Writing in tune - #MFRWAuthor 52-week blog challenge

I often work with music playing. Since I work as a freelance writer and editor, that means I frequently listen to music when I write, even when I work on my own projects.

I listen to a mixture of music, mostly depending upon my mood and the season. For some weird reason, I listen more to classical music in the autumn months. I particularly enjoy Spanish madrigals. I don't know what makes them Spanish madrigals, but whenever I hear one my reaction is, "I liked that."

I enjoy classic rock and some not-so-classic rock. From the Animals to the Zombies, if it's got a good beat and at least a catchy refrain, I'll bop in my seat for hours. I also enjoy the softer stuff, pop, Top 40, etc. Air Supply gets a lot of derision, but I always did enjoy their music. Journey, Styx, REO Speedwagon, Eagles, Simon & Garfunkle, Fleetwood Mac, Carly Simon, Gordon Lightfoot, Dan Fogelberg ... it's all good. Heck, let's throw in some ABBA and KC & the Sunshine Band, too. Then we'll swerve to Hozier, Theory of a Deadman, Fiver Finger Death Punch, and Disturbed.

When my preference doesn't really veer to rock 'n roll or classical, I'll turn on country. I particularly like 80's and 90's country: Reba McEntire, Garth Brooks, Brooks & Dunn, Vince Gill, Wynona Judd, Clint Blank, Andrew Jackson, etc. But I also enjoy listening to more recent stuff from Little Big Town, Luke Bryan, Josh Groban, Miranda Lambert, Carrie Underwood, etc.

And then there's the outlier, the "where in the heck did that come from?" contingent of my musical preferences. We're talking about Celtic folk music, from the haunting strains of the soundtrack of Last of the Mohicans to stuff called "Lords of Iron" and other such dramatic names. And Enya. Can't forget Enya. If only I could sing like her ...

When I sing, dogs howl.

Jazz? I can take it or leave it, but I don't seek it out. I dislike rap and hip-hop. You can argue all you want about the merits of those two genres, but you won't convince me to like either. I like big band, too, even though I don't seek that out, either.

The pleasure I take in music in no way translates to any musical skill of my own. I took piano lessons as a child and was no more--and often less--than an indifferent pianist. I disliked music classes taken in school, having no interest whatsoever in music theory. I inherited much of my musical preferences from my father and grew up listening to the tunes of his youth, particularly the Beach Boys. I still like 'em.

Sometimes, however, silence works best. It all depends upon my mood and what I'm working on .