# Sharpening and Music- what are you listening to?



## JBroida (Sep 29, 2013)

I was doing a bunch of sharpening this evening, and as usual, i was rocking out to some great tunes. I am a firm believer that good music helps with good sharpening. Anyways, i thought i'd start a thread on the subject...

What are you listening to today in your sharpening? Maybe a whole album or maybe just one track, but i want to know whats on your mind.

Sometimes i go for really cheesy music, sometimes its total crap thats really addictive, sometimes its just something fun, sometimes its something serious... well, you get the gist.

Here was my favorite track tonight (i was in a fun mood):

[video=youtube;gP4u4I96DVQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=gP4u4I96DVQ[/video]


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## JohnnyChance (Sep 29, 2013)

Murs is the best.


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## CrisAnderson27 (Sep 29, 2013)

Oddly enough, both of these songs just crossed my playlist lol:

[video=youtube_share;6JnGBs88sL0]http://youtu.be/6JnGBs88sL0[/video]

[video=youtube_share;dXMfdpjnAHU]http://youtu.be/dXMfdpjnAHU[/VIDEO]

Followed by...

[video=youtube_share;8ecE1UML1q8]http://youtu.be/8ecE1UML1q8[/video]

Lol


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## CoqaVin (Sep 29, 2013)

Wow your playlist is all over the place...that's great...lol...you don't stick to on genre of music I see


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## Hattorichop (Sep 29, 2013)

I was just thinking about this the other day. I love listening to music while doing just about everything with the exception of sharpening knives. I find that the sound the knife makes on the stone provides me with valuable feed back as to what is happening while sharpening my knives. Maybe I just need to turn the volume down.:scratchhead:


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## CoqaVin (Sep 29, 2013)

Hattorichop said:


> I was just thinking about this the other day. I love listening to music while doing just about everything with the exception of sharpening knives. I find that the sound the knife makes on the stone provides me with valuable feed back as to what is happening while sharpening my knives. Maybe I just need to turn the volume down.:scratchhead:



Good point...I like hearing what the stones are doing...

Now at work I have no choice...all "Mexican" music always...nothing wrong with that I just don't understand what they are saying lol


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## JBroida (Sep 29, 2013)

hey... mariachi music can be great... i was rocking out to some yesterday in my car


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## Miles (Sep 29, 2013)

More often than not, if I'm in my home kitchen when I'm sharpening, I'm listening to NPR. If I'm at work, I'll just be sharpening quietly in the corner while listening to whatever's playing in the background. Moving into autumn and the holiday season, so we're due for a changeup on the music. Currently, it's a decent mix of jazz, classic singers, soul, R&B, and some adult alternative, but I've heard the same loop every single day for months now. I'm a bit tired of the same songs every day.


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## CrisAnderson27 (Sep 29, 2013)

CoqaVin said:


> Wow your playlist is all over the place...that's great...lol...you don't stick to on genre of music I see



You could say that, lol. About the only thing you won't find is hardcore rap, beyond things like newer eminem anyway.


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## Mr.Magnus (Sep 29, 2013)

i like chill tunes when i work on the stones. 
[video=youtube;fKQPTNb2XVU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKQPTNb2XVU&feature=c4-overview&list=UUW8eMt9iy0-4JakPtj_oOaA[/video]


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## JBroida (Sep 30, 2013)

today we're moving on to some wyclef...

[video=youtube;sXJXLq1lN7U]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=sXJXLq1lN7U[/video]

[video=youtube;xx38ow4miX4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xx38ow4miX4[/video]

and a little of this for good measure:

[video=youtube;N-aK6JnyFmk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=N-aK6JnyFmk[/video]


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## shankster (Sep 30, 2013)

No music for me...just steel on stone..


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## jaybett (Sep 30, 2013)

Jazz or Classical. I like music in the background, but don't want to be distracted by lyrics. 

