Instrument Families

When we talk about musical instruments, we often talk about them as being part of a family. That's because, just like in human families, the instruments in a particular family are related to each other. They are often made of the same types of materials, usually look similar to one another, and produce sound in comparable ways. Some are larger and some are smaller, just as parents are bigger than children.

percussionist

Someone who plays percussion instruments (i.e. Keyboards, snare, bass, tenors, timpani). Not someone who plays drumset (that is a drummer). A percussionist is well versed in all percussion instruments.

Percussionist

A person that plays percussion. Percussion is a section of a band that that keeps time or beat, but can also help carry the melody. A percussion instrument is defined as any instrument that is striked or hit. A percussionist is a drummer in a band that can play many different striking and hitting instruments of rhythmic and melodic natures proficiently. A percussionist does not have to be able to play every instrument available all over the world or be perfect at each instrument, but should be proficient enough in a good number of isntruments. How good a percussionist is is not measured by how many instruments they can name or play with mediocracy but by how many instruments they can play well. Most importantly, a percussionist not only can read the beats as most percussionists and drummers are stereotypically said to read, but a true percussionist also reads music. Such as scales and triads and notations and octaves. No percussion can name all of the percussion instruments out in the world because the numbers are exceedingly high. Some examples of percussion instruments are as follows but are definately not limited to the following. Marimba, Vibraphone, Xylaphone, Bells, Chimes, Wind Chimes, Snare Drum, Bass, Drum, Tenor drums, Timpanis, Cymbals, Temple Blocks, Guiros, Gongs, Congas, Bongos, Timbales, Toms, Cabasas(Also known as Afuches), Ching Choks, Claves, Caxixis, Rain Sticks, Shakers, Maracas, Ganzas, Kokirikos, Shekeres, Acheres, Guatacas, Barbells, Tambourines, Cuica, Talking Drums(that's actually the name of a drum), Repiniques, Pandieros, Caixas, Malacachetas, Steel Drums, Djembes, Cajons, Darbukas, Doumbeks, and Cowbells. 

I dragged that list on for a long time just to give you an idea of how many instruments can called upon as a percussion, and jsut how hard it would be to name them all. And that list is still not a limit to all the instruments out there, and all those instruments listed and the others each have their own technique to be played with, and their own sound. 

what is percussionist?

A percussionist is a musician who has studied percussion instruments, such as drums. People who become percussionists typically have an excellent sense of rhythm, and can use their skills in many ways. Careers for percussionists include performing with an orchestra teaching skills to others, or even playing in a band.

BoBby Pathak live with fakira band (must watch the end of the video real...

I was born with music inside me. Music was one of my parts. Like my ribs, my kidneys, my liver, my heart. Like my blood. It was a force already within me when I arrived on the scene. It was a necessity for me - like food or water.

William Shakespeare

If music be the food of love, play on.

敔

敔（國語ㄩˇ，普通話yǔ，廣東話音語）是中國漢代樂器，曾流通於全國各大城市。敔，又名齟齣，詩經有記載，《詩經·周頌·有瞽》：「鞉磬祝圍」，「圍」即敔，故敔也稱「圍」。

敔的形狀像伏虎，木製塗漆，虎背上有二十七鉏（即木片）。演奏時，奏者要站在敔旁，把敔放在木架上，以一條破成梳齒狀的竹條，在敔頭上敲三次後，再在敔背上的鉏橫掃三次後，表示音樂的停止。敔僅用於古代宮庭雅樂跟祭祀音樂的結束時演奏。與柷的作用相近，都是示意音樂的開始，停止，古書中也有提及《尚書·益稷》：「合止柷敔」。

相關條目

• 雅樂
• 祭祀
• 柷

Pitch

When we say music theory, we usually aren't talking about a universal system of understanding music. Rather, we are focusing specifically on Western Tonal Harmonic music, or "common practice" music. This type of music was developed from 1650 to 1900 in Western Europe. We consider it "common practice" not because it is the only good sounding music, but because it was a widely accepted system of analyzing music for three hundred years and is the foundation for much classical, pop, rock, and some aspects of blues and jazz music.

