>I am curious to know if being / >not being a musician affects the types of music that work or don't >work >with your multi-tasking in any predictable way. I have a masters degree in music and another subject. My emphasis in music was on Baroque contra-puncture, particularly in chamber music. As far as the requirement of what music works for ME when I am trying to work, read (and I actually have no problem reading to music), whatever, is that must be harmonic, and "pleasing to the ear," with a steady beat and simple melody. Irregular beats are generally unagreeable to me, and anything with too strong of a bass-drum line (bass lines are okay) I do not like at all. Needless to say, though I enjoy "most" styles of music, classical, folk, jazz, blues, blue-grass, etc., grateful dead (what does one call their type of music? I've been listening to them nearly all my life and I am still baffled), is great for multi-tasking, and I avoid rap, hip-hop, hard-rock, punk, dance-hall, etc. at all costs. (Though at least one of these I may listen to when not trying to multi-task). The strange thing though, is that my brother is an "electric musician", far more talented than I can ever hope to be, and he is the exact opposite. In order to work/multitask/study/read, etc., he needs louder sounds with more irregular beats. Particularly, he studies to dance-hall reggae, rap, and punk. Like me, he listens to everything too, though his choices are different when multi-tasking. So, in sum, EVERYONE is Different. The only thing I have noticed is in work musicians tend to be the exact opposite in what you would think as they are far sloppier in their multi-tasking as say someone who's focus is psychology or math. Though, that may just be the majority of the musicians I've ever known. _________________________________________________________________ MSN 8 helps eliminate e-mail viruses. Get 2 months FREE*. http://join.msn.com/?page=features/virus