Gnossienne No. 1
Erik Satie · Pascal Rogé
Try solo piano for a quieter chapter. If the melody draws you away from the text, compare it with ambient music or silence.
Listen on Spotify — Gnossienne No. 1 (opens a new tab)
Music while reading: does it help or distract?
Instrumental music at a low volume is usually fine for reading. Songs with lyrics are the main risk. The effects in the research are small, so the best check is your own: read a few pages with music, a few in silence, and keep what lets you follow the text.
Is it good to listen to music while reading?
Usually yes, if the music has no lyrics. In studies of reading comprehension, instrumental music did about as well as silence, while songs with words did worse. The effects are small and people differ, so test it on your own book: read a few pages with music and a few without, and keep whichever lets you follow the text.
If you keep rereading a sentence, lower the volume, change the track or pause the music. Silence is a good option for difficult passages.
What the research found
Three studies, and what each one did and didn’t measure:
Lyrics are the problem. A 2018 analysis of 65 studies (Vasilev, Kirkby and Angele, Perspectives on Psychological Science, open copy) found that intelligible speech and lyrical music distracted most. Music without lyrics was not found to be distracting, and the authors conclude that listening to instrumental music while reading does not affect comprehension, whereas lyrical music does. Few of the studies measured reading speed, so this is about understanding the text.
Songs you like don’t get a pass. In a small experiment with 30 students (Perham and Currie, 2014, Applied Cognitive Psychology, author copy), comprehension was best in silence and with instrumental music, and worst with lyrical music. Songs the students liked were as disruptive as songs they disliked.
The overall effect is small. A 2011 analysis of background music (Kämpfe, Sedlmeier and Renkewitz, Psychology of Music) found no overall effect across all tasks, and a small negative effect on text understanding (r = −.11, 8 studies, 680 participants). That is why silence stays a valid choice.
What this means: instrumental and quiet is the safest default; lyrics are the first thing to remove when a page isn’t sinking in; and a result this small means your own test counts more than any rule.
How to test it on your own book
- Pick a passage you’d normally read in one sitting and set a 15-minute sprint in the Reading Room with the music you want to try.
- At the end, write down in one sentence what you just read. Did you reread lines? Did you catch yourself following the music?
- Repeat with a similar passage in silence, then with a different kind of music (instrumental or ambient, for example). Keep the setting where you reread least and recall most.
Try the same book with a classical recording, an ambient album or a lo-fi mix, or see the best music for reading.
Try a recording
Listen before choosing your atmosphere
These are independent recordings to try, separate from BookTuning’s generated mixes. Open a player when you want to listen. Playback and availability depend on Spotify.
Ambient 1: Music for Airports
Brian Eno · 2004 remaster
Start with 1/1 to try a longer ambient piece. Compare it with a short instrumental track before choosing a session-length queue.
Listen on Spotify — Ambient 1: Music for Airports (opens a new tab)
Open player for Ambient 1: Music for Airports
Choose a starting point
| Try | When to consider it | What to listen for |
|---|---|---|
| Instrumental music | Words in songs pull your attention away from the page | Try piano or cello, then compare with a song you know. |
| Ambient music | You want atmosphere with fewer short-track changes | Listen for textures or sounds that distract you; ambient is not always quiet. |
| A familiar playlist | You prefer knowing what comes next | Familiar songs may also tempt you to sing along. |
| Silence | The music becomes more interesting than the text | Pause it and read another few pages before deciding. |
Reading with music, answered
Can music improve reading comprehension?
The studies above don’t show an improvement: the best case is instrumental music matching silence. Music can make reading more enjoyable, but enjoying a soundtrack is not the same as understanding the text. Check it with the test above.
How loud should it be?
Low enough that you stop noticing it. Device percentages mean different things on different speakers and headphones, so go by ear. If you catch yourself following a melody, lower the volume or pause.
Do I need music without lyrics?
It’s the safer choice. In the research, lyrics were the biggest cost, and songs people liked cost as much as songs they didn’t. If you prefer songs, try them on an easier chapter first and compare with an instrumental mix.
Which is better for reading: classical, ambient or lo-fi?
None is proven better: the studies above compared music with and without lyrics, not styles. Pick an instrumental recording in the style you like. All three can be instrumental, and any of them can have a passage that pulls you away from the page. Preview a recording before a long session: here are classical, ambient and lo-fi starting points.
How long should the playlist be?
Queue enough for the session you planned, and preview several tracks so later changes in energy don’t surprise you. The free Reading Room timer runs sprints of 15, 25, 45 or 60 minutes, or any length from 5 to 120.
Is silence ever better?
Yes. For a dense or unfamiliar passage, pause the music and read it in silence. The studies found silence at least as good as instrumental music for comprehension.
Make the playlist fit your book
Choose your book, then adjust mood, music style and instrumental preference. These settings describe the music you request; they do not guarantee how every recording will sound.
- Preview. On a playlist page, try a clip when available or open the Spotify track player.
- Replace. Sign in to BookTuning to customize a mix. If a song feels too energetic, has distracting vocals or does not fit the book, choose a reason and compare alternatives.
- Save my mix. Save accepted replacements as your own playlist. The saved Spotify player updates when the new mix is ready.
Want fewer lyrics? Raise the instrumental preference, then preview the first few tracks.
Book playlists to try while you read
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
90% instrumental setting · Arvo Pärt, Max Richter, Dead Can Dance
We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer
90% instrumental setting · William Basinski, Ludovico Einaudi, Brian Eno
The Odyssey by Homer
Dead Can Dance, Ludovico Einaudi, Vangelis
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Ólafur Arnalds, Ludovico Einaudi, Nina Simone
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Balmorhea, Nils Frahm, Secret Garden
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
Hammock, Tycho, ODESZA
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Tinariwen, Fela Kuti, Nina Simone
Neuromancer by William Gibson
Daft Punk, Nine Inch Nails, Brian Eno