Let us define this type of music theory a little further. Music theory is merely a system of describing, notating, communicating, and analyzing music. It is not a "theory" like the theory of relativity, but rather a framework for understanding many types of music. It does not describe how music should work or what makes music work, but is simply a method by which composers, musicians, educators and anyone else can communicate and understand Western Tonal music.

While there are certain advanced elements to music theory (such as tuning and the overtone series) which have a "universal" application due to being based on the physics of vibration, the more common elements of music theory that are taught in universities today are these aspects of Western Tonal Harmony. The music theory we discuss here would not be particularly suited to talking about Indonesian Gamelan music or very modern classical pieces, both of which would require a different method of music theory analysis.

Pitch

All music is based on sound and when we refer to a specific tone we are referring to a pitch. Every key on a piano plays a different pitch. In traditional western music, we focus on twelve pitches to make music. They are as follows:

If you've seen a piano before, you'll notice that after we get to B, the whole thing just starts over again. Normally, there are eight C-keys on a piano. Each of those keys plays the same sound (in this case, the tone C) but higher or lower depending on the key. Therefore, we would say that the eight C-keys on a piano are the same pitch class but differentpitches.

If you consult our pitches above, it may appear that seventeen notes have been listed, but this list actually only contains twelve notes. The notes with a slash between them areenharmonic, meaning that they represent the same pitch with two different names. For example, C♯ (C sharp) and D♭ (D flat) are actually the same. To see this, these notes both get played by the same black key on a piano.

The sharp and flat symbols should be familiar to you by now, but let us have a quick review. A sharp is one pitch higher than the note it is attached to. For instance F♯ (F sharp) is one pitch higher than F. Inversely, a flat is one pitch lower than the note it is attached to. Thus, E♭ (E flat) is one pitch lower than E. You might be tempted to think that any sharp or flat is the same thing as a black key on the piano, but this is not so. For instance, E♯ is enharmonic with F and C♭ is enharmonic with B.

While they are not quite as common, there is also a double sharp (x) and a double flat (♭♭). These symbols only mean that the tone is two pitches higher or lower than the note they are attached to. For example, A♭♭ would be enharmonic with G and Dx would be enharmonic with E.

The majority of Western music has emerged from the twelve pitch classes listed above. Just about every Western scale and chord (and a great many non-Western scales and chords) are founded from these notes.

PLEASE VIEW IT.... MY VIDEO

https://youtu.be/LEEVzRL4vBE

Always I think....

I think music in itself is healing. It's an explosive expression of humanity. It's something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we're from, everyone loves music.

Why Does Music Feel So Good?

One day several years ago Valorie Salimpoor took a drive that would change the course of her life. She was at the peak of what she now calls her “quarter-life crisis,” not knowing what kind of career she wanted or how she might use her undergraduate neuroscience training. Hoping an outing might clear her head, that day she jumped in her car and switched on the radio. She heard the charging tempo and jaunty, teasing violin of Johannes Brahms’s Hungarian Dance....

“This piece of music came on, and something just happened,” Salimpoor recalls. “I just felt this rush of emotion come through me. It was so intense.” She pulled over to the side of the street so she could concentrate on the song and the pleasure it gave her.

Bobby pathak was playing tabla n precussion

Bobby pathak was playing tabla n precussion

Western music

The spread and following of Western classical music in India is almost entirely non-existent. It is mainly patronized by the Indian Zoroastrian community and small esoteric groups with historical exposure to Western classical music. Another esoteric group with significant patronage is the Protestant Christian community in Chennai and Bangalore. Western Music education is also severely neglected and pretty rare in India. Western keyboard, drums and guitar instruction being an exception as it has found some interest; mainly in an effort to create musicians to service contemporary popular Indian music. Many reasons have been cited for the obscurity of Western classical music in India, a country rich in its musical heritage by its own right, however the two main reasons are an utter lack of exposure and a passive disinterest in what is considered esoteric at best. Also, the difficulty in importing Western musical instruments and their rarity has also contributed to the obscurity of classical Western music.

