Since here started discussion about the "skating music", which we would like to see how Evgeni skate ... to hear the word of professionals
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http://www.lifeskate.com/skate/2008/11/mus...g-programs.htmlMusic in figure skating programsWhen I watch figure skating programs, I always get excited when it's a piece of music I always wanted to see interpreted on the ice. So, when Takahiko Kozuka did "Take Five" for his short program at Skate America, I was hoping it would be fantastic (which it was) and also happy to find out that it was choreographed by Yuka Sato, a fabulous skater in her own right. With the Grand Prix well underway, we're getting exposed to lots of musical tastes and selections aren't we? From Beethoven, to Pink Floyd, I really believe figure skating programs showcase music in a way unlike any other. I've learned so much about music, whether it's from operas, ballets, movies, you name it, it's a real education for any music fan.
Joe Jorgens is the head of "Sonic Edge Music" (
http://www.sonicedgemusic.com/ ), which provides pre-cut and custom programs for figure skaters. As a professional music editor, I asked him for his thoughts on skating music and any trends that he sees in his profession. He writes the following....
Music is an integral part of a successful skating program. Skating music is based on beat, tempo, and rhythm and should be chosen to enhance a skater's style and skills. Most frequently skating music comes from soundtracks or classical music. These types of music are the best choices because they do not have lyrics and they typically carry a theme throughout. A graceful skater should select a smooth, flowing, lyrical piece of music. This best matches their style. A more powerful skater will be a better match to a dynamic, epic piece of music.
Regardless of the skater's style, there are typically two ways to construct a program. The most popular is the fast-slow-fast construction where the program starts with fast music, moves into a slower section and then finishes fast. The second construction is to start with slow music that accelerates gradually to fast music at the end of the program.
Treble clef Skating music should always be equalized and normalized so that the the volume of the music does not fluctuate greatly. We have all heard programs that are extremely quiet and then push the speakers to their limit. Typically, the acoustics in an ice rink are not great and any low base or high treble tones do not come through; these should be avoided if possible. Additionally, either extreme tends to reverberate against the glass or boards and distort the beauty of the music.
Always consider the popularity of the music as some music is overused. Judges do not want to hear the same piece of music over and over again. The "Mask of Zorro" is a good example of a piece that was overused in the early 2000s. Right now, "El Tango De Roxanne" from "Moulin Rouge" is one of the most requested pieces of music. Generally speaking, many skaters want to mimic their elite idols, subsequently for a year following a successful or widely broadcast program, so many requests are made for the same music. There is so much good music available, that there is no need to clone another's program; spend some time, listen to some CDs and find something original that works for you.
In both the 6.0 system and the IJS, having the proper length music is critical. A small time violation will cost you 1 point in the IJS and a few tenths in the 6.0 system. For USFSA and IJS-based programs, the short program requirements indicate a maximum time. For the free skate, the time provided is a guideline and can be +/- 10 seconds.
"Sonic Edge Music" has been cutting skating music digitally for over 10 years. Our pieces have been used in skating performances at the sectional, national and international level. The company offers both precut music, that can be previewed on our website, as well as custom music that can be cut to your specification. Our motto is "Glide past the competition with perfect music!" because we believe perfect music is integral to a skater's success.
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http://www.lifeskate.com/skate/2009/05/sel...ppropriate.htmlSelecting great skating music:
Make it age appropriateThe summer is the perfect time to begin thinking about new skating programs for the fall. Joe Jorgens is the head of Sonic Edge Music, which provides pre-cut and custom programs for figure skaters. As a professional music editor, he wanted to share ten tips for selecting great music, especially for younger skaters. Over the next several weeks, we'll dispense Joe's advice on what to consider when putting a program together. Joe would also like to thank Jim Watkinson and his Weststar Company for their collaboration and assistance in the research, writing and production of this article.
Selecting Great Program Music for Younger Skatersby Joe Jorgens
We have all seen great skating programs. Their names stand out and remain in our minds even years later:
Torvill and Dean’s "Bolero" at the 1984 Olympics,
Katarina Witt’s "Carmen" at the 1988 Olympics, Michelle Kwan’s
long program to "Lyra Angelica" and
short program to Rachmaninoff at the 1998 U.S. Nationals and of course many more.
