Tea Music

[IPT]

I was thinking about this the other day and I was wondering what kind of music people listen to while they drink tea. I know, of course, that a lot of times we don't have time to stop what we are doing just to drink tea, but when you do, is there a particular type of music you like to listen to when drinking tea? Do different teas warrent different types of music?

Every evening, when at home, I like to light some incense using the Chinese incense ceremony, put on some Buddhist Meditation music, and slowly savor tea in my dimly lit study. It makes all of the day's trouble melt away for me. Of course, when I finish, I have to give my daughter her bath, so reality quickly rushes back in, but for that hour or so: paradise.

[spittingoutteeth]

I'm a musician and listening to music during my tea ritual is very important to me. I typically listen to drone or ambient sounds, as they match the state of contemplation and meditation that I gain from the tea. Some personal favorites lately are Brian Eno, early Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze, Eliane Radigue, Greg Davis, Marble Sky, Treetops, Eleh, etc.

Tea also plays a key role when I am making music as well, especially during recording sessions.

[IPT]

Nice. What kind of music do you play?

[Janine]

Every evening, when at home, I like to light some incense using the Chinese incense ceremony, put on some Buddhist Meditation music, and slowly savor tea in my dimly lit study. It makes all of the day's trouble melt away for me.

This does sound wonderful. I'm usually drinking tea when I study and write - which is a 9-5 occupation for me. I also burn incense (usually Japanese). Mostly I listen to classical music as it helps me write (if I'm listening); quite often that tends to be something soothing and rather simple like Chopin's Nocturnes. I also like Chinese traditional music. What type of incense do you use? A friend of mine, who's trained as a Daoist priest has told me that a traditional material in Chinese ceremony is cedar wood.

[IPT]

Cedar is often used, as well as sandalwood. Those are the most common for temples and things, but for in the home, they are a bit overwhelming. I use a lot of different woods, but I don't know their English names. I tried to look them up in dictionaries, but they don't have the translations.

[spittingoutteeth]

Nice. What kind of music do you play?

I actually play music very similar to what I listen to; mostly ambient and drone pieces, often incorporating field recordings. I'm currently working on a project with another musician that is a 47-minute long ambient piece that incorporates nature sounds recorded in the deep woods of northern Vermont.

[p_funk]

Pink Floyd anyone? Any kind of music really, just depends on what i am trying to do. If I am trying to relax then of course it be something more mellow, such as Pink Floyd. But if I am trying to accomplish something around the house, then something heavier.

[IPT]

Nice. What kind of music do you play?

I actually play music very similar to what I listen to; mostly ambient and drone pieces, often incorporating field recordings. I'm currently working on a project with another musician that is a 47-minute long ambient piece that incorporates nature sounds recorded in the deep woods of northern Vermont.

That sounds really interesting.

[Symmetry]

I take my time to enjoy tea whenever possible, and music is a very large part of that for me. I usually listen to classical music, though that's true in general and not just while drinking tea. Bach's Inventions and Cantatas are good for oolongs and black teas - I especially like the Glenn Gould interpretations. Schubert or Haendel are my favorites for drinking greens and, I've found, whites.

I also drink quite a bit of herbal and flavored teas, but those depend more on my mood at the moment. Tchaikovsky and Liszt to Chopin to Khachaturian - whatever strikes me at the moment. I've found I can get lost in a Haydn concerto and end up late to whatever I'm doing next - but only while drinking tea! Relaxation is a double-edged sword, I suppose.