A sound therapist has created the ultimate “focus” album to listen to while working or studying. The seven-track compilation, titled AutoFocus, has been produced as a soundtrack for creativity and productivity, featuring 40 minutes of melodies to place listeners into a concentration trance.
Lyz Cooper, the expert behind the music composition, claims that higher frequencies and warmer chord progressions are used in the songs to help with focus, without getting in the way of any creative process.
And the BPM (beats per minute) for the album was chosen to help illustrate a journey of preparation, inspiration, focus, pause, and wind down.
The album was created for Canon by Lyz Cooper, psychoacoustic expert and founder of the British Academy of Sound Therapy, alongside Jimmy Day, of music production collective, LOYAL.
It includes an eight minute-long “brain break” track, titled “Pause”, which has been composed to enable listeners to switch off for optimum brain health.
It comes after Canon commissioned research, to launch its Light & Speaker ML-A, of 2,000 adults, who work or study – which revealed that six in 10 listen to music while doing their job or schoolwork at home.
And almost half of those polled (47 percent) listen to tunes to help them concentrate – needing just six minutes of melodies to fall into a good focus “flow”.
It also emerged 48 percent get distracted by other people’s conversations when trying to concentrate, and 46 percent find it easier to “put the blinkers on” and stay on track when listening to music.
Lyz Cooper said: “Our research at The British Academy of Sound Therapy has shown that when people enter a relaxed state, insights and inspirations may arise, as well as a release of stress and tension mentally, physically, and emotionally.
“This helps the creative process to flow more freely, and prevents brain fatigue. Every 90 minutes or so, it is recommended that the “Pause” track is used to guide people into a relaxed state.
“The piece begins in a more rhythmic way, and then gives way to relaxing drone sounds with long, low tones, and drifting soundscapes.
“After seven minutes or so, the music begins to become more rhythmic, which helps people to come back to a more awake state, ready to continue refreshed and relaxed.”
The study also found 16 percent would find it difficult if they were to work at home without any music playing in the background – and four in 10 reckon they work harder and perform better when listening to songs.
As well as improving focus, 40 percent of those who listen to music while they work or study said it helps pass the time, while 35 percent reckon it makes things more fun.
For 24 percent, listening to tunes helps get them into “work mode”, and it boosts creativity for 17 percent.
Pop emerged as the most popular genre to listen to, for 46 percent – with rock (24 percent), classical (17 percent), and dance (13 percent) also frequently enjoyed.
It also emerged 26 percent would rather listen to a slow tempo while trying to concentrate, while 19 percent lean more towards fast-paced hits.
And one in 10 (11 percent) of those polled, via OnePoll, have even made specific playlists for the time they spend working or studying.
You can listen to the new album on Spotify here.