Friday, July 29, 2016

Cinematic Music: Are you studying or in an epic movie?

Music is everything. Have you ever tried to go on a drive without music? Have you ever watched a horror movie on mute? Have you ever been to a party with no music? Music creates the mood, the atmosphere for life, really. This is why it’s my strong belief that the kind of music you listen to while studying or writing can greatly impact the results. 

For me, I love to listen to cinematic music while studying. When the pulsing beat pounds on my eardrums, it feels like I'm preparing to go on a mission to save the world instead of trying to figure out the inflation rates in relation to unemployment. Listening to this type of music while writing also helps me to visualize the events more clearly, and I find it easier to put myself in my characters’ perspectives. 

So! I’ve put together a list of my favorite cinematic studying songs and incredible soundtracks from the website http://www.ambient-mixer.com. But before I start my list, let me just enthuse about this website. It’s. Amazing. Let's say you want to pretend you’re studying for your Charms exam in the Ravenclaw common room—there’s a soundtrack for that. Or maybe you want to relax in the gardens on Asgard—there’s a soundtrack for that. Maybe you just want to get away and read by the ocean—you get the point. AND you can even create your own soundtracks! When I studied for my finals last semester, I wasn’t sitting on my bed in my apartment rewriting my notes. I was on a pirate ship, patiently waiting to dock on the secret island before setting off to find the lost treasure. I can’t say enough good things about this website; you HAVE to try it.

But anyway, here’s my list of songs! Click the song titles to hear them for yourself!

This song has saved my story too many times to count. When I absolutely    
        can’t think of anything to write, or when I’m suffering from an awful case of 
        writer’s block, I put this song on repeat, and before I know it, my writer’s 
        block is gone. I call it my “Extreme Concentration” song.

2) Starchild by Thomas J Bergersen
This song is beautiful. The light piano at the beginning truly sounds like 
        starlight dripping from the sky, and I absolutely LOVE the storm sounds in 
        the background. Storms make me feel instantly creative and ready to snuggle 
        up in bed with my laptop to write. The middle of the song offers a majestic 
        sounding call-to-action almost. I feel like I’m about to embark on a grand 
        quest to save the princess! (I’ve also listened to this song 56 times, according 
        to iTunes).

3) "Light rain falling on the roof/window" by MattBrown22
       This soundtrack is so relaxing that it almost makes me doze off when I'm 
       supposed to be writing! I love listening to this soundtrack when it's a little 
       gloomy outside. I work best when it's raining or storming, so this soundtrack 
       does the trick!

4) Wolf King by Two Steps from Hell
For some reason, I always imagine some mystical sorceress singing the 
        beginning of this song. This song just feels like something huge is about to 
        happen. The steady beat almost feels like marching, and the chorus in the 
        background makes me think of a long cinematic shot of a mountainous 
        scenery. This song also happens to have my favorite type of chord 
        progressions (don’t know what it’s called, but the almost chromatic drop of 
        the 3rd chord always gets me).

5) Reap What We Sow by Position Music
        THE ENDING. This song has one of the most epic endings I’ve ever heard. It 
        feels like bombs are bursting in my head with each intense tech-sounding 
        explosion. This song is the epitome of building-up as it progresses. It’s as if 
        the longer you listen to the song, the closer you get to some big secret or the 
        ultimate enemy. I love this song so much, I’ve actually started making a short 
        video to it. I JUST LOVE THE END, OKAY?

6)  "Ravenclaw common room" by blaisezabini
       I am a proud Ravenclaw, so I love listening to this soundtrack and pretending 
       I'm in the Ravenclaw common room studying Charms in Hogwarts. This 
       soundtrack does wonders when I'm studying for my business exams. 
       Everything seems a little more fun if you pretend you're studying in Hogwarts, 
       right? At least it is for me!

