues; now your talking my language (Joe Pass, Wes, Barney, etc.)
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Unfortunately for you, according to NPR this morning, the Blues is a dying genre. See David Brancaccio
__________________
Lord, grant me the serenity to accept that there are some things I just can’t keep up with, the determination to keep up with the things I must keep up with, and the wisdom to find a good RSS feed from someone who keeps up with what I’d like to, but just don’t have the damn bandwidth to handle right now.
© 2009, Rex Hammock
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Doesn't matter. I like it and there are some great musicians still playing it.
Joe Bonamassa
Beth Hart
Walter Trout
Eric Clapton
Robin Trower
Keb' Mo'
Kenny Wayne Shepard
Johnny Lang
and me.
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