Well, I like my music. It gets my creative juices flowing, inspires, gets me thinking.
But occasionally I like silence, too.
I have uh… 16 gigs of mp3’s on my machine, some 6000 tracks or so. I’m not usually stuck for something to listen to. I’d have more, but my turntable is in the attic and I haven’t converted all my vinyl to mp3’s — yet. First thing I do with a new CD is to rip it to mp3, though.
My tastes vary. A lot. I like my heavy rock. I have very odd things I like, I can listen to Metallica and follow it up with Vanessa Mae. No sweat. Tschaikovsy or Grieg, followed by Alice Cooper, Twisted Sister and a bit of Beyonce thrown into the middle of it. I like Evanescence as much as I like Kate Bush. Basically I like music, period. If it sounds good to me, then I’ll listen to it. Linkin Park or Beethoven - I don’t really care, as long as it fits my mood.
I don’t so much have a soundtrack for a WIP, but I have mood music playlists.
I also know my characters musical tastes, btw. One of my gals, while preparing christmas dinner, finds out the hero likes to listen to Van Halen — extremely loud. A decibel below deafening is just right for him, while she likes quiet soul music. Another one in the mix likes Christina Aguilera, while the hero prefers classical music.
Musical tastes say a lot about people. I may never mention what my characters listen to, but I know it anyway. I’m sure yours do too. It’s part of their character, like their favorite food, drink, color.
Metallica tends to be the noise of choice when it’s kicking to the curb time, Linkin Park gets dragged out for torment (So does Faith No More and Alice in Chains). Darren Hayes’ “Insatiable” is still one of my all time faves, as is Christina Aguilera’s “Hurt” and Natasha Beddingfield’s “Soulmate”. I really totally love the first ever Phenomena Album, and “Broadsword and the Beast” by Jethro Tull. “Old Man River” has been known to reduce me to tears, and I cannot listen to a rendition of Amazing Grace on bagpipes without getting incredibly homesick.
Basically, I have mood music, period. And it can be anything at all. 