The music on my iPhone is set to shuffle all. With shuffle, one has no idea what is coming next! The only detail from the list of four thousand songs is a lack of a single pop song, unless you consider the songs from retrospective albums from the 60s as pop.
As I listen, especially when riding a motorcycle, I find that my riding changes with the music and artist. As I shared the observation with a friend, our conversation got into various genres and within the genres, specific artists and the songs they were playing and or singing.
While I had sensed how music influenced my riding style, the depths of this conversation revealed the correlations and connections playing out day to day.
Rock anthems and intense electric guitars (Satriani as an example) are leading indicators to riding slow and intentionally. I have no idea why! Initially I suspected a link between the music and a demand for my attention or a desire to sing along. Observations during random rides that followed debunked this theory. So far, I have not discerned that I am doing anything differently, other than riding more slowly.
Jazz and Sinatra are linked to a smooth and flowing riding style. The style of riding, slow, roll, and go movements, listening and at times singing along, naturally come together in a refreshing and energizing way. If I am looking for safe and efficient riding, this would be the logical music of choice.
Classical, especially chorale and organ music, and even more so when they are combined, is an indicator of focused smooth speed. English organs and choirs leads to a pure in the moment journey. Nothing else touches my awareness during the ride. Worries from yesterday stay there! Planning for the day ahead remain to be done. It is all about the moment, pushing the edges, and enjoying the feeling of the bike and elements around it.
As I head I hear the psalmist; “I set your instructions to music and sing them as I walk [ride] this pilgrim way.” (Psalm 119.54)
