Music for Reading: The Perfect Reading Playlist

Let's face it, we all love picking up a good book at the end of a long day, but sometimes the book itself just isn’t quite enough to help us switch off sometimes we need music to complete the mood. Now, if you listen to music while you read you will know that not just any song will do. But how do choose which song to listen to while you read? In this article we are going to explore the best the music to listen to while you read and how you choose the right song for your book.

On first impressions, you might think that choosing a song is easy, just press play on a random Spotify playlist, and away you go, but in reality, there are a few factors you need to consider. The real challenge of choosing music to listen to while you read is selecting songs that won’t distract you from your book but are also engaging enough to enhance your experience.

Now, instead of just recommending a whole bunch of songs that we like, we have broken this article down into genres, after all, music like Dimitri Vegas’s electronic dance music might not be the best thing to listen to while you're reading Pride and Prejudice, although I’m sure we can all agree that would have made for a wild film!

Does Listening to Music Help You Focus?

There are a few ways in which music can help you focus on reading, especially if you spend a significant amount of time doing it. Take a look at this list of ways music can help you concentrate.

Masks Environmental Noise:

Soft, subtle music can help drown out intrusive noises such as voices, traffic, or household noises. Covering up background noise reduces the chance of being distracted from the pages of your book by sudden or irregular sounds.

Sets the Mood:

Much like how music is used in film and TV, it can set the mood for your reading too. Provided the music isn’t too intrusive, it can provide a gentle melodic backdrop that can give your reading experience a whole new depth. For example, calm slow music can help you relax and feel more involved in the story you are reading while music with a higher tempo can add a sense of tension or excitement to your read.

Engages Your Subconscious Attention

The human brain likes rhythm and pattern, so having music playing in the background gives your mind something to tether itself to and reduces the chance of your subconscious wandering in search of other distractions. It’s also widely recognised that having music playing can reduce internal chatter, helping you to focus your thoughts on what you are reading.

Induces Flow State

Flow state is a deep focus, an almost meditative state that is incredibly beneficial for relaxation and concentration. Having gentle music playing softly in the background can help you achieve a flow state, enhancing your reading experience. Genres like lo-fi hip-hop, ambient electronic, or minimalist piano, on a low volume, can be great for this.

Reduces Mental Fatigue

If you are the type of person who can sit and read for hours, you will know that silence itself can be tiring. Having music playing can help provide a gentle auditory stimulus that engages your brain and prevents it from overcompensating for the lack of noise.

What is the Best Music to Listen to While You Read?

It’s important to note that not all music helps you read - songs that are too complex, too loud, or too distracting can have the opposite effect and can cause you to struggle to focus.

The key is balance when it comes to picking the right songs to listen to while you read. In addition, everyone has a different taste in music, a playlist that works for one person may have the opposite effect for another, so you should try a few genres to find the best ones for you.

Take a look at some of the best genres to listen to while you read.

Classical

The soft atmospheric tones of classical music offer new depth to your reading experience without drawing your attention too much. The lack of lyrics means that you are much less likely to be distracted while you listen to it for longer periods.

Classical music is an incredibly diverse genre with massive variation in its compositions, so choosing the right songs is crucial and will require some trial and error to find the best ones that suit your reading style. To save you some time here are a few suggestions that can help you get your first classical reading playlist off the ground:

Classical Song Recommendations:

• Ludovico Einaudi – "Divenire”
• Johann Sebastian Bach – "Cello Suites"
• Erik Satie – "Gymnopédie No. 1"
• Philip Glass – "Glassworks"

Check out our specially crafted classical playlist perfect for reading:

Classical music pairs excellently with nearly every literary genre, but listening to artists like Bach, Beethoven, or Mozart can be especially impactful with genres like fantasy, historical, and even while you are studying.

Jazz

Smooth jazz and soft instrumental jazz are great for stimulating a relaxed and creative headspace ideal for reading. The gentle flow of smooth jazz can help you relax into your reading and the lack of vocals in instrumental jazz reduces the risk of being distracted.

