The type of music you choose to play during your rides can make a BIG difference in the overall experience your rider has. They can rate the ride on the look of the car, the smell of the car, or how you drive. However, they can also rate the ride by how it sounds. Music is an important thing to play to help break up that awkward silence that sometimes occurs.
We as drivers need to create the best experience possible for riders. Having music that has calming rhythms and sounds is the best way to help a rider feel relaxed during the ride. The sounds of all the string, wind and percussion instruments create the ultimate sense of calm and relaxation. When riders compliment me for playing classical music, I often joke “Yeah… it helps keep people calm!”, which often gets riders to laugh.
1. It has no lyrics, so it cannot offend anyone listening. So, no matter where you are from around the world, it cannot offend.
2. A person from anywhere in the world can listen to classical music and not have to worry about understanding the lyrics; because there are none.
3. No matter what the weather outside is (rain, sun, hail or snow), classical music can be played in any type of weather and create a sense of calm and wonder for some riders.
4. It is a good genre to introduce to younger generations of riders that may not hear such music played anywhere they go. This can be inspiring to their curiosity and imagination.
5. Older generations of riders will most likely hear classical music and be taken back to their younger days when such music was played more often than today, in all kinds of settings.
6. Classical music can help calm you as the driver; fore most days of driving can be stressful. As can those long rides to places like the airport, during traffic.
7. During “comfort” rides, classical music can create the best experience and lead to you receiving a better tip or a 5-star rating.
8. Good conversations about instruments a person plays can start from listening to classical music as well. I have had so many riders start conversations this way.
9. Hearing old genres of music can inspire a rider to go out and see a show or performance they might not have even thought they would be inspired to see after hearing classical music.
10. It can challenge you, the driver, to listen to music you might never have been interested in before.
Throughout the years so many riders have left my car feeling relaxed, inspired and overall better after hearing classical music. A few riders have even fallen asleep during the ride. So many have expressed thankfulness for me playing this kind of music. Others have said how they have never heard classical music being played in a rideshare car before.
In terms of what streaming platforms to use, I myself listen to “Baroque Radio” on Pandora. But feel free to use whatever music streaming service you have. Hopefully it has a wide variety of classical music. Be sure to use a music streaming service that is free of commercial ads. If there is a membership option that offers ad free streaming, that would be best. Also, be sure to adjust the volume of your music to a medium level, depending on the road noise while driving.
To help give you an idea, here are a few examples of classical music compositions:
“Concerto Grosso, For 2 Violins No. 3 in D Minor”- Francesco Geminiani
“Concerto X in F Major: II. Allemanda”- Academy of Ancient Music & Andrew Manze
“Sonata A Quattro (6) For 2 Violins- Gioachino Rossini
“Second Waltz”- Andre Rieu
“Du und Du”- Andre Rieu & Johann Strauss Orchestra
“Symphony In B Major, Op. 2/1”- William Boyse
“Mozart: Symphony No. 36 in C Major”- Sir Neville Marriner
“Artist’s Life Waltz”- Johann Strauss II
“Piano Concerto No. 5 in D Major”- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
“Violin Concerto in C Major, Op. 8”- Antonio Vivaldi
In conclusion, I challenge all my fellow drivers to play classical music during your rides. Try it for a few weeks, and see if it improves your mood, your tips from riders, or just the overall feel of each ride in general.
Good luck out there!
Stay safe and enjoy the music!