Apr 042016
 
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The germ of this post comes from Steven Johnson.  You’ve heard of him.  If not, get to know him by clicking here to learn more about the Down To Earth Woodworker.

Steve wanted to know what music you and I have on our “workshop playlists,” what music puts us in the mood for woodworking and gets us going.

After you answer the poll, leave us a comment and tell us whether you take the term “playlist” literally.  On your phone or MP3 player, do you have a playlist, a set of songs, that you reserve for woodworking music time?

Or, do you, like me, listen to different music at different times?

Though I’m not a trained musician like The Renaissance Woodworker, Shannon Rogers, music has always been hugely important to me.  Growing up in the 50s and 60s, I feel we had some of the greatest music ever written.  There were phases in which I favored Pop/Top 40/Rock and Roll, but I had several country music phases, too.  Back then, I went back and forth.  Today, I’m likely to listen to oldies one day and country the next.

 I built this shelf to get my stereo as far from dust generation as I could, and added the old CRT television when it was replaced upstairs by a flat screen. I like to catch the evening news while I’m working.

I built this shelf to get my stereo as far from dust generation as I could, and added the old CRT television when it was replaced upstairs by a flat screen. I like to catch the evening news while I’m working.

Our kids got me a 7.1 Surround Sound system for my shop, which I love and still use. But, as a child of the 60s who grew up with music that was REALLY LOUD, I just had to have big 3-way speakers to make A LOT of noise.

Our kids got me a 7.1 Surround Sound system for my shop, which I love and still use. But, as a child of the 60s who grew up with music that was REALLY LOUD, I just had to have big 3-way speakers to make A LOT of noise.

There are no music-less spots in our garage. Even the saw table is surrounded by speakers.

There are no music-less spots in our garage. Even the saw table is surrounded by speakers.

In this area where I usually do finishing work, I found I couldn’t be so far from music, so I dug up these old speakers from storage to soundstage this area, too.

In this area where I usually do finishing work, I found I couldn’t be so far from music, so I dug up these old speakers from storage to soundstage this area, too.

 If I’m enjoying the great outdoors, such as sanding a big project, I have to have music here, too. There is another identical stereo speaker to the left. These are some old Realistic Radio Shack speakers I bought to put in my 1977 Toyota pickup, which is why I don’t mind them staying outdoors. This area is rain-protected by a screened porch above.

If I’m enjoying the great outdoors, such as sanding a big project, I have to have music here, too. There is another identical stereo speaker to the left. These are some old Realistic Radio Shack speakers I bought to put in my 1977 Toyota pickup, which is why I don’t mind them staying outdoors. This area is rain-protected by a screened porch above.

To route the music where I am, I used my US Air Force electronics training to build this and/or gate.

To route the music where I am, I used my US Air Force electronics training to build this and/or gate.

Now, we know what Steve likes, as he expounded on the cultured music he listens to in this post.

  10 Responses to “POLL: What’s On Your “Workshop Playlist?””

  1. 不错,不错,看看了!

  2. Playlists are the way to go. I’ve got “Workshop1,” “Workshop 2,” etc. and each has a different sort of feel. I’m likely to listen to “Workshop 4” (all Mozart) if doing joinery, and “Workshop 6” if hand-sanding (all Diana Krall). Jazz, by the way, is great for sanding… Classical for drawing… Country for glue-ups… and for finishing, nothing beats a little 70’s Rock. When I make a mistake I listen to “Bridge Over Troubled Waters” — I’ve got that song memorized now.

  3. I bought your basic sound system to hear my favorite saved music on iTunes, but trying to work with the attention to detail and dance to the music was just not working. MISTAKES is the word of the day and waisted lumber. Hence the sound system is in the silent mode and mistakes become rare.

  4. Though I have an old AM-FM boom box in the garage, I rarely play it unless I’m in the mood for a little music. I think a TV would be a dangerous distraction.

  5. I play my iPhone through a Fugoo speaker normally streaming Plant Rock out of London

  6. I listen to London’s Classic FM piped to bluetooth speakers in the workshop from their application on me Android phone.

    There Saturday and Sunday offerings are fun and informative, and you hear music from composers whom you have never heard before but would very much like to hear again.

    They have feature whereby you can replay any show broadcast over the past week, something I take advantage of a number of times a week.

    It’s a free feed on Tune-In and you need to input a UK postal code to listen using access to classic-fm.com

  7. Mississippi delta blues from youtube on an iPhone sitting on the window sile( my shop is one corner of a metal unheated hpole barn with a kerosene heater when it gets below 40

  8. I also like Peter Paul and Mary , as well.

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