> Learn it. Learn how to listen it, learn to feel it.

As someone willing to give this a try, where would you suggest one starts?

Go to the symphony. Ideally, go with a friend who enjoys classical music.

Also, spend some time trying different classical music from different periods / parts of the world. You might find you prefer Steve Reich (Music For 18 Musicians) more than you like Bach (Well-Tempered Clavier) or Shostakovich (10th Symphony) more than you like Schoenberg (... good luck).

Spend some time finding a favourite composer. Start with a composer you like, and then try other composers who were alive in the same time and place.

Also, beware of orchestral renditions of pop music. Some of it is good (Alarm Will Sound's album of Aphex Twin), but most of it is awful (Vitamin quartet).

Hope that helps.

If you want a course, Robert Greenberg's How to Listen to and Understand Great Music - it's on Audible.

I would recommend Arthur Rubinsteins Chopin nocturnes. They are very minimal, and a perfect entry point into classical.

Can you recommend any minimalist classical music (other than Arvo Part) please? Not bland, it can be sensual like Gnossienne or dramatic as... tabula rasa?

My main issue with most classical music is that they feel too heavy and I feel physically sick.

You might be asking two different things.

Minimalist: Steve Reich, Henryk Gorecki, John Adams...

But it sounds more like you're asking for classical music that isn't overwhelming. In that case, go for chamber music - this is for any small ensemble. You might particularly like things like Mozart wind ensembles (quartets, quintets), Faure or Ravel trios or quartets (sometimes with piano), etc. There are a lot of Mozart cds "for children" that are good here too, since young children like smaller ensembles better than big orchestras.

Not sure what you mean by "heavy", but you might give Vivaldi a try; start with the Four Seasons. It's not minimalist, but it's much lighter than e.g. Beethoven, and not as "serious" as e.g. Bach.

The idea of Bach as always being "serious" is really untrue. Source: me! I make actual money singing Bach.

Indeed there is a great deal of joie de vivre to be found within the music.

However I find it very difficult not to listen intently to Bach. And I mean that in a good way, but disqualifies his work from being my "working background" music. My pick for programming music is the complete Mozart symphonies. They're also works of genius, but I can be in their presence without my mind being constantly drawn to them and away .

I also go for the Renaissance lute works of John Dowland. In many ways the pop music of the day (and noticeably less sophisticated than the baroque that immediately followed) this somehow puts me in the right mood for UI design.

Maybe my impression comes from high school piano, when I succeeded in playing various Bach pieces (selections from Well Tempered Clavier among others), but for the life of me couldn't memorize the dang things.

Perhaps "serious" is the wrong term; maybe "methodical" or "mathematically inclined" is better.

Thanks for bringing up Four Seasons. I listened to Spring, it doesn't really fit what I asked about and initially I thought it was too poncey. But then it develops on like a teasing narrative (if that even makes sense, my musical vocabs is way too limited) - interesting!

Philip Glass's piano works might be just what you're looking for.

Or how about Steve Reich's Music For 18 Musicians? That could be too much, or it could be just right, depending on what about the music makes you feel sick.

I also like LaMonte Young and Terry Riley, but they might be too spacious if you're looking for compelling melody.

Oh, and stay away from John Adams. (Other people reading this looking for heavy minimalist music: go for John Adams. Start with Short Ride In A Fast Machine, and then dig in to the operas.)

Jazz is good too, for those of us who like jazz :P