What are some music you listen to that inspires you to be better?

[ProjectX]

Any suggestions? Any artists, soundtracks etc?

[Angela]

Better at what? Like: a better person? Or a better musician?

[Nasir]

Matisyahu is one of my current favorites.

[songwriter]

This is not an very snob answer. But The Beatles.

They are exactly not one-hit wonders so there's a lot of examples. Maybe the most obvious is Hey Jude, about trying to better. Some people when questions about music here, talks about lyrics but it's the music not the lyrics what give meaning to the music, for instance the finale of Hey Jude, has not lyrics, anyway it's about enlightment, celebration, doing what you love, etc.
The lyrics are only cues, it's the music.

[lasti]

None.

[AlexG]

Trance/Techno. Upbeat music. Ups my state.

[Akashic_Librarian]

Metallica's Black Album I find quite uplifting, and I also like Coldplay, The Killers...hell loads of artists that make me feel glad to be alive!

[Jes]

Beethoven. You can't get any better than that.

[Nasir]

Originally Posted by Jes

Beethoven. You can't get any better than that.

Agreed, classical music is very uplifting. I also enjoy Mozart. I suggest using Pandora Radio - Listen to Free Internet Radio, Find New Music, it's excellent.

[Amandaaa]

Music doesn't really inspire me... words do. Pictures do. Other people's actions do.

Music just puts me in the right mood after I've already been inspired. It can help revv me up or calm me down...or help me relax...or help me finish a project.

What kind of music are you looking for??

[hacker]

During work I listen to :

Metamusic by Hemisync
Chopin
Four Seasons by Vivaldi

.... when I need focus and concentration

And....

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

... when I am doing repetitive tasks.

[AWOL]

The Caramel Dance (caramelldansen). I dunno, it's just such a happy song.

[machoman]

well I think imusic will work if your goals were to have altered states of mind
Go to this website for more details:
iMusic by Volition Thought House: The Ultimate Brain Enhancer

[darkw0rker]

well if you want to use music to motivate yourself, I suggest to stop it completely. I have been there, and I know that external motivation is the worst thing that you can do to yourself!

Find inner motivation...because one day your gonna wake up with no earphones in your ears...then tell me...are you still inspired to do your best?

[Call me Boges]

darkworker I disagree. Although I believe the majority of your strength should be of the inner type, music is a beautiful thing. I for one love working out with music. It puts me into my zone. This may seem like a crutch to some, call it what you will it because to me music will always be a main factor in my life.

For me, working out without music is like dancing without music.

[Elrond]

Originally Posted by songwriter

This is not an very snob answer. [...]

...

Originally Posted by Jes

Beethoven. You can't get any better than that.

LOL

[bluedragon]

Tupac's music inspires me to face adversity and be bold and care less about haters; natalie imbruglia's that day, beauty on the fire and others inspire me to live more fully, lara fabian's music inspires me to love more. Russian and moldavian music inspires me to HAVE MORE FUN, which I've been pretty much ignoring and forgetting until now.
Enigma inspires me to relax. Cuban songs inpire me to dance. And there is surely more.

[Haven44]

I love listening to lyrical music while I do mundane tasks - like scrubbing the bathtub, sweeping or doing the dishes, etc. There's just nothing like belting out some Alanis Morissette or New Pornographers while tossing old salsa jars!

I like having background music a lot - while socializing, cooking, and 'work stuff'. Upbeat folk or bluegrass usually does the trick - Keller Williams or Edgar Meyer are always at the top of the playlist.

[Miss Moo]

Two songs that always, without fail put me in a better mood: bohemian like you by the dandy warhols and sweater by eskimo joe. Both of them are silly, but they're so upbeat they make me want to move.

Originally Posted by Haven44

I love listening to lyrical music while I do mundane tasks - like scrubbing the bathtub, sweeping or doing the dishes, etc. There's just nothing like belting out some Alanis Morissette or New Pornographers while tossing old salsa jars!

I like having background music a lot - while socializing, cooking, and 'work stuff'. Upbeat folk or bluegrass usually does the trick - Keller Williams or Edgar Meyer are always at the top of the playlist.

I do this too! I find it makes the tasks I find the most boring, like cleaning, tolerable and sometimes even enjoyable. I also have specific playlists for different things I'm doing: one for getting ready in the morning, one for uni assignments (which is generally less lyrical and more background music), an upbeat list to get me psyched up before an exam, one for when I want to party and one for when I want to chill out. I usually buy at least one new cd a week, so I spend a lot of time procrastinating with my music I think that the order I play songs in also has an effect on my mood.

Lately I find mates of state's new album, rearrange us is really uplifting. Especially the first song, Get Better. I listen to coldplay and josh pyke when I want to relax and chill out - I call it my Sunday arvo music .

[SGhost]

I listen to a lot of Kamelot and Nightwish to get my mood up.

[Miss Moo]

Originally Posted by darkw0rker

well if you want to use music to motivate yourself, I suggest to stop it completely. I have been there, and I know that external motivation is the worst thing that you can do to yourself!

Find inner motivation...because one day your gonna wake up with no earphones in your ears...then tell me...are you still inspired to do your best?

I've never thought of that before. I probably wouldn't be inspired to do my best if my hi-fi or mp3 player blew up and I couldn't listen to my music. In fact I'd probably be devastated, it's a bit sad but I would feel like I had lost a friend.

I'm not going to stop using music help get me motivated though, I'll take all the help I can get. I would rather use all the tools, internal or external, that I have at my disposal. Terrible saying and one I usually disagree with, but "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."