inspirational music!

[shamguy4]

ok. Here I am going to give away my secrets for inspiration... epic music!! At least thats what people are calling it... its soundtrack music or trailer music and its awesome.
I will share my favorites and I'm hoping others do the same!
This music gets me pumped and I can literally see some of them fitting perfectly to a scene in my book. Its really fun to do. Give it a try!

My Favorites:

Flight of the silverbird - Two steps from hell
Protector of earth - Two steps from hell
Archangel - Two steps from hell
Strength of a thousand men -Two steps from hell

Can you tell I like Two steps from hell yet? I also like some real movie soundtracks:

Zen Ball Master - Kung Fu Panda
Farewell - Pocahontas
Sacntuary! - Hunchback of Notre Dame
Pirates of the Caribbean theme (although Two steps from hell has one just like it and makes me wonder who copied who? racketeer - Two steps from hell)
beast transformation - beauty and the beast
Duel of the Fates - star wars


Now we had a deal.... What are some of yours?

 

[psychotick]

Hi,

Don't know two steps from hell so it's not them!

For me some of the sound tracks I hear in my head as I write are:

Thunderstruck - AC/DC - I wrote Dragon based almost completely based on the emotion of this song.
It's a Kind of Magic - Queen
Highway to Hell - AC/DC - Yes, I could be a headbanger!!!
The Sandman - Metallica - Ok there's no could be about it any more!!!
Southern Cross - Crosby Stills and Nash - Had it in my head constantly as I wrote Guinea Pig
Higher Love - Steve Winward - Lot's of Thief was fueled by this track

Cheers, Greg.

 

[Ray McCarthy]

BBC R4
Just in the background, only half listening.
Or TSF Jazz (French Radio station)

 

[thaddeus6th]

Some soundtracks are great. To The Stars from Dragonheart, Sacrifice from Dragon Age: Inquisition, Lea Monde at Dawn from Vagrant Story. I also like the main LOTR theme, and The Bridge of Khazad-Dum.

Duel of the Fates, as you mentioned, is one of the better things from the prequel trilogy.

 

[Dan Jones]

I find anything classical is good brain-massaging stuff.

Hans Zimmer has some interesting albums which also can get the juices flowing.

Or, if I need a good, stern talking to, maybe some Pantera. If I'm writing something post-apocalyptic, something by Strapping Young Lad usually does the trick .

 

[Venusian Broon]

I recently rediscovered Dead can Dance - A passage in time which has a nice ethereal and wistfully alien quality, which seems to suit my odd far future SF thoughts. Listening to it now...(also quite gentle on the tired brain )

 

[Stephen Palmer]

Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze and Robert Schröder for sure...

 

[Vertigo]

Wow Tangerine Dream - now there's a blast from the past; I saw them in Liverpool Cathedral back in '75 I hadn't realised they were still going. I might have to investigate.

 

[F.J. Hansen]

I use Two Steps From Hell a lot, too. Also Future World Music and, my latest favorite, R. Armando Morabito. But, mostly I use film soundtracks.

A few tracks I had for specific scenes in my last book include:

"The President's Speech" (Independence Day) by David Arnold
"War" (Avatar) by James Horner
"Battle of the Heroes" (Star Wars III) by John Williams
"Matrix of Leadership" (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen) by Steve Jablonsky
"Toothless Found" (How to Train Your Dragon 2) by John Powell
"Final Test" (Ender's Game) by Steve Jablonsky
"Fearful Odds" (Oblivion) by M83 for the climax of the climax
"Follow Your Dreams" by Band X for the final scene

 

[Stephen Palmer]

Wow Tangerine Dream - now there's a blast from the past; I saw them in Liverpool Cathedral back in '75 I hadn't realised they were still going. I might have to investigate.

They're not really still going. Edgar died a few months ago, and some people he knew are apparently carrying the name on - to many TD fans' disgust.

But they were peerless up to the mid 1980s, and that's the period I listen to…

Klaus Schulze is still going strong, and releasing some good stuff - especially Moonlake and Kontinuum.

 

[Vertigo]

I don't actually have any of their music just now. Might have to rectify that...

 

[hardsciencefanagain]

You all might think of me as very retro,but I still turn to Rubycon for relaxation ,or some roedelius,or Eno's MUSIC FOR FILMS,or Lancaster/Lumley
Td went downhill fast.
Their sequences and rhythms lost their inventiveness.
You know,i half believe they improvised a lot of their stuff in the early,good days
Zeit/Alpha Centauri certainly sound that way
First and second Ashra album are pretty nifty as well

 

[Vertigo]

I think I prefer Eno's Music for Airports

 

[Stephen Palmer]

You all might think of me as very retro,but I still turn to Rubycon for relaxation ,or some roedelius,or Eno's MUSIC FOR FILMS,or Lancaster/Lumley
Td went downhill fast.
Their sequences and rhythms lost their inventiveness.
You know,i half believe they improvised a lot of their stuff in the early,good days
Zeit/Alpha Centauri certainly sound that way
First and second Ashra album are pretty nifty as well

All fantastic albums. They were exceptional in the "early" days but I also love their groundbreaking Tangram, Exit, Force Majeure etc. Truly exceptional band, and a huge part of my musical "growing up".

 

[Phyrebrat]

I like to listen to music when I'm walking to and from work as I commute so much, rather than when I am writing.

Mostly I switch on one of Kate Bush's many albums if I'm going for something melancholy rather than total horror. She helps me get into my characters' heads. Bear McCreary and Jesper Kydd, and lately, I've been rinsing John Williams' Witches of Eastwick soundtrack, esp Dance of the Witches and The Town of Eastwick. Often Goblin's Suspiria theme will get my motor going for a 300 entry, too.

I teach to hip hop, funk and afrobeats all day so that's the last thing I listen to when I'm in writer-mode, although D'Angelo's Voodoo album is pretty fertile.

pH

 

[Zebra Wizard]

I like to listen to music when I'm walking to and from work as I commute so much, rather than when I am writing.
pH

I can't listen to regular music when writing either but writing in silence can make my mind wander.

is the kind of thing i slap on and just make it loop whilst im writing. It helps me stay in the "zone"

 

[shamguy4]

I use Two Steps From Hell a lot, too. Also Future World Music and, my latest favorite, R. Armando Morabito. But, mostly I use film soundtracks.

A few tracks I had for specific scenes in my last book include:

"The President's Speech" (Independence Day) by David Arnold
"War" (Avatar) by James Horner
"Battle of the Heroes" (Star Wars III) by John Williams
"Matrix of Leadership" (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen) by Steve Jablonsky
"Toothless Found" (How to Train Your Dragon 2) by John Powell
"Final Test" (Ender's Game) by Steve Jablonsky
"Fearful Odds" (Oblivion) by M83 for the climax of the climax
"Follow Your Dreams" by Band X for the final scene

We have the same tatse!!
Basically I like listening to music from movies or trailers. No words. Just awesome epic music that helps your scene.

lol, Highway to hell - I can only hear that when some trucker is driving down a highway in the desert sun!

 

[J Riff]

Problem is, the reader can't hear the music, or they may loathe it. Try a six-hour thunderstorm recording, strobe lights and a lava lamp or two for atmosphere.

 

[F.J. Hansen]

The reader doesn't need to hear the music. The music is to fire me up so that I can write the best scene I can. If I'm not inspired to do that, the reader may be more likely to loathe my writing.

 

[J Riff]

I know... try Entry of the Gladiators, there must be many versions out there. )