Western classical music

The spread and following of Western classical music in India is almost entirely non-existent. It is mainly patronized by the Indian Zoroastrian community and small esoteric groups with historical exposure to Western classical music. Another esoteric group with significant patronage is the Protestant Christian community in Chennai and Bangalore. Western Music education is also severely neglected and pretty rare in India. Western keyboard, drums and guitar instruction being an exception as it has found some interest; mainly in an effort to create musicians to service contemporary popular Indian music. Many reasons have been cited for the obscurity of Western classical music in India, a country rich in its musical heritage by its own right, however the two main reasons are an utter lack of exposure and a passive disinterest in what is considered esoteric at best. Also, the difficulty in importing Western musical instruments and their rarity has also contributed to the obscurity of classical Western music.

Despite more than a century of exposure to Western classical music and two centuries of British colonialism, classical music in India has never gained more than 'fringe' popularity. Many attempts to popularize Western classical music in India have failed in the past due to disinterest and lack of sustained efforts. Today, Western classical music education has improved with the help of numerous institutions in India. Institutions like KM Music Conservatory founded by Oscar Winning Composer,A.R.Rahman, Calcutta School of Music, Bangalore School of Music, Eastern Fare Music Foundation, Delhi School of Music, UstadGah Foundation, Delhi Music Academy, and many others are dedicated to contributing to the progress or growth and supporting Western classical music. In 1930, notable Mehli Mehta set up the Bombay Symphony Orchestra. There is 'Melody Academy' in Darjeeling established in the early 1980s by Mr. Jiwan Pradhan who single handedly has brought the western music in the hills of Darjeeling which is very rich in its musical heritage.

view it....

my video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=SJx5PZudrB4

Percussion sound check with Bobby Pathak

Percussionist Bobby pathak live with DJ Nikhil and Sujeet

Percussion

1. The striking together of two bodies, especially when noise is produced.

2. The sound, vibration, or shock caused by the striking together of two bodies.

3. The act of detonating a percussion cap in a firearm.

4. A method of medical diagnosis in which various areas of the body, especially the chest, back, and abdomen, are tapped todetermine by resonance the condition of internal organs.

5. Music

a. The section of a band or orchestra composed of percussion instruments.

b. Percussion instruments or their players considered as a group.

What is percussion

Most people understand that percussion has to do with musical instruments, such as drums. However, it may surprise many persons to find out that it goes beyond what they may think of aspercussion instruments. In reality, the term relates to any type of musical instrument that is used to produces sounds through means of striking, scraping or plucking the instrument.

When most people think of a percussion instrument, drums come to mind. This is because drums are often used to help maintain and accentuate the beat of a melody. Whether a set of bongo drums, a snare drum, or a full set of drums, the effect is created by striking the drum heads with either drumsticks, drum brushes, or with the fingertips.

Along with drums, many people recognize cymbals as being sources of percussion. Cymbals may be used as a separate instrument, or as part of a drum set. Typically, they are also used to help accentuate portions of the melody, sometimes adding a dramatic effect to the performance. When played in an orchestra or marching band, cymbals usually are placed at the rear of the procession.

My you Tube description.....

Welcome to my channel…
I'm BOBBY PATHAK, A 24 year old percussionist based out of Delhi, INDIA.. I attend & play music art for Delhi University. I post percussion covers, lessons, live performances & all sorts of percussion and music related videos. I like to give everyone something to watch and enjoy, no matter what their tastes are & I try to do as many requests as I can! My goal is to provide entertainment & encourage everyone to have fun playing the percussion & drums….
If you like the videos then please do "LIKE" and "SUBSCRIBE" for more upcoming videos.
My full setup info is in the description of all my videos!

