music for running: This is going to seem a very... - Couch to 5K

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music for running

Gwyrdd profile image
GwyrddGraduate
16 Replies

This is going to seem a very silly question for most of you. I would like to listen to music while running. I have an iphone and some headphones. I have looked for information and come up with words like 'playlist' and 'download 'and 'spotify', none of which make any sense to me. There seems to be an app on my phone which may be spotify .

I can manage to listen to podcasts.

How much does this music cost and how is it paid for? Does it work outdoors?

Could someone guide me to a page where there is information for idiots please?

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Gwyrdd profile image
Gwyrdd
Graduate
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16 Replies
Maurs12 profile image
Maurs12Graduate

You can download free music from the BBC sounds app - they disappear after a while so it’s good to download a few - any genre you like - there are always some good playlists for running - I’ve got the A word playlist and a Sounds of the Eighties one and one called The Happy hour at the moment.

Gwyrdd profile image
GwyrddGraduate in reply to Maurs12

I have bbc sounds app . Tapping it I find bbc channels in a circle. I cannot find A word playlist only eg radio 4 , radio ulster etc Thank you for your patience. I have asked friends, they have no idea either. They suggest asking a child.

nowster profile image
nowsterGraduate in reply to Gwyrdd

Tap the magnifying glass icon in BBC Sounds app and type in the name of the programme or podcast, eg. "Sounds of the 80s"

Gwyrdd profile image
GwyrddGraduate in reply to nowster

Thank you. How do you play it when ypu ate not in the house please?

nowster profile image
nowsterGraduate in reply to Gwyrdd

When you have the programme details displayed, there should be a button to tap for "Download". Then when you go out, tap "My Sounds" (middle of the bottom of the screen) then select "Downloads >" from the top of the screen. Your downloaded programmes and podcasts should appear, and you can play them from there.

Gwyrdd profile image
GwyrddGraduate in reply to nowster

Thank you!

Elfe5 profile image
Elfe5Graduate in reply to nowster

That’s really helpful for me too thanks. 😄

runforfun_ profile image
runforfun_Graduate

Is the app on your phone a white background with a music note on it? If so that’s apple music, which comes will all iPhones! It’s similar to Spotify (which you may have to download from the app store) where you pay £10 a month and can listen and download to any music and podcasts you want without having to be connected to wifi!

It’s definitely worth the money if you’re planning on listening regularly but like the comment below mentions, there are also some other apps where you can access some music for free. Hope this helps! ☺️

Gwyrdd profile image
GwyrddGraduate in reply to runforfun_

Thank you. I’ll try to find free tunes. I apreciate your help

k11111 profile image
k11111

Let me know if you’d like anymore guidance.

“playlist” means a selection of songs you have grouped together. You can put the playlist on “shuffle” so that they play in a random order or listen to them in the order they appear. You might like to make a playlist for running so you just listen to upbeat music, but I have lots of playlists based on what I’m liking at the moment, or music sorted and grouped by genre or mood (hello bedtime playlist!!).

“download” means that you have saved the music to your phone using the internet. Once it’s downloaded, you no longer need an internet connection to listen to it - it’s on your phone now and ready to go! This isn’t necessary if you’re connected to the internet while you’re out running and have a lot of data you can use like I do, but otherwise it’s usually free (depending on your service - Apple Music, Pandora and Spotify are a few) to do.

Do you have any questions about that?

Gwyrdd profile image
GwyrddGraduate in reply to k11111

Thank you for your explanation . That is kind of you. How do I find music initially and how do I pay for it, please? Thank you.

k11111 profile image
k11111 in reply to Gwyrdd

You can put CDs you already own onto your phone through iTunes on your computer, otherwise I believe most music apps are not free. Spotify, Apple Music and Pandora are popular ones. You can search for them online on your computer and look for words like “premium” or “membership”. It should tell you how much it will cost. You can create an account and pay monthly there by putting in your credit card details.

To get these as apps on your phone, you will need to search for the App Store if you have an iPhone. You can do this by sliding your home screen down until a bar comes up the top to type into, or by finding the blue icon on your home screen. There, click the 🔎 search icon. You can type in the app you want, click on it to read about it, and click DOWNLOAD if you want it.

To find music on the apps, there will be playlists made by others that you can click on and listen to or you can search for music that you like (they have just about every song on there these days!). So you might type in ABBA. You can click on ABBA to go to their artist page and then click “...” next to a song or album you like to get more options, such as adding it to a new running playlist you would like to make.

Another option is to use Spotify free - that means having the app but not paying for the premium version. In the free version, all songs are shuffled 🔀 so you can’t listen them in an order you choose, and there are audio advertisements every few songs. Also, you cannot download songs on the free version so you will need data to listen to it out on your run.

Does that help?

Gwyrdd profile image
GwyrddGraduate in reply to k11111

That helps a lot .Thank you for your time and patience

nowster profile image
nowsterGraduate

If there's a music radio programme you like, you could use the BBC Sounds app to download it to your phone for listening on your runs. Or you could install a radio player app to listen to "live" radio.

Alternatively you could use iTunes to rip your favourite music CDs onto your phone.

Gwyrdd profile image
GwyrddGraduate in reply to nowster

Thank you. I can try that.

Elfe5 profile image
Elfe5Graduate

Hi Gwyrdd, thanks for your question - I have learned a lot too. 😄

I listen to radio 4 a lot & use the Sounds app to run to programs like Women’s Hour, Desert Island Discs & The Food Program (I still have a very fond memory of running to a program about porridge!!) 😄

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