We watched and shared the feeling of their skating. Each movement perfectly matched the pace and emotion of the music, our spirits soared with the skater as their strokes carried us along. These Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean, gold medalists at 1984 Winter Olympics, perform to Bolero programs were made great by a combination of the skater’s program elements and execution, the music selected and the skater’s interpretation. That combination turned mere athletics into a deep communication that connected with the audience, joining the skater and viewer in a shared triumphant experience.
These memorable performances stand at the highest levels in the sport of figure skating. But recreational and competitive figure skating is populated by a large number of skaters, very few of whom will ever perform in the rarefied air of national, world, or Olympic competition. There are in fact thousands of younger skaters from the Basic 6 recreational level up to the Juvenile competitive levels and generally speaking, depending on their starting age, skaters at these levels are often 6-12 years old. So we’ll focus our attention here on some factors that we have found important for selecting music that can help younger skaters shine at these levels.
If you are a coach, or experienced parent, you already know that as you begin to consider a new program your student will almost always have a favorite piece of music in mind, usually something very contemporary that they enjoy listening to. But skating to music is very different than just listening to it. We must consider some unique requirements to make a selection that helps your skater give their best performance. Having worked with many skaters at all levels over the last ten years we can offer some tips to help you choose music that will fit and complement your skater and their program.
TIP #1: CHOOSE MUSIC THAT IS APPROPRIATE FOR THE SKATER'S AGEUnlike senior skaters who have an almost unlimited field of music to choose from, a younger skater has some practical limits on what is viewed as acceptable program music for them. This may sound like a simple and obvious point, but it can present a challenge for coaches and parents. Children always seem to want to be older than they are and often associate closely with music that is above their maturity. But judges, like parents, usually take a negative view of youngsters skating to music that is romantic, or is mature beyond their years. Many programs from jazz or swing sources fall into this category. Similarly, pop music is typically a poor choice as most people already know the words and are singing along internally; this detracts from the attention that the skater deserves. Another draw back to pop music is the instrumentation; this usually does not sound good in a rink environment. We will cover the way rink acoustics affect music later in more detail.
This does not mean that a boy or girl under age 12 must always skate to Disney music. There are many good alternatives between music from movies and Broadway shows, as well as updated versions of older works. But let us save some examples on this for later.
http://www.lifeskate.com/skate/2009/06/sel...e-positive.htmlTIP #2: ACCENTUATE THE POSITIVEAll programs for younger skaters have several required elements, but rarely is a skater equally good at all of these. To overcome this you will need a strategy for developing a program that presents more exposure, or weight, to your skater’s best elements, while minimizing the viewer’s exposure to their weaker elements.
As you will see in our next topics we can often accentuate the skater's strengths by making choices that match the music to the skater’s style and strength. You can view these as a cascading series of choices running from the most general to the most detailed. Starting at the most general level your first choice comes between emphasizing artistry or athleticism. A good program must include a balanced mix of each of these, but that balance is up to you. And while that selection depends largely on the skaters strengths, once you make that choice, your ability to turn it into a good program will depend mainly on the music chosen.
Once you’ve chosen your emphasis, you’ll be looking to make musical selections based on the genre, pace, drama and theme of the music being considered. The nice thing about using the internet to talk about skating music is that we can make the learning process easier by linking to real examples you can listen to. So let’s bring this whole question of how to accentuate the positive to life by listening to some real examples in our next topic concerning the skater's style.
Next up... "Selecting music to fit the skater's style and skating personality"****************************
... continue next week at this address
Advice from a pro -
http://www.lifeskate.com/skate/advice_from_a_pro/(where you can find a lot of advice about training, proper holding hands ...)
"Sonic Edge Music" -
http://www.sonicedgemusic.com/ ... interesting "advice" and the ability to search Catalog, according to music genres, instruments .....
Music Catalog -
http://www.sonicedgemusic.com/catalogA.htmlMusic Search -
http://www.sonicedgemusic.com/search.htmlPrecut Music (0:00 - 1:44) -
http://www.sonicedgemusic.com/pcmusic0.htmlCustom Music -
http://www.sonicedgemusic.com/custom.htmlSonic Edge provides custom edited music to your specifications. Just submit the track(s) that you would like cut for your skating program....
Example:
CD1, Track 12, 0:00 - 0:37, Logarithmic Fade Out
CD1, Track 12, 1:36 - 2:16
CD1, Track 12, 2:33 - 2:41, Linear Fade in
CD2, Track 4, 3:07 - 4:03, Pan left to right Could send to them our proposals?
Edited by cekoni - 4/6/2009, 05:01
Capitalists! 