Here you will find the highest quality video I'm able to produce on my fusion of world percussion. You will find tutorials with specific exercises for the serious percussionist.
Please Keep Watching :-)
PLEASE SUBSCRIBE ON YOU TUBE.....

Impressionism in music

Impressionism in music was a movement among various composers in Western classical music, mainly during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, whose music focuses on suggestion and atmosphere, "conveying the moods and emotions aroused by the subject rather than a detailed tone‐picture".“Impressionism” is a philosophical and aesthetic term borrowed from late 19th century French painting after Monet’s Impression, Sunrise. Musicians were labeled impressionists by analogy to the impressionist painters who use starkly contrasting colors, effect of light on an object blurry foreground and background, flattening perspective to make us focus our attention on the overall impression.
The most prominent in musical impressionism is the use of “color”, or in musical term, timbre, which can be achieved through orchestration, harmonic usage, texture, etc. Other elements of music impressionism involve also new chord combinations, ambiguous tonality, extended harmonies, use of modes and exotic scales, parallel motions, extra-musicality, and evocative titles such as Reflets dans l'eau ("Reflections on the water", 1905), Brouillards ("Mists", 1913) etc.
Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel are two leading figures in impressionism though Debussy rejected this label (he mentioned in his letter that “imbeciles call ‘impressionism,’ a term employed with the utmost inaccuracy.”). Debussy’s impressionist works typically “evoke a mood, feeling, atmosphere, or scene” by creating musical images through motives, harmony, exotic scales (e.g. whole-tone scale, pentatonic scales), instrumental timbre and other elements, whereas Ravel’s impressionist or symbolist works are essentially represented in a more refined and lucid way. Some impressionist musicians, Debussy and Ravel in particular, are also labeled as symbolist musicians. One trait shared with both aesthetic trends is “a sense of detached observation: rather than expressing deeply felt emotion or telling a story,” as in symbolist poetry, the normal syntax is usually disrupted and individual images that carry the work’s meaning are evoked.

About My Self

PLEAS VISIT MY YOU TUBE CHANEL FOR MY PERSONAL SHOW AND PERFORMANCE
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkT3b0CecHmjk-3LQDG67jA

MY Self.....

                                    INTRODUCTION
I'm BOBBY PATHAK, A 24 year old percussionist based out of Delhi, INDIA.. I attend & play music art for Delhi University. I post percussion covers, lessons, live performances & all sorts of percussion...
I like to give everyone something to see, watch and enjoy, no matter what their tastes are & I try to do as many requests as I can! My goal is to provide entertainment & encourage everyone to have fun playing the percussion & drums….

                                                                  BOBBY PATHAK

Bill Gates

If you can't make it good, at least make it look good.

Bill Gates

The PC has improved the world in just about every area you can think of. Amazing developments in communications, collaboration and efficiencies. New kinds of entertainment and social media. Access to information and the ability to give a voice people who would never have been heard.

French and Francophone Music

La Marseillaise

L'Hymne national français

La Marseillaise a été composée par Claude-Joseph Rouget de Lisle en 1792 et a été déclarée « l'hymne national français » en 1795.

