[Editor's Note: From time to time, dear readers, our internet travels take us to exotic new lands and mysterious new people whose opinions and outlooks mesh with ours ever so nicely. Other times, it turns out these rad people live and work just a few minutes away from you. Ryan Fehr is one of those people, and after a conversation that started with, "You have to write a column called 'Fehr Enough'" got weirdly serious, Ryan just started sending us things. This is the first of what will be a recurring feature assembled from what he sends with the occasional "DONG SALAD" inserted somewhere inside. -James]

FEHR ENOUGH, #1:

My Music at Work: The Balance Between Productivity and Air Guitar

Music is everywhere. There are background tracks in everything from TV shows, commercials and feature films to video games, websites and friggin [Ed Note: We forgot to let Ryan know that he’s allowed to cuss.] banner ads. This got me thinking: what’s the longest I’ve gone without hearing some form of music? If it’s for more than an hour (not counting sleep), I’d be surprised.

Now, some background: Music’s been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I started with piano lessons when I was really young, moved into guitar, then into drums and percussion. But even before that, I remember having my own collection of kids tapes. And of course there was the radio. When I was young, the radio station in my hometown was an 80s Rock station. My mom was (and still is) into country, so on the rare occasions she’d run an errand and leave us in the car, we’d flip the station and rock out until we saw her coming back.

School days came and went, and of course, homework. I struggled with that until the day my dad said, “Why don’t you listen to music while you work?” I’ve never gone back. To be honest, I don’t think I can.

Part of this is that I’m a drummer. Rhythm is ingrained in my soul; it is ingrained on every soul. As one of my all-time favorite quotes says:

“Rhythm is the soul of life. The whole universe revolves in rhythm. Everything and every human action revolves in rhythm.” - Babatunde Olatunji

Fast forward to the present, and I find myself working on computers all day. The clickity-clack of the keyboard as I type always conforms to a rhythm. This is why listening to music is important to me. It helps establish a steady rhythm which, in turn, establishes steady production. For me, choosing a proper playlist is key to a productive workday. If one were to look into the playlists I listen to while working, they’d notice the major similarity amongst them is tempo.

But there lies a danger in choosing music. I absolutely love rock music – guitar rock, alt rock, even choice “-metal” genres. But the problem is that I can really get into the music. I’ll start finger drumming on my desk. I’ll start mouthing or even whispering lyrics. I’ll head bang (even though I have no hair). And yes, I’ve even been caught playing air guitar while at work.

So now, 6 short paragraphs and a quote in, comes the crux of this piece: finding my balance between productivity and air guitar.

Take a look at what was playing while I was writing this piece: Ryan’s Writing Playlist

There’s only one band in this list that I’d put in the “Rock” category: Disciple. And I’ll be honest, I spent more time playing air guitar and desk drumming while listening to that album than I did writing this column. My most productive moments came when Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross‘ soundtrack to The Social Network and The New Deal‘s acid jazz jam sessions were playing.

Well now, that makes sense. “Standard” album music is meant for entertainment, to bring the listener into the world their creating with their sound and engage them with riffs and lyrical hooks. Ambient music and soundtracks are meant to create an atmosphere, to subtly drive a scene by providing tempo and rhythm without distracting from what’s happening.

How ‘bout that?

What this means to me:

If I want to be productive, I should stay away from the pounding drums of Bonzo, Moon or Grohl and listen to a good soundtrack. And if you’re willing to give this a go too, I highly recommend Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross‘ score for The Social Network, Daft Punk‘s Tron: Legacy and everything Hans Zimmer has ever produced.

Fair enough. [Ed. Note: Ryan, the title of this column isn’t “Fair Enough”.]