Online bridge and music fit together as well as a good red wine and steak. (Unless you don’t enjoy wine or steak, in which case, use your own substitutions for this comparison.)
The use of music in the background is commonly taught as a study method. While listening to music, the brain is naturally in a more active state.
The same goes for your bridge game.
With music, bridge play is more relaxed. Thoughts are better composed. Bids flow better. And in the middle of a heated game, it’s a choice between Swedish Metal or Vivaldi.
Have you put together a playlist for your next online bridge game? Do you have a favourite album that just says, “I’m going to kick ass” from the first song?
There are songs for preparation, songs for psyching up the team, songs for getting into a winning mindset, and songs for imaging you’re a vampire in the 1800s.
Put together your playlist with songs that work well for you.
Here’s another playlist for bridge. (I’ve shown you mine, now create yours.)
Fulsom Prison Blues by Johnny Cash
I’m aware that I might have included this song in playlists before, but it doesn’t matter. It’s still a great damn song. Fulsom Prison Blues is iconic, and you can listen to it on any day for waking up some inner-rebellion for the bridge tables.
Locomotive Breath by Jethro Tull
It’s a combination of the introduction and the flute that gets me on this one. The entire album (Aqualung) is masterful, though if I had to choose one song out of the entire thing, it’s this one. The song rises, falls, and flows in all the right bits.
Sultans of Swing by Dire Straits
I’m not a massive Dire Straits fan, but I know great guitar playing when I see it. It’s an iconic track for anyone learning to play lead guitar, and it sticks from the days I was still finding my way around the art of playing solos.
Are You Experienced? by Jimi Hendrix
Other than being the number one question you should ask a new bridge partner, this is an excellent song. It’s Hendrix playing at his best, no matter which live or album version of the song you happen to be listening to.
Beer by Seether
An appropriate song title for the appearance of the beer card, but also one of Seether’s greatest tracks. You’ll find this one amongst their earlier work, back before they were known as Seether.
Black Magic Woman by Santana
The guitar playing in this song has the same laid-back feel and tone as Sultans of Swing. It’s a great song to turn up the volume on in preparation for bridge play.
The Wall (All Its Parts) by Pink Floyd
The Wall isn’t just one song. It’s a song with several different parts.
The song happens to connect to many different memories for many people. (What’s your first memory of hearing The Wall for the first time?) Overall, it’s perfect for wargame preparation and it’s not on your playlist yet, it should be.