Allons enfants de la patrie, Le jour de gloire est arrivé ! Contre nous de la tyrannie L'étendard sanglant est levé ! (bis) Entendez-vous dans les campagnes, Mugir ces féroces soldats ? Ils viennent jusque dans nos bras Égorger nos fils, nos compagnes ! Refrain Aux armes, citoyens ! Formez vos bataillons ! Marchons ! Marchons ! Qu'un sang impur Abreuve nos sillons ! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Que veut cette horde d'esclaves, De traîtres, de rois conjurés ? Pour qui ces ignobles entraves, Ces fers dès longtemps préparés ? (bis) Français ! pour nous, ah ! quel outrage ! Quels transports il doit exciter ! C'est nous qu'on ose méditer De rendre à l'antique esclavage ! Quoi ! ces cohortes étrangères Feraient la loi dans nos foyers ! Quoi ! ces phalanges mercenaires Terrasseraient nos fiers guerriers ! (bis) Grand Dieu ! par des mains enchaînées Nos fronts sous le joug se ploiraient ! De vils despotes deviendraient Les maîtres de nos destinées ! Tremblez, tyrans ! et vous, perfides, L'opprobre de tous les partis, Tremblez ! vos projets parricides Vont enfin recevoir leur prix ! (bis) Tout est soldat pour vous combattre, S'ils tombent, nos jeunes héros, La France en produit de nouveaux, Contre vous tout prêts à se battre ! Français, en guerriers magnanimes, Portez ou retenez vos coups ! Épargnez ces tristes victimes, A regret s'armant contre nous. (bis) Mais ces despotes sanguinaires, Mais ces complices de Bouillé, Tous ces tigres qui, sans pitié, Déchirent le sein de leur mère ! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Amour sacré de la patrie, Conduis, soutiens nos bras vengeurs ! Liberté, Liberté chérie, Combats avec tes défenseurs ! (bis) Sous nos drapeaux, que la victoire Accoure à tes mâles accents ! Que tes ennemis expirants Voient ton triomphe et notre gloire ! Refrain Nous entrerons dans la carrière Quand nos aînés n'y seront plus ; Nous y trouverons leur poussière Et la trace de leurs vertus. (bis) Bien moins jaloux de leur survivre Que de partager leur cercueil, Nous aurons le sublime orgueil De les venger ou de les suivre ! Refrain

Music to me is mankind's greatest possible achievement because look at all the good it does

Music keeps you young. Having music in your life keeps you open to things

Youths write me and tell me that their band will go nowhere because of all the bad bands in the world. I tell them there has always been awful music and that no great band ever wasted any time complaining, they just got it done. Their ropey ranting is just a way to get out of the hard work of making music that will do some lasting damage.

I Think.....

One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.

Meter and Rhythm

Meter and Rhythm

Introduction to Meter

As you listen to most music, you will notice a discernible beat, or a primary pulse. In common practice music, we can either divide this beat into two parts (and multiples of two, such as four), which we call simple meters, or we can divide it into three parts (and multiples of three, such as six), which we call compound meter. When we say we can divide the beat into two or three, all we are saying is that it is easiest to divide the beat into this number. We could arbitrarily divide the beat into five or seven, but almost all music naturally divides into two or three.

Notice all that we have been talking about is how the beats divide. But beats can also be grouped into larger sections. We could place beats into groups of two (which we callduple), three (which we call triple), or four (which we call quadruple). We could place the beats into as large a group as we want, but for now let us stay with duple/triple/quadruple as they are the most common. These groupings of beats are called measures or bars and are shown on sheet music with thin lines to divide the measures.

Thus, we could have a piece of music with a simple triple meter. Refer to the terms above. A simple triple meter would be one in which we could put the beats into groups of three and the beats themselves divide easily into two parts. The familiar song "Amazing Grace" is in simple triple meter.

What is Music Theory? (Pitch)

When we say music theory, we usually aren't talking about a universal system of understanding music. Rather, we are focusing specifically on Western Tonal Harmonic music, or "common practice" music. This type of music was developed from 1650 to 1900 in Western Europe. We consider it "common practice" not because it is the only good sounding music, but because it was a widely accepted system of analyzing music for three hundred years and is the foundation for much classical, pop, rock, and some aspects of blues and jazz music.

Let us define this type of music theory a little further. Music theory is merely a system of describing, notating, communicating, and analyzing music. It is not a "theory" like the theory of relativity, but rather a framework for understanding many types of music. It does not describe how music should work or what makes music work, but is simply a method by which composers, musicians, educators and anyone else can communicate and understand Western Tonal music.

