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Focusing music / Focus queues / Music for reading

Mode 03 of 6 · 2:01:50 · 45 full tracks

Music for reading

The softest, slowest and darkest-sounding tracks: ambient piano, sleepy pads and lots of space, because reading is the task most easily disturbed by sound. Free under CC BY 4.0: dreamy chillwave and ambient downtempo by Purrple Cat, every track in full with a free MP3.

The reading queue

Tempo≈65–92 BPM
Softnessmostly soft
Steadinesssteady
Brightnessbalanced
Good for
Novels, research papers, textbooks, long articles, proofreading and editing.
Leaves out
Busy drums and bright melodies. If you notice the music more than the page, turn it down.
Default
1 h 00 min session, then a 20-second fade-out
From
18 releases: Sleep Tight, Sands of Time, Sea of Stars 2, Tranquil Trails, Signs of Life, Sea of Stars, House in the Woods, Oasis, City Nights, Above the Clouds, Bloom, Cat Nap, Whispers in the Dark, Just Relax, Nostalgia and Moving On, Brain Fog, Indigo Dreams, Up All Night
1:00:00Session length
.m3u8 playlist
  1. T+0:00
    Empty Food BowlCat Nap · 2019
    2:41MP3
  2. T+2:41
    LullabyBloom · 2020
    2:36MP3
  3. T+5:18
    DiscoveryHouse in the Woods · 2021
    2:24MP3
  4. T+7:42
    EquinoxBloom · 2020
    2:20MP3
  5. T+10:01
    Dune DrifterSands of Time · 2024
    2:31MP3
  6. T+12:32
    Sea of StarsSea of Stars · 2022
    2:21MP3
  7. T+14:53
    In the PastSigns of Life · 2022
    2:44MP3
  8. T+17:37
    SolitudeCity Nights · 2021
    2:30MP3
  9. T+20:07
    Spring ShowersBloom · 2020
    3:02MP3
  10. T+23:09
    Cool BreezeTranquil Trails · 2023
    2:21MP3
  11. T+25:30
    Whispers in the DarkWhispers in the Dark · 2019
    2:54MP3
  12. T+28:24
    ConstellationsSea of Stars 2 · 2023
    2:45MP3
  13. T+31:09
    Entering the Dream WorldBrain Fog · 2019
    2:36MP3
  14. T+33:45
    Cat NapCat Nap · 2019
    3:14MP3
  15. T+36:59
    NocturneAbove the Clouds · 2020
    3:03MP3
  16. T+40:02
    Getting a HaircutJust Relax · 2019
    3:30MP3
  17. T+43:32
    Let's Go ShoppingUp All Night · 2018
    1:56MP3
  18. T+45:28
    All Curled UpSleep Tight · 2025
    2:28MP3
  19. T+47:57
    I Can't BreatheNostalgia and Moving On · 2019
    1:53MP3
  20. T+49:50
    I'm Lost but That's OkIndigo Dreams · 2019
    2:39MP3
  21. T+52:28
    FadingSleep Tight · 2025
    3:34MP3
  22. T+56:02
    Night LightSleep Tight · 2025
    3:36MP3
  23. T+59:38
    Opening the Window for Some Fresh AirIndigo Dreams · 2019
    1:40MP3
  24. T+1:01:19
    Goodbye, I Hope We Meet AgainNostalgia and Moving On · 2019
    3:21MP3
  25. T+1:04:40
    Taking a Bath and Jumping Into BedNostalgia and Moving On · 2019
    2:33MP3
  26. T+1:07:13
    WeightlessSleep Tight · 2025
    3:15MP3
  27. T+1:10:28
    Breathing UnderwaterSleep Tight · 2025
    2:58MP3
  28. T+1:13:26
    It Was Just a DreamUp All Night · 2018
    2:28MP3
  29. T+1:15:54
    My Cookie Fell ApartUp All Night · 2018
    2:02MP3
  30. T+1:17:56
    Happy TrailsOasis · 2021
    2:20MP3
  31. T+1:20:16
    Cat Nip DazeCat Nap · 2019
    2:28MP3
  32. T+1:22:44
    Dream MachineSigns of Life · 2022
    2:27MP3
  33. T+1:25:11
    Stale Cookies Still Taste Pretty GoodBrain Fog · 2019
    3:07MP3
  34. T+1:28:18
    DisassociateJust Relax · 2019
    2:59MP3
  35. T+1:31:17
    UnknownAbove the Clouds · 2020
    3:16MP3
  36. T+1:34:33
    Wishing WellBloom · 2020
    1:57MP3
  37. T+1:36:30
    BalloonAbove the Clouds · 2020
    3:15MP3
  38. T+1:39:45
    Treat TimeCat Nap · 2019
    2:08MP3
  39. T+1:41:53
    Ball of YarnCat Nap · 2019
    2:29MP3
  40. T+1:44:22
    SeashellsOasis · 2021
    2:59MP3
  41. T+1:47:21
    DriftingOasis · 2021
    2:39MP3
  42. T+1:50:00
    Underwater CavernOasis · 2021
    3:20MP3
  43. T+1:53:20
    Hiding in My Room Until Everyone LeavesNostalgia and Moving On · 2019
    2:23MP3
  44. T+1:55:43
    SighNostalgia and Moving On · 2019
    2:46MP3
  45. T+1:58:29
    Walking to the Park at 3 A.M.Indigo Dreams · 2019
    3:22MP3

Why these tracks

Every Purrple Cat track was measured for tempo, loudness, brightness and steadiness. The reading queue scores all 343 of them against its own rules, takes no more than 5 from any one release, leaves out the spooky albums and then orders the picks so each track flows into a neighbour with a similar tempo and feel. The result is 2 h 02 min of music without a single repeat.

Tips for reading

  • Reading uses the same language machinery that lyrics do, so keep it instrumental and quiet.
  • Long tracks mean fewer transitions; this queue leans on the most spacious albums.
  • Try the session dimmer at 60 minutes: the fade-out is a gentle cue to look up and rest your eyes.

Not a pomodoro timer

The session timer here never stops you for a break. It counts only while music is playing and fades the queue out over 20 seconds when your session is over. If you prefer short sprints, use any timer you like and pause the player for your breaks.

§Use it

Free to use, with credit.

Streaming your reading sessions or making a focus video? This whole queue is free under CC BY 4.0.

Free to use, with credit

  • All social media. YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Twitch, Facebook, X and the rest, including monetised videos, study-with-me streams, Shorts and Reels.
  • Other projects too. Podcasts, games, apps, ads, client work, school projects and background music in businesses.
  • Edit it to fit. Cut, loop or fade tracks for your project, and say it's edited in the credit.
  • Credit Purrple Cat. “Music: Purrple Cat (purrplecat.com), licensed under CC BY 4.0”.

Never

  • Never re-upload or release it on streaming services such as Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Deezer or Tidal, through a distributor or any other route.
  • Never release remixes, samples or covers of it on streaming services either.
  • Never register it in Content ID or claim other people's videos with it.
  • Never pass it off as your own or sell the tracks as they are.

Why so strict about streaming? Re-uploads, remixes, samples and covers on Spotify, Apple Music and other services get fingerprinted, and then false Content ID claims hit everyone who uses the music properly. Purrple Cat Self Releases have no Content ID, so there's nothing to clear when you use them as intended.

Music: Purrple Cat (purrplecat.com), licensed under CC BY 4.0
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