7)   Ocean Princess by Thomas J Bergersen
The vocals in this song? AHH. The female vocals truly sound like an ocean 
        princess. I always imagine her in a cascading deep-blue dress, the silky fabric 
        whipping around her ankles as she stands on a craggy rock in the middle of 
        the violent ocean during a storm, unforgiving waves crashing down. Look, I 
        don’t know why she’s standing on a rock in the middle of the ocean, but she’s 
        the ocean princess, okay? I love love love her voice at 2:15, so light and…just 
        princess-sounding, I guess.
8) Unstoppable Forces by Epic Score
      This song just starts out epically. There’s no beating around the bush; it just 
      starts. It jumps right in. This song is perfect for writing the build-up to major 
      events like battles, confrontations, OR you can listen to it while getting ready 
      in the morning and feel like a bad-ass. My favorite part of this song starts 
      around the 1:14 mark to the end. The ending is what I like to call a heart-attack       
      ending. The accelerando, or the ‘speeding up’, at the end (starting at around 2:14)        
       mimics a steadily increasing heartbeat and I LOVE it.
9) "Storm on the Hogwarts Express" by pan
       As I said before, I work best when it's storming outside. Something about the 
       electric atmosphere and the menacing booms of thunder just sends my 
       creativity through the roof! So, pretending to be on the Hogwarts Express 
       WHILE it's raining when I'm writing? It's everything I could ever ask for. I 
       love playing this at a slightly lower volume while I put on the Spotify Deep 
       Dark Indie playlist simultaneously. Seriously though, I LOVE this website and 
       this atmosphere specifically. Please use it because it’s seriously a dream. I 
       don’t how I didn’t know about it sooner.

10) Blackheart by Two Steps from Hell
I think this song might actually be in my top favorite songs of all time. If I was          
        ranking these songs, this one would be #1. It’s one of those songs that just 
        makes you want to cry; it’s so beautiful…or maybe that’s just me. This song 
        just sounds like gut-wrenching passion and soul-aching longing. There’s so 
        much raw emotion in this song. Though it’s in a major key, it’s just so sad and        
        IT’S JUST BEAUTIFUL. I don’t know what it is about this song, but it’s a 
        masterpiece. Listen to this one until the end, okay? For me? Thanks. (PS: My 
        iTunes said that I’ve listened to this one A LOT. I won’t disclose the number…
        *nervous laugh*.)
11) Unstoppable by E.S. Posthumus
This song would be #2 on the list I mentioned above. This one builds and 
        builds until the explosive ending; it starts off a bit slow and menacing, but as 
        it goes on, the pounding beat draws you in until the end basically blows up. 
        And THE ENDING. This song’s ending is INTENSE. I actually made a short 
        video to this song and had lots of fun using short bursts of close-up shots to 
        accentuate each blast of notes. Now that I’m thinking of it, this ending might 
        be my favorite. Honestly, when this song ends, I feel out of breath. Is that 
        bad? Nah, I’m probably just out of shape. MOVING ON…

12)  Beneath the Brine by The Family Crest
        Let me just say, this song is everything I love. Dramatic chorus, yearning    
        strings, thundering orchestra. Thank you Discover Weekly playlist on Spotify 
        for introducing me to this amazing band! This song in particular really gets 
        my creative juices flowing. The song just oozes the desperation and 
        willingness to do anything to be with the one you love. I knew within the first 
        few seconds of hearing this for the first time that I'd love it. And now you will, 
        too! (Be sure to check out their other songs, too!)

13) Time by Hans Zimmer
Another song that tangles my soul into knots! This is more well-known since 
        it was written for Inception (AMAZING movie, by the way. If you haven’t seen          
        it, you NEED to). This song is perfect for writing sad, reflective scenes when 
        your character’s life just sucks. Everything is going wrong, and your character         
        just needs some time to reflect on how bad everything is. Not sure if you were 
        even looking for a song for this reason, but here’s one in case you ever need it!         
        I probably wouldn’t advise you to study to this song because it might make 
        you cry. I cried a lot at the ending of Inception, so maybe there’s a correlation 
        there?

14) Th3 Awak3n1ng by Ivan Torrent
Alright. This song feels like you’re in a post-apocalyptic video game trapped 
        in some creepy metal tunnels battling terrifying monsters in the dark. And        
        it’s awesome. When I listen to this, I keep waiting for something to jump out 
        at me… This song has the explosive bursts of sound that I love, and heavy 
        almost exotic-sounding drums. I love the part around 2:29 to the end. When 
        listening to this with headphones, it feels like my eardrums are going to 
        rupture…but in a good way.
That concludes my list! Which one of these was your favorite? What are some of your favorite studying songs? Reply in the comment section, and don’t forget to subscribe!

Until next time!


-Emiliana Maye

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