Classical music and an insomniatic head

Beethoven 4th piano concerto is beautiful

I find voices, listened to at a fairly low level, helps me to get to sleep

Normally listen to stuff like Hancocks Half Hour and I'm sorry I haven't a clue

bladerunner - thats a bloody brilliant suggestion - without doubt one of the best movies ever made -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lArjpkOR3j4&feature=related

I am going to go listen to that and chill now - lots of great suggestions - including

Whatever music you listen to, the most important thing is to get your body to associate it with sleep.

and Radio 4 BDW...:)

I find voices, listened to at a fairly low level, helps me to get to sleep

Normally listen to stuff like Hancocks Half Hour and I'm sorry I haven't a clue

I used to do that loads, speech radio is really nice. It stopped working when I was listening to Radio7 and used to get really involved in the plays. Kept me up listening to them. I have never been so honestly scared when after listening to Daphne Du Mauriers' 'The Birds', a fucking bat or something large and flappy flew straight into my window. Lights on all night after that one.

@ Buddha. I hope it helps. I should be taking my own advice, but I rarely do. When relaxing to the Blade Runner soundtrack, do so in a comfy chair, not a bed. It's a good start though.
Also, try getting stuff on CD and turning your computer off. When my laptops playing music, the temptation to just check my mail, or see whose online, or see if any of my feeds have updated is too tempting.

@ _Ev.
Trust me, the whole company is fucked. It's always been a bastardization of niche music with popular overtones, and now it's under GCap Media and is all going to shit. Look at what they did to XFM. Took a decent indie-rock radio station and are now trying to push it into indie/classic rock after Planet Rock died a death. Poor management at best, company suicide at worst.

I just bought 40 euros worth of CD's on Amazon - thanks for all the worthwhile suggestions - night peeps - buddha

Sleep well .......

Sleep well .......

This thread is painfully sweet. I feel like we're collectively tucking Buddah in for the night.

I was gonna say "sweet dreams" but that might have been pushing the boundaries of familiarity a bit far, especially as I'm talking to a bloke in a different country who I met on the internet.

Do it to women instead then.

A bit late on this one, I definitely recommend the Gymnopedies by Eric Satie - perhaps a little short for your needs but followed by something minimalist/hypnotic like some Morton Feldman or Philip Glass and you should be off to a good start.
Mechamorgans comments are spot on regarding behaviour patterns and sleep.

Oooh, Philip Glass ...... nice.

Try Arturo Stalteri's takes on Glass and Eno, very tasty.

How about a bit of Tubular Bells too ??

I like turtles.

There are some wonderful bits of Max Richter, for the beginning of winding down. All moody and atmospheric, with hints of typewriters and raven caws. Maybe not best for actually sleeping, mind, now that I think about it…

Oh, and the evening shipping forecast on Radio4. That always knocks me out.

… Sorry it's a little late. And hope you're already long in la-la-land! :)

Mechamorgans comments are spot on regarding behaviour patterns and sleep.

I don't know shit all about bikes but I am good for some things.

Tubular Bells is hard to sleep too. The guitars whine a little bit and Mike Oldfield's voice gets very annoying very quickly.

Edit - Ludovico Einaudi is THE most lovely mainly solo modern classical pianist. The sounds niche but seriously he is beautifully calming and well crafted. He's also a lovely, quite well spoken Italian. I met him when I was younger.

I find most stuff by john legend really nice to relax to, marvin gaye also does the trick for me.

Boards of Canada should do the trick...both the campfire headphase and music has the right to children are perfect sleepy time music...or if your feeling really ambient maybe try some Biosphere.

I definitely recommend the Gymnopedies by Eric Satie - perhaps a little short for your needs.....

Satie definitely works for my son. I prefer the shipping forecast followed by the world service.

I have a simillar problem.
I cant sleep until about 5, and even then it takes a lot.
I find.
Sigur Rós, Steve Reich, The Books, Yndi Halda and a few others (Mt Eerie is good as well)

they work for me.

i am however, making a concerted effort to sleep early.

Just taking control of your head is a fucking difficult thing to do but it's so good when you do.
Good luck mate

Oh, and a splif never hurt anyone

i recommend minimalism. Reich, Messiaen, La Monte Young (check out the well tuned piano for one of the most amazing classical pieces of music ever, make sure the first time you listen to it is in one sitting), Terry Riley, Harold Budd, Wim Mertins, early Phillip Glass (probably best to avoid most of his operas though).

musique concrete is very interesting too, although some can be a little scary for listening to whilst sleeping. Check out Vladimir Ussachevsky, Micheal Chion, Francis Dhomont and Pierre Schaeffer.

I have a similar problem getting to sleep.. I now have to have some kind of film/tv show on.. I mostly have Arrested Development/Flight of the Conchords on in the background and listen to it..

I find listening to stand up comedy really helps me get to sleep too..

As for Classical music and sleeping.. Chopin and some Philip Glass stuff will really help..

I'd also recommend bands like Explosions In The Sky (they think of themselves as classical music on guitars, mostly long beautiful instrumental stuff) and Boards of Canada

Seeing as he has made a life choice to stop drinking I get a funny feeling that picking up a weed habit is probably one of the last things he's going to do.

The ambient trip hop does it for me.

also if you find voices send you to sleep try Alvin Lucier's "I am Sitting in a Room", features the composer recording a phrase, then playing back the recorded phrase and re-recording. end result is not only fascinating but quite musical.

[ame]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Am_Sitting_in_a_Room[/ame]

Alright well first off I am a classical musician working in London as my full time work so quite an interesting thread for me!
I personally don't find most most classical music relaxing...........in fact usually it is very stimulating, especially intellectually if it is Steve Reich etc! All that bullshit Classic FM 'relaxing classics'. All shit IMO.
I actually find low level human voice sends me off to sleep so BBC Five Live FTW, usually wake up with it on at 5am though, must get a timer for my radio!
If you guys want some real chilled classic stuff i can have a think and give you some gems, though most good slow stuff is quite emotional moving music for me!
Night!

Dixon - you make a very interesting point - five minutes of gorecki symphony no3 - reduced me to tears so I can hardly say that it was not stimulating - what I need to do though - is stop thinking about all the trials and tribulations of life that seem to enter my head just as I am about to go to sleep - so in a way feeling emotional about music can I think help me to deal with this

Chaps I slept great last night I think it was all the love & positive good vibes I got off you lot last night ...the TWEED run has convinced me that LFGSS is the most 'real' place to be on the web :)

i'm with dixon- but not cos i'm classically trained.
i currently use sigur ros and stars to knock me out. tho at 5 this morning the shipping forecast worked well

on another note, does anyone with insomnia have the periods where you can sleep, but your sleep feels like it was utterly useless? these break up my insomnia periods, and are worse by far than the insomnia