So here I am asking for some more advice.
I love music, but I have my own niche. That niche, surprisingly enough, is showtunes. I can’t get enough of them. (No, I have NOT listened to Hamilton yet. I WANT to, so bad, but I want to wait until I actually get to see it. If I ever actually get to see it.) They’re fantastic because they tell a story. And they have some great voices and melodies that go along with them.
The problem is that I don’t venture too far away from my niche. I listen to some indie, some classic rock, some instrumental movie soundtracks. But I have a problem finding new music. Especially finding new writing music.
I don’t like my writing songs to have too many words in them. It can get distracting. Yes, I have writing music that DOES have words, but I’d prefer the instrumental stuff. A lot of movie soundtracks. (The Theory of Everything was the soundtrack of my last novel.)
So how do you find new music that fits the genre that you want to get into the headspace of? So far, I’ve been having a little bit of luck with Youtube. Should I look more into Pandora? Spotify? Something else?
It depends for me. If my playlist demands some young, hip, current songs that are angsty or alternative I’ll usually type into YouTube “Top 100 Billboard of (insert current month)”. But if I want more music, in general, Pandora is my go to. I LOVE world music. I discovered recently that I like French Hip Hop. Who knew? I’ve since inserted several french ballad into my current novel’s playlist. If you want music without many words but lots of emotion, go foreign. The band “Ekova” is beautiful and moody as is “DJ Cheb I Sabbah”. “Loituma” has some pretty pieces for background music. My favorite is “Eriskmmmainen Kantele”. For something edgier but still mostly instrumental, try “Apocalyptica”. They’re much different than show tunes but I’m sure than you can find even ONE song you like! Let me know if you discover something interesting 😉
Thank you for this! I’m going to try using Pandora more often. I just wasn’t sure where to even start.