Not all Jazz is conducive to a good reading environment however, some subgenres within jazz may hinder your ability to focus, for example, free jazz is often sporadic which can be a big distraction while you are reading.

Take a look at these jazz song suggestions to get your next reading playlist started.

Jazz song recommendations for reading:

• Bill Evans – "Waltz for Debby":
• Dave Brubeck – "Take Five"
• Chet Baker – "Almost Blue" (Instrumental)
• Oscar Peterson – "Night Train"

Check out our specially crafted jazz reading playlist:

Because of the level of creativity that jazz music inspires, it makes for a great soundtrack to your fiction books, it's also great for getting to the zone while you study.

Ambient / Electronic

Ambient electronic music is often composed to take the listener on a journey, utilizing a blend of real instruments and digitally created sounds to create a surreal atmosphere that is perfect for reading.

Because of the huge variety of music in the electronic genre, you may find that you have to filter through a lot of songs before you find the ones that best suit your reading style.

To save you some time we have collated a few suggestions to inspire your first ambient reading playlist, check them out.

Electronic song recommendations for Reading:

• Brian Eno – "Music for Airports" (pioneer of ambient music)
• Tycho – "Epoch" (uplifting, gentle electronic beats)
• Carbon-Based Lifeforms – "Derelicts" (spacey, smooth)
• Aphex Twin – "Selected Ambient Works 85–92" (minimal electronic)

Check out our specially crafted ambient playlist:

Lo-fi Hip-Hop

Lo-fi Hip-Hop makes for a great reading playlist thanks to its repetitive loops and chill beats. Simple chords and relaxing upbeat melodies make lo-fi hip-hop great at blocking out background noise and creating a structured stimulus that promotes concentration and focus.

We have often found that if you enjoy one lo-fi hip-hop track, you will probably like most of them, so finding enough tracks to build a playlist should be easy. But, just to give a head start we have collated a few top-tier suggestions, take a look below.

Lo-fi hip hop song recommendations for reading:

• Jinsang – "Solitude"
• Nujabes – "Luv(sic) Part 3 (Instrumental)"
• Idealism – "Both of Us"
• Lo-fi Girl's 24/7 live stream (YouTube classic for focus music)

Try out our very own lo-fi hip-hop reading playlist:

Soundtracks / Scores

Soundtracks and film scores are literally created to enhance the atmosphere, so it’s no surprise that they are also great for reading. The atmospheric sounds of soundtracks and the lack of lyrics can often shine a new light on the book you are reading, giving your imagination a whole new perspective.

Soundtrack recommendations for reading:

• Hans Zimmer – "Interstellar (Main Theme)"
• Max Richter – "Sleep" (8-hour ambient masterpiece)
• Rainy Mood app + soft piano music
• Howard Shore – "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" soundtrack

Try out our soundtrack playlist the next time you pick up a book:

Ambient Sound Effects For Reading

Ambient sound effects can be just as effective at enhancing your reads. Which sound effects available to you are diverse, ranging from whale songs to ambient traffic noises, and everything in between. Often recorded and edited to remove the sporadic and intrusive noises that could distract you, ambient soundtracks are accessible from all the major music platforms including Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Music.

• Rain
• Crackling fireplace
• Ocean
• Forest/Rainforest
• Café or bar Background noises

If ambient sounds seem like your kind of reading playlist, check out our carefully curated Spotify playlist:

To make your search for the ultimate playlist a little easier we have curated some of the best reading playlists on the internet, check them out scattered throughout the article, or you head straight to the WeBuyBooks Spotify page to see our full range of playlists to elevate your next read!

So, that concludes our exploration of the best music to listen to while you read. From the elegance of classic to the funky beats of electronic music, we have covered a little bit of everything for every reading style. If you have any other suggestions for music that compliments a good book, we'd love to hear them, tag us on Insta #webuybooks or drop us a direct message and we can add it to this article!

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