While there are certain advanced elements to music theory (such as tuning and the overtone series) which have a "universal" application due to being based on the physics of vibration, the more common elements of music theory that are taught in universities today are these aspects of Western Tonal Harmony. The music theory we discuss here would not be particularly suited to talking about Indonesian Gamelan music or very modern classical pieces, both of which would require a different method of music theory analysis.

Pitch

All music is based on sound and when we refer to a specific tone we are referring to a pitch. Every key on a piano plays a different pitch. In traditional western music, we focus on twelve pitches to make music. They are as follows:

If you've seen a piano before, you'll notice that after we get to B, the whole thing just starts over again. Normally, there are eight C-keys on a piano. Each of those keys plays the same sound (in this case, the tone C) but higher or lower depending on the key. Therefore, we would say that the eight C-keys on a piano are the same pitch class but differentpitches.

If you consult our pitches above, it may appear that seventeen notes have been listed, but this list actually only contains twelve notes. The notes with a slash between them areenharmonic, meaning that they represent the same pitch with two different names. For example, C♯ (C sharp) and D♭ (D flat) are actually the same. To see this, these notes both get played by the same black key on a piano.

The sharp and flat symbols should be familiar to you by now, but let us have a quick review. A sharp is one pitch higher than the note it is attached to. For instance F♯ (F sharp) is one pitch higher than F. Inversely, a flat is one pitch lower than the note it is attached to. Thus, E♭ (E flat) is one pitch lower than E. You might be tempted to think that any sharp or flat is the same thing as a black key on the piano, but this is not so. For instance, E♯ is enharmonic with F and C♭ is enharmonic with B.

While they are not quite as common, there is also a double sharp (x) and a double flat (♭♭). These symbols only mean that the tone is two pitches higher or lower than the note they are attached to. For example, A♭♭ would be enharmonic with G and Dx would be enharmonic with E.

The majority of Western music has emerged from the twelve pitch classes listed above. Just about every Western scale and chord (and a great many non-Western scales and chords) are founded from these notes.

Introduction of Music

Introduction

This is the Music Theory I course, covering an introduction to music theory, pitches, pitch collections (scales), key signatures, rhythmic meters, and modes. You should already know music fundamentals such as clefs, staves, accidentals, dynamics, and rhythmic values.

For more fundamental musical theory, see Introduction to Music or Fundamentals of Music.

What is music?

The definition of music itself is elusive. We want to be general enough to include a wide range of styles and cultures and approaches, yet not so wide that the term "music" can mean anything, and therefore, nothing. Here are some attempts:

• Music is a series of tones
• Music is sound organized by humans
• Music is an art-and-science
• Music is an abstract communication language
• Music is an emotional expression of the soul
• Music is made up of the elements of melody, harmony, rhythm, timbre, texture, dynamics, and form
• Music is the created order of nature
• Music is culturally-defined psychological expression in sound
• Music is love

All of these definitions have merit and truth. For now, let us define music as an art form expressed through the medium of sound, organized aurally (what we hear) and rhythmically (when we hear it).

Music theory By wikipedia.....

Music theory is the study of the practices and possibilities of music. It generally derives from observation of how musicians and composers make music, but includes hypothetical speculation. Most commonly, the term describes the academic study and analysis of fundamental elements of music such as pitch, rhythm, harmony, and form, but also refers to descriptions, concepts, or beliefs related to music. Because of the ever-expanding conception of what constitutes music (see Definition of music), a more inclusive definition could be that music theory is the consideration of any sonic phenomena, including silence, as it relates to music.

Music theory is a subfield of musicology, which is itself a subfield within the overarching field of the arts and humanities. Etymologically, music theory is an act of contemplation of music, from the Greek θεωρία, a looking at, viewing, contemplation, speculation, theory, also a sight, a spectacle.^[1] As such, it is often concerned with abstract musical aspects such as tuning and tonal systems, scales, consonance and dissonance, and rhythmic relationships, but there is also a body of theory concerning such practical aspects as the creation or the performance of music, orchestration, ornamentation, improvisation, and electronic sound production.^[2] A person working in music theory is a music theorist. Methods of analysis include mathematics, graphic analysis, and, especially, analysis enabled by Western music notation. Comparative, descriptive, statistical, and other methods are also used.