Jay


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## TamanegiKin (Oct 5, 2013)

The Babies tonight
http://youtu.be/9B4mLLB0hvM


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## Salty dog (Oct 5, 2013)

This

[video=youtube_share;vuKNGVjcTKU]http://youtu.be/vuKNGVjcTKU[/video]


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## ecchef (Jan 25, 2014)

Bang on a Can All-Stars; _Music for Airports_. I'll be making lots of mud today.


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## JBroida (Jan 25, 2014)

reel big fish has been on the playlist lately, with some lonely island mixed in for the humor


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## Chef Andy (Jan 25, 2014)

was rocking out to some led zeppelin earlier when I was sharpening my gyuto.


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## ChuckTheButcher (Jan 25, 2014)

My playlist list tonight includes little feet, allman bros, Jj Cale, the band, Otis redding, Stevie Wonder and lots of Waylon. Then I switched to a book by William S Burroughs. I found I can usually finish a book a week between sharpening and driving.


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## Chef Andy (Jan 25, 2014)

ChuckTheButcher said:


> My playlist list tonight includes little feet, allman bros, Jj Cale, the band, Otis redding, Stevie Wonder and lots of Waylon. Then I switched to a book by William S Burroughs. I found I can usually finish a book a week between sharpening and driving.



I'm assuming audiobooks...


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## ChuckTheButcher (Jan 25, 2014)

Yes


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## ecchef (Jan 26, 2014)

I used to listen to Joe Frank sometimes, but I'd always wind up wanting to stab myself by the time I got to 8k


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## mhenry (Jan 26, 2014)

No music TV usually Adventure Time or SpongeBob. I have completely lost control


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## quantumcloud509 (Jan 27, 2014)

I like to sharpen to the Ambient station on Pandora.


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## panda (Jan 27, 2014)

i like to hear what's going on with the stone while sharpening, music would be distracting.


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## mt_mac (Jan 27, 2014)

The Avett Brothers station on Pandora works for me lately


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## MÃ¶ebius (Feb 2, 2014)

Well, not exactly sharpening but... What about this?


[video=youtube;Xbe8RKfaIjU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xbe8RKfaIjU[/video]


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## chefpaulm (Feb 3, 2014)

Open a nice bottle of red, faint classical music in background, knives, stones and strops bring it on!


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## JDA_NC (Feb 10, 2014)

Day off & giving all my knives a work out

Thin Lizzy - Black Rose

[video=youtube;fEk9GJXu7k8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEk9GJXu7k8[/video]

One of the greatest rock albums of all time, yessir


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## JDA_NC (Jul 10, 2014)

I don't care what anybody says, this album rules:

[video=youtube;TErs0h1RnY4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TErs0h1RnY4[/video]


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## CoqaVin (Jul 10, 2014)

at the drive in reminds me of high school


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## osakajoe (Jul 10, 2014)

I never listen to music while sharpening. The music is the sound of you sharpening. It's quite important to listen to the sound of the blade and stone. It will tell you when you've altered your angle, done something wrong, and whether the stone is biting properly.


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## Sambal (Jul 11, 2014)

osakajoe said:


> I never listen to music while sharpening. The music is the sound of you sharpening. It's quite important to listen to the sound of the blade and stone. It will tell you when you've altered your angle, done something wrong, and whether the stone is biting properly.




That's me too. I have to (need to!) listen to the nuances of metal on stone to give me the "feel" and feedback. Perhaps many many years from now and after thousands more sharpening sessions I may be able to put on Ali Farka Toure or Thelonious Monk or Rachel Podger and still do a good job of it.

On a tangential note, I appreciate many of the great instructional vids from some of the members here but I do wish they didn't have the obligatory overlay of music. It'll be so much more helpful for me to be able to hear the metal on stone, stroke by stroke.


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## DDPslice (Jul 13, 2014)

osakajoe said:


> I never listen to music while sharpening. The music is the sound of you sharpening. It's quite important to listen to the sound of the blade and stone. It will tell you when you've altered your angle, done something wrong, and whether the stone is biting properly.



I agree but I still listen to NPR or BBC radio 1extra (UK DnB/garage/house/funk)


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