# streaming internet / mobile classical music query



## JT383 (Jan 11, 2016)

Greetings,
I enjoy listening to classical music but when I'm at work a new constraint arises: the music must be loud enough to drown out the noisy keyboards of my many cubicle neighbors. To that end, I am seeking input on streaming internet or mobile stations that would minimize or eliminate my exposure to classical guitar, harp, and piano nocturnes. The stations I enjoy at home or in the car are not working for me (Radio Swiss Classic, Venice Classic Radio, KDFC, WQXR, MPR), as I find myself switching stations every 30 min. or so. I surely appreciate any suggestions that may come to your mind!
Much obliged,
Jeremy

P.S. I'm not terribly familiar with this forum yet, but often the first responses I see offered to queries such as this are "can't you deal with a 5 minute harp concerto?" or "keyboards aren't that loud!" etc. I accept that my request may seem odd to you or my complaint petty, and ask only for any suggestions you may be aware of.


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## kartikeys (Mar 16, 2013)

Hello, would making a playlist help?


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## rspader (May 14, 2014)

Not sure of you would be interested in a pay service but Spotify, at about $10 per month, let's you play exactly what you want to hear. I've been a subscriber for about four months and have not yet listened to a harp concerto.


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## JT383 (Jan 11, 2016)

In the end I bought an SD card for my phone, converted my CDs to MP3s, and listen to that. I provide below a list of rejected free alternatives:

Swiss Classic Radio: Excellent stream, nice rating system, links to buy music, and great sharing & buying feature, but too much classic guitar solos and piano nocturnes that don't drown out distracting noises.
Venice Classic Radio: Superior to Swiss Classic Radio because the app loads faster, but same drawbacks.
Google Play Music: Poor streaming and after 10 songs or so the genre bears no resemblance to the composition you started the "station" with.
WQXR app: Similar to Swiss Classic / Venice but with DJs (which makes it worse, in my opinion)
KDFC app: Same as WQXR, although I dislike the DJs less.
CMSLC app: Wonderful music but only re-plays one performance at a time. Every 30 minutes or so you have to find the next performance and hit play. Not ideal for an all-day work session.
TuneIn Radio: Slow loading and many commercials.
Klassik Radio Live: Just downloaded. Certainly slow loading and already includes self-advertisements. We'll see
Free Classical Radio (MyIndieApp.com): A selection of many classic music streams. All of which are interrupted every few songs for several minutes of commercials. At least there's no DJs.

I'll keep trying new apps as I get weary of my existing MP3 playlist, and add to the list.


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## Headphone Hermit (Jan 8, 2014)

Classical music isn't best suited to providing constant levels of noise to cover up other noises, but if you want free music try one the these:

*BBC Radio 3* - http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/player/bbc_radio_three - I can't guarantee that they won't play a quieter piece during the day, but it is a wonderful free resource that is available online.

*Pristine Radio* - https://www.pristineclassical.com/pristine-radio - this is a brilliant resource that plays a huge variety of music from the Pristine catalogue - it only plays one movement from each work and the sources are 'historic' but there is a lot of excellent music on here played by wonderful performers (and again, I can't guarantee that there aren't quieter pieces in there)


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## bharbeke (Mar 4, 2013)

Make a YouTube playlist, or use one created by someone else that fits your parameters.


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

I have the same trouble at work and finally purchased noise cancelling headphones. I have a lot of trouble focusing on my work when there is talking and noise around me, otherwise the expense would have been too extravagant. 

Classical music still doesn't always work for me at work because the dynamic range is too broad. There are times I just have to hit the skip button on my iPod to move on to another piece. This is okay as I save my serious listening for home.


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## jegreenwood (Dec 25, 2015)

Weston said:


> I have the same trouble at work and finally purchased noise cancelling headphones. I have a lot of trouble focusing on my work when there is talking and noise around me, otherwise the expense would have been too extravagant.
> 
> Classical music still doesn't always work for me at work because the dynamic range is too broad. There are times I just have to hit the skip button on my iPod to move on to another piece. This is okay as I save my serious listening for home.


Noise cancelling headphones were not an option. I had to remain better aware of my environment, but even open backed headphones will reduce (did reduce) the amount of background noise. That and a lot of harpsichord music.


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