Music can do wonders to improve recall even in Alzheimer’s and dementia patients, and many people believe that it has added benefits for bridge play.

Discussions on the /bridge/ subreddit (like this one) have asked about playlist suggestions for the game. Suggestions include Blue Oyster Cult and Spotify’s ready-made jazz playlist, but several users also chose movie soundtracks as preferable for getting going.

The right music can spark emotions of victory, anticipation or nostalgia.

What’s on your great-songs-for-bridge-playing album playlist?

Here’s some suggested listening from my own bridge album playlist, and why each of them stuck.

• #1: 13

                  Artist: Black Sabbath

Black Sabbath has a repertoire consisting of songs that stay classic (though with a small percentage of the population out there that can’t stand metal, heavy metal, black metal or anything remotely close). While 13 was released much later than other “classics” like N.I.B., this album certainly retains their overall dark feel combined with powerful guitar-and-bass.

Listen to End of the Beginning (track 1) for a song that represents most of what you can expect from the album: Apocalyptic and powerful.

Of course, there are also 13 cards to a bridge hand. That helps.

• #2: The Wall

                  Artist: Pink Floyd

If I had to describe The Wall to someone who has never heard it (which might be possible), I’d say it was one of the most theatrical epics that a band could tell – mixed in with some of the best guitar, bass and drum bits you’ll ever come across.

It was my introduction to Pink Floyd – and my introduction to many, many guitar riffs at the time.

This means both the movie and the album; both have scenes and sections that stand out.

Listen to the whole thing. Start to finish. That’s how it was meant to be heard – though for playlist reasons, you’ll eventually choose a handful of songs that mix in well with others.

• #3: Master of Puppets
  Artist: Metallica

At least one song from Master of Puppets has made up hundreds of self-created playlists. For me, it’s somewhere between Welcome Home (Sanitarium), Battery and Orion. Great victory songs, and if you don’t win, at least these can hype you up enough to take losing a game with a better attitude.

I was lucky enough to see Metallica perform live – once, on their second return to South Africa.

Not a metal fan? Guitar-duo Rodrigo y Gabriela performs a stunning version of Orion.

• #4: The Pale Emperor

                  Artist: Marilyn Manson

The Pale Emperor is another metal album (and if you’d like to call me a little predictable, sure), but it’s a good one. There’s just something about the Mephistopheles-laden lyrics set in a modern world that makes this a really, really great album for playing cards. Manson fans should enjoy it, non-fans of his general style should steer clear and move to the next.

• #5: Disraeli Gears

            Artist: Cream

I feel like Eric Clapton is much like cream itself – left alone for long enough, it tends to go stale.

If you enjoy the guitar playing of Clapton (back in the days where it was agreed that Clapton-was-god according to graffiti), catch his playing on the earlier albums, like this one.

Later albums (in particular, the one he decided to call Old Sock) didn’t strike many chords.

• #6: At San Quentin
  Artist: Johnny Cash

The original Man in Black at his best – live, at San Quentin. Originally, the first element that drew me to this album was acoustic guitar and chord-changes, but I learned to love the music of Johnny Cash for a lot of reasons other than just these.

• #7: Hard Again

            Artist: Muddy Waters

What could be said about Muddy Waters?

Technically, volumes – but as a new listener, start by digging into an album called Hard Again. It was released as the first album produced by Johnny Winter (a great musician in his own right) and contains most of the songs Muddy was most famous for.

The pun could be anything. Hard liquor, hard blues, hard card playing…

It’s good music, and great for bridge.

• #8: One Cold Night

                  Artist: Seether

Let’s break away from blues and metal for something that’s acoustic instead. Seether – originally founded in South Africa, for those who don’t know it – did a little gig called One Cold Night. It’s mellow and a solid rendition of great songs; enough for practicing the game when you require a different tempo than, say, Manson.

What’s on your essential bridge game playlist?