Musical style of Programmers

Hard Rock Bent?

[LifeinAsia]

A few of us programmers/developers were sitting around this afternoon discussing music and one asked why it is that most programmers lean towards classical/hard rock. Thinking back among previous programming co-workers, I definitely noticed a trend. Anyone else have anecdotal evidence?

[Iguana]

I fight against such musical taste every day. I agree most programmers lean towards easily categorised music - ambiguity is anethema. But them I'm just somebody obsessed by new music AND programming. I sometimes wish I had found a way to live on my crap opinions on music and left the website stuff to anally obsessed coders.

[httpwebwitch]

And I thought most programmers were into Kraftwerk, Devo, Yaz, Depeche Mode, Mouse on Mars, Magic Yellow Orchestra, New Order & that kind of electronica stuff.

Among programmers in my periphery, that genre is way more popular than Rock

Though I have known an unusual minority of Heavy Metal & Hair Metal fans. You know, like Poison and Whitesnake and Motley Crue and all that crap.

[Essex_boy]

New Order - They were around in yoof but never really like them, im only now starting to listen to them via VH1

But all times fav - Sisters of Mercy

[DrDoc]

Jean-Michel Jarre
Mike Oldfield

... and then my own stuff.

[larryhatch]

I don't know how much truth there is in a tendency of
programmers toward classical music but have a theory.

Classical music is very highly structured and symmetrical.
This might appeal to programmers who have to be orderly and structured
just to make the simplest programs work properly.

I graduated in Music decades ago. My programs are in C-language.
My website is in straight HTML, just a few lines of code for frame-busting -Larry

[heisters]

I think the predilection towards metal and related rock genres is mostly a function of programmers also being geeks. Particularly those that are now in their mid 30s and grew up during the '80s when metal was at its peak. Nowadays programming is becoming a trendier occupation, so the younger coders probably listen to more contemporary pop.

[moltar]

I consider myself a good programmer, but I don't like rock at all :) I like Drum and Bass...

[Lyndsay]

I'm not sure I'd say I'm a programmer... but I looooove Country music... the older stuff (Geroge Strait, Travis Tritt, Randy Travis, etc.)

But I also love my 80s hair rock. I just can't seem to give it up :)

Oh yeah and I'm a classic car freak too so then there's the mandatory oldies... right now I'm totally into Bobby Vinton.

I'm such a loser... haha

[AWildman]

You're not a loser! Heck, I like everything from Glenn Miller to Nine Inch Nails. I do tend towards the 80's pop rock, 90's dance, and heavy metal though.

[jatar_k]

hmmm, well I think I'm a programmer, last time I checked anyway

I agree with the hard rock for a lot of the ones I have worked with. These were the same ones with the floods and the checked shirt buttoned to the top. They mostly listened to a lot of hard rock and bad metal.

myself it really depends on my mood

new stuff, old stuff, whatever, most genres, I stay away from country most of the time and don't really listen to much 80's or bubble gum pop but aside form that anything goes.

[httpwebwitch]

classical/hard rock

Did you mean... "classic"?

Classical music is Brahms, Mozart, Haydn.

Classic Rock is the Eagles, Rolling Stones, Queen.

[Key_Master]

Classic rock will be classical sometime in the far future.

I prefer Alternative.

[Birdman]

Though I have known an unusual minority of Heavy Metal & Hair Metal fans. You know, like Poison and Whitesnake and Motley Crue and all that crap.

Hey, I like that crap! ;) Well, used to ;)

I'm working with some SOAD as we write!

SOAD = (system of a down)

[PhraSEOlogy]

As a self confessed coding junkie I think my musical tastes are rock oriented but can include any of the following:

Pet Shop Boys, Zeppelin, Queen, Bowie, NIN, Blues Traveller, Toby Keith, Vivaldi, Kraftwerk, T-Rex, Roxy Music, The Grid, Meatloaf, Moody Blues, Rednex, Kate Bush, Aerosmith, Guns N Roses, JM Jarre, Vangelis, Gretchen Wilson, Jonathan Richman, Lindisfarne, Moby, Prodigy, Ramstein etc.

Pretty mixed bag I think... or maybe not.

[john_k]

I really like a wide variety of music. Mostly new alternative and rock, with a good mix of big bands, some jazz, and some classical. But it has to be somewhat melodic. (So even some rap gets in there.) Above all though, if it has strings, and is played with passion, it rocks!

I just got home from a short trip that I extended for a few blocks because "L.A. Woman" was on the radio.

There is a cool radio station in Austin that used to netcast, but they stopped during the royalties hoo-haa a few years ago. There is another one from Madison, WI that stopped and has now started again. (pm me for the URL if you want) They both have a great mix of new adult alternative music.

Besides that:
Just about anything from Led Zepplin.
Junior Brown - Surf Medley.
JS Bach - Concerto for Two Violins in D Minor
Andre Segovia
Gershwin - "An American in Paris" and "Summertime" from Porgy and Bess.

I always wonder what Mozart would think of music from the last 40 years. I also think "Concerto for Two Violins in D Minor" would be great played with two guitars.

[KevinC]

from the programmers I've worked with this couldn't be further from the truth, but maybe it is a geographic difference. In my neck of the woods Hip Hop is king.

[BeeDeeDubbleU]

Millican and Nesbitt ;)

No, No, No ... I'm only joking!

[grandpa]

anecdotal evidence?

The best evidence would come from the likes of Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. What did they listen to when they were just young geeks - I'll surmise that it was the music of the day, rock and roll.

Rock and Roll music and programming have a synergy, the driving beat and the driven compulsion to do it better. They belong to one another just like Mom and Apple Pie.