What Is Music Theory?

.................................................................................................

Understanding music theory means knowing the language of music. The main thing to know about music theory is that it is simply a way to explain the music we hear. Music had existed for thousands of years before theory came along to explain what people were trying to accomplish innately by pounding on their drums. Don’t ever think that you can’t be a good musician just because you’ve never taken a theory class. In fact, if you are a good musician, you already know a lot of theory. You just may not know the words or scientific formulas for what you’re doing.

The concepts and rules that make up music theory are very much like the grammatical rules that govern written language. Being able to transcribe music makes it possible for other musicians to read and play compositions exactly as the composer intended. Learning to read music is almost exactly like learning a new language, to the point where a fluent person can “hear” a musical “conversation” when reading a piece of sheet music.

Good Morning My Friends

 I cannot guarantee that you will have an awesome day but I can guarantee that you will be in the loving company of friends like me. Good morning buddy.

No music at all!!!!!

No music at all!

If you’re tired of these dang kids and their “newfangled dub steps,” fear not — sometimes the sweet sound of silence is the most fitting of all.

If a task is so demanding that your attention might falter due to any music at all, you should focus on creating a very quiet workplace.

For some people, however, total silence is off-putting. Is there any way to have a very mild ambient noise in the background without music?

There are two neat tools you should check out:

1. SimplyNoise — Playing nothing but a low pitch white noise in the background is amazing for certain productive scenarios, at least for me. I find this can really get me in the zone if there is something outside that is intruding (like construction work).
2. RainyMood — Work like it’s drizzling outside even when it’s 80F and the sun is shining! This plays a loop of a mild storm, turn on afireplace video and you can get seriously cozy.

“Everything else”

“Everything else”

Why it works

There isn’t really a genre I could list here, given that anything else that may be ‘low key’ could be a good potential playlist for the right people.

If vocals don’t bug you that much during work, give them a go.

Jazz, hip-hop, indie rock, blues, and everything under the sun are really up for grabs here, but remember that “ambient” is the word of the day for a productive session with music playing, at least if you’re engaged in deep work.

Electronic music

Electronic music

Why it works

In electronic music, “ambient electronica”—and its sub-genres of chillout, downtempo, ambient house, and far too many others—all tend to fit our need for ‘present but unobtrusive.’

This genre also tends to be repetitive, in a good way.

Unlike all of the ups and downs of a symphonic piece, there are quite a few producers out there who aim to create ‘soundscapes’ (anyone remember Gabe from The Office?) that focus on a few melodies that repeat and build on each other.

The song’s focus will help your focus, as the repeating tones are nice to have going in the background.

Familiarity is best for focus

Familiarity is best for focus

It may be beneficial to listen to music you are familiar with if you need to intensely focus for a project.

The reason being is that new music is surprising; since you don’t know what to expect, you are inclined to listen closely to see what comes next.

With familiar music, you know what lies ahead and thus the sound doesn’t become your primary focus.

While the “journey” of new music is certainly beneficial in other ways, you may want to tread a familiar path if you are using music to help get things done.

Music seems to interfere with learning

When it comes to absorbing and retaining new information, distraction in any form is a huge no-no.

According to this research, music is no exception. Participants had amuch more difficult time recalling a complex task when they had listened to music.

Music demands too much of your attention—even when the sounds are subtle—to be listened to when you are trying to learn or analyze new information.

Imagine trying to “read above your level,” or reading material that is outside your expertise, while being pulled away by the sound of music. It makes an already difficult task nearly impossible.

Only for You

"A series of experiments has investigated the relationship between the playing of background music during the performance of repetitive work and efficiency in performing such a task. The results give strong support to the contention that economic benefits can accure from the use of music in industry."

