Music for Thinking, Writing, & Working
The joys of contemplative music for our quiet times
Don’t be put off by the title. I have an appreciation for contemplative music that many don’t. For me, reflective music has been the answer to listening to something without the noise of lyrics and vocals about topics that I’ve heard a billion times already (sorry, heartbreak songs, RIP).
From sacred music to lo-fi hip hop, contemplative music comes in a variety of options for your quiet life needs.
What is contemplative music?
I will be the first to say that there is not enough discourse about music used for meditation, thinking, and prayer. So, let’s dive into the goodness it brings—from its purpose to its power in getting your mind into the right state of peace, the kind required for our most precious of quiet moments.
For those who do not seek music for prayerful moments, the world of music is also with you. The following genres are some of the most calming forms of music that help listeners practice writing, thinking, yoga, meditation, walking, reading, praying, resting, and any other of life’s introspective practices.
They include:
Meditative and Relaxation Music
Chanting and singing mantras
Ambient and New Age music
World music
Devotional and spiritual songs
Instrumental classical
Now that we have covered the options available for spiritual, meditative, and prayerful practice, let’s talk about the benefits of music and sound.
Songs with Lyrics
When I’m feeling sad or lost, music with lyrics that are hopeful and joyful hit the spot. My kids recently changed schools and the mere mental strength to be an encouraging, supportive, and strong mom, put me in a state where I, too, needed strength and reassurance that everything would be OK. During this time, I leaned heavily into a contemporary Catholic praise album called Spirit & Song, Volume 8 [published by Oregon Catholic Press]. Those lyrics of album O made me feel the comfort of my faith and brought my values into song.
“If I had to give up everything else, if people said you can only do one thing, I’d just write. I’d say, ‘Well then, I’ll just be a songwriter.’ Because that’s how I express myself. That’s my time with God.
~Dolly Parton
Be careful with songs that have lyrics, however, as they have a tendency to disrupt flow. Songs with lyrics are best when your mood seeks peace and calm without the need to multitask with a secondary activity like writing or reading.
Songs with lyrics are best for activities like driving, cooking, gardening, while doing hobbies that require your utmost concentration.
Meditative and Relaxation Music
Music that induces calmness and mindfulness may include nature sounds and natural elements of water, wind, or a roaring fire. These are incredibly effective in calming the mind for meditation, yoga, reading spiritual literature, reciting prayers, and sleep.
When my daughter was a newborn, we would play a CD in our car called Rainforest Music: Nature’s Lullabies by Fisher-Price
This album was so soothing it lulled my baby to sleep well beyond her toddler years. It can equally serve as your introduction to mindfulness.
Listening to the sounds of croaking frogs, the chirps of tropical birds, and the melodic soft tunes of sweet lullabies places the mind into a setting of peace and relaxation. Music to calm body and mind.
When listening to music meant for meditation and relaxation, look for ones with long tracks - think 20-60 minutes - to keep the brainwaves flowing in a calm state. Short tracks can be jarring and cause one to “awaken” in a manner of speaking. The music becomes the background, quieting the world enough to focus on whatever activity requires that deep focus.
Lo-Fi Hip Hop
Another form of quiet music is called lo-fi hip hop, a genre I love and use when I am reading or writing.
I recommend the sounds of Lo-Fi Girl on YouTube. With 2.1 million followers, this account has amassed a loyal following of Gen Z’s.
Although not meditation music, it is relaxation music perfect for the immersive experience of writing, journaling, and philosophizing about life. The beats are mild and the crackling sound of a record player is a signature sound that soothes. A nostalgic quality for your thinking and writing pleasure.
Side note: while Lo-Fi Hip Hop channels are emerging everywhere, I recommend starting with Lo-Fi Girl which you can find on both Spotify and YouTube.
Chanting and Mantras
If you need music for deep prayerful experiences, chanting and mantra recitation is something you can perform yourself or find an album of chants that resonates with you both spiritually and mentally.
The a cappella (using the voice without accompanied instruments) style is repetitive and typically sung in a single tone, or at most, a handful of tones. The chanting person may use tuning forks or Tibetan Singing Bowls to establish a sound wave that induces relaxation.
Chants can be any phrase, religious or otherwise, as long as that phrase is repeated or else a prayer is recited on a single tone or very simple melodic line. Many of today’s prayer books include phrases to chant, but you can create your own as well depending on what it is you want to affirm into your psyche. I’ve attended many masses in which chant is sung. They are typically sung during the most holiest of services and are quite effective in quieting the mind for prayer.
Ambient and New Age Music
Most of us who grew up in the late '80s and '90s know all too well the sounds of Enya.
It may come as a surprise, but New Age music has grown up in recent decades. While still including the atmospheric quality of acoustic and electronic instrumentation, New Age music has melodic lines and vocalists who sing soothing music for your relaxation and meditation time. Conversely, ambient music provides soundscapes that don’t disrupt your flow with the human voice. Both are effective in creating introspective environments suitable for prayer and spiritual practices.
I can’t say that this is a genre I personally listen to, but I’m including it here as a means to show readers the spectrum of music for prayerful and meditative purposes. You go, new age listeners!
World Music
World music has a unique quality because the rhythms and instruments may be unlike those heard in traditional Western music. This style of music is a perfect way to feel a connection to our global brothers and sisters. World music for prayer and spirituality can be the sounds of the Peruvian panflute, the instrumental sounds of Central Asian music, Native American music, and songs featuring the imagination. There are hundreds of examples. Check out worldmusic.net to explore styles that you connect with.
Devotional or Spirituals
The magic of gospels, spirituals, praise, and worship songs is that they become the prayer themselves. This music has themes of love, unity, and admiration for divine presence, mainly Jesus and God, and carry joy and jubilation in the tempo. This is especially true in moments of national tragedies and social movements that have affected communities of faith. The multi-sensory aspect of swaying, clapping, and seeing motion in music releases endorphins to help a listener feel grounded in life and connected to others in times of unity.
Instrumental and Classical Music
As a person who has studied music extensively, classical and instrumental compositions don’t serve my need for quiet background music like they do for other people. I get caught up in listening at the technical structure of the piece that I can’t think about what it is I need to think about.
I will listen to piano, harp, guitar, or jazz, if the tempo is slow and the melodies don’t grow too big when I need music for activities that don’t require deep focus. Activities like background music for breakfast coffee hour, or for when you’re alone at home and savoring the quietude with some lit candles. The options for instrumental and classical music are many.
If you’re looking for traditional classical (or should I describe it as Classical classical?) you can include the greats like Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt or Tchaikovsky. But there are phenomenal contemporary classical musicians whose music is emotive in their own right. The soothing sounds of Spanish acoustic guitar, string quartets, and concertos offer listeners a rich, lyric-free experience from modern virtuosos like Yo-Yo Ma.
And, frankly, the creativity in the direction of classical and instrumental music like pairing instruments that haven’t traditionally been paired together, or arranging rock songs for classical instruments—heck, even lullabies have been arranged as soothing instrumental versions of pop rock, pop, country, and rap hits—is enough to give classical music in the modern era a chance.
Parting Thoughts
What you choose to listen to for your quiet moments is as personal as your reading preferences. My best advice is to explore a few options like the recommendations I shared here. The purpose of music is one in which you feel placed in the right state of focus for your quiet ritual.
Let me know what kind of music you like for your quiet moments.