Music may help make repetitive tasks easier...

When evaluating music’s effectiveness in increasing productive output, one element to consider how “immersive” the task at hand is.

This refers to the variability and creative demand of the task — writing a brand new essay from scratch is synthesis work that demands a lot of creativity; answering your emails is mundane work that does not.

When the task is clearly defined and is repetitive in nature, the researchseems to suggest that music is definitely useful.

One Side View.....

How Music Affects Your Productivity

Music has a way of expressing that which cannot be put into words.

It is for this reason (and many more) that music is regarded as one of the triumphs of human creativity―but does music itself help one to create?

This is an important question to examine, because music has increasingly become apart of the modern-day work session. With so much of our work now being done at computers, music has become an important way to “optimize the boring.”

Let’s take a look at the research.

Music and intelligence:- The bottom line

Music and intelligence: The bottom line

Nobody rules out the idea that genes may be responsible for much of the IQ advantage enjoyed by musicians. But it seems clear that music training causes changes in the brain, and that serious students of music hone a variety of skills that could be relevant in other contexts.

Given evidence that certain games can enhance self-regulation and working memory, and even help dyslexic children learn to read, the notion that music training has transferable effects isn't all that far-fetched. In the next few years, we may have definitive evidence on this point.

Meanwhile? I think there's good reason to offer music lessons to children in primary school. Cognitive benefits aside, we shouldn’t overlook the obvious: Music lessons are intrinsically rewarding. When kids learn to play a musical instrument, they are laying the groundwork for a lifetime’s appreciation of music, and all the satisfaction that brings.

Where does this leave us?

 it's not unreasonable to think that serious music training might hone skills of relevance to non-musical cognition.

For instance, students of music are required to

• focus attention for long periods of time

• decode a complex symbolic system (musical notation)

• translate the code into precise motor patterns

• recognize patterns of sound across time

• discriminate differences in pitch

• learn rules of pattern formation

• memorize long passages of music

• track and reproduce rhythms

• understand ratios and fractions (e.g., a quarter note is half as long as a half note)

• improvise within a set of musical rules.

IN THE GENES....

In the genes?

It's not simply a case of genetics—-i.e., that people with more grey matter volume are more likely to become musicians. Research suggests that the brains of non-musicians change in response to musical training.

In one study, non-musicians were assigned to perform a 5-finger exercise on the piano for two hours a day. Within five days, subjects showed evidence of re-wiring. The size of the area associated with finger movements had become larger and more active.

So it's reasonable to think that the brain grows in response to music training. Are these brain differences linked with differences in intelligence?

Maybe so.

Music And Intelligence

Music and intelligence:

How musical training shapes the brainBrain scanning technologies have permitted neuroscientists to observe the activity of living brains, and the results are clear:

Musicians are different.For instance, in one study, people who played musical instruments as children showed more robust brainstem responses to sound than did non-musicians.

Other studies have reported that kids assigned to receive musical training developed distinctive neural responses to music and speech,  evidence of more intense information processing that was linked with improvements in the discrimination of pitch and the segmentation of speech.

And it's not just a matter of differences in brain activity. There are also differences in brain volume.

If you examine the brain of a keyboard player, you’ll find that the region of the brain that controls finger movements is enlarged.

My Interest in Music

I have always had an interest in music. When I worked the stage, I learned a lot about music; I had to read scores to determine lighting, sound and rigging cues. Since then I have improved my music reading skills, at a hobby level. It is interesting to read a piece of music and to appreciate its structure.
Once I started reading music, I also wanted to learn how to play it!

My View....

Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy.

By-Bradley Whitford

Infuse your life with action. Don't wait for it to happen. Make it happen. Make your own future. Make your own hope. Make your own love. And whatever your beliefs, honor your creator, not by passively waiting for grace to come down from upon high, but by doing what you can to make grace happen... yourself, right now, right down here on Earth.

Sir Albert Einstein

You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else.