Slow vs. Upbeat music | Golden Skate

Slow vs. Upbeat music

Do you like slow or upbeat music better?


  • Total voters
    66

doubleaxelcm

On the Ice
Joined
Dec 2, 2004
I've always been a fan of more upbeat music vs. slow because a competition full of slow music can become quite tedious and boring for me. I was wondering if people felt the same way. Slow, or upbeat?
 

doubleaxelcm

On the Ice
Joined
Dec 2, 2004
I was going to put "depends on the skater" but then I was pretty sure that everybody would pick that option, because if you can't really decide its answers like that, that people pick. Sorry!
 

mpal2

Final Flight
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
I ended up with In Between.


I can see where a whole competition of slow music would get old even though I love it. I was at a practice session for last year's Nationals and ended up with a 5-10 minute nap because I was so tired. The music playing during that time was very soothing and helped ease me into a slight coma. One of guards was laughing at me when I woke up and told me to get some coffee. :laugh:

On the other hand, I get really irritated with 100% peppy. No one can be that happy all the time.

I've got to have both. :cool:
 

BronzeisGolden

Medalist
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
It depends on the skater or my mood. Sometimes I am in the mood for something soft and lyrical. There are other times where I really want something fast and loud....and that usually is in the car! As for skating, well, that really does depend on the skater. I love to see Michelle skate to soft, lyrical numbers because she really relates so well to that type of music ("East of Eden", etc.). Jenny Kirk, on the other hand, seems to be at her best when she is skating to something lively and upbeat (like "Chicago").
 
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Justafan

On the Ice
Joined
Jan 18, 2005
I like a combination of music that starts off slow, builds to a crescendo,and then ends slow. I also like the occasional upbeat rock or pop. The footwork segments always seem more impressive with more upbeat music to me. I would like to see skaters step out of their norm more, like Sasha or Johnny skating to something modern and upbeat, and someone like Jenny Kirk skating to Moonlight Sonata. Mix it up a bit.
 

PrincessLeppard

~ Evgeni's Sex Bomb ~
Final Flight
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
I prefer, in general, upbeat music, but some skaters do slower music very well. Evgeni's Adagio SP is one of my favorite programs, as is Matt Savoie's SP from this year. Just absolutely stunning. Not all skaters can pull this off, however.......

......also however, many skaters can't do upbeat because they can't skate fast enough. One of my favorite dance songs is "Sandstorm" with Gregory and Petukhov use at the end of their program. They, or rather, she, can't skate fast enough to keep up with the music and then I just get annoyed. There are other examples of this, that's just the one that annoyed me the most.

:)
 

JonnyCoop

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 28, 2003
Add me to the "upbeat" list. I tend to enjoy those programs more, especially if they're well-choreographed.

As for slow music -- if you're going to skate to it, fine. Just make sure your speed is more or less matching the music; nothing more annoying than hearing slow, lyrical music, and having the skater(s) out there flying around at full throttle like they have to get to the airport or something.

Piano concertos tend to be somewhere in between, and most programs done to them I don't like; I just don't feel that they flow well enough to properly skate to, tho I have seen some done well by Michelle Kwan, Elena Liashenko, and Alisa Drei.
 

Frau Muller

Final Flight
Joined
Mar 1, 2005
Upbeat draws me into the program more. It's exciting & sets the stage for great footwork. I've always wondered why some skatrs would skate a full LP to a slow number like 'Otonal'....zzzzzzzzzz.
 

MannyisHOT

Rinkside
Joined
Mar 14, 2005
I like upbeat better but i like slow as well but I put upbeat. I like how skaters usually have one upbeat program and one classical slow program.
 

Skaterstar57

Spectator
Joined
Apr 16, 2005
mpal2 said:
I ended up with In Between.


I can see where a whole competition of slow music would get old even though I love it. I was at a practice session for last year's Nationals and ended up with a 5-10 minute nap because I was so tired. The music playing during that time was very soothing and helped ease me into a slight coma. One of guards was laughing at me when I woke up and told me to get some coffee. :laugh:

On the other hand, I get really irritated with 100% peppy. No one can be that happy all the time.

I've got to have both. :cool:


Same here.
Heh, that was funny about the coffee bit. :laugh:
I love slow music often, but I love when music changes from slow to fast, it gets better, and then you can have a pretty move such as an arabesque and still have a great fast part for a jump. :cool:
So in between for me. =D
 

RIskatingfan

On the Ice
Joined
Jul 28, 2003
I don't have a preference. As long as it is well interpreted it's what matters. Although too much of the same can get boring sometimes.
 

icenut84

Final Flight
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
I agree that it totally depends on the skater. Upbeat music is great if the skater can keep up with it and sell it, like Annette Dytrt in her SP this last season (to Danse Macabre) or B&A's Elvis free dance, but if the skater doesn't have that quick quality, it doesn't really work in the same way. Then again, slow and beautiful music can also be great if it fits the skater, but can also be a bit boring! Especially if a lot of skaters use a similar tempo. I say mix things up, experiment, try different styles and tempos, but make sure you can keep up. :)
 

FrenchLady

Rinkside
Joined
Jan 26, 2005
I voted "In Between". My real answer is that I don't care that much what music skaters are skating to as long as they are interpreting it well, using every phrasing, every nuance, etc. When I watch a program, I always try to see if the skater enhances the music, or if instead it's more the music enhancing the skater. I'm particularily careful when the music is very beautiful (for me) or "grandiose" with big crecendos for example. Of course, beautiful music with beautiful choreography and great interpretation/performance/ is the ideal ;) . Nevertheless I will admire as much a program with not so beautiful music (for me) but great choreo and interpretation/performance.

I have to say too that one of the qualities I love the most in a skater/team is versatility. I mean by that the capacity to create different moods and emotions on the ice and the capacity to skate DIFFERENTLY to different rhythms and styles of music. Because it means I think a larger skating vocabulary (good expression??..) , variety in the elements and/or the way they do the preparation for them, variety in steps, variety in the way they use their edges, variety in carriage, upper body movement, arm movements, etc...
 
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Dee4707

Ice Is Slippery - Alexie Yagudin
Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 28, 2003
Country
United-States
I voted for in between, but I think alot depends on the skater.

Dee
 

anya_angie

Final Flight
Joined
Sep 20, 2003
Really for me it's not about the tempo, but rather the mood that's important. The orchestration of the piece is as important as the tempo. Example, look at Gladiator. Lovely main theme, mixed with frantic action music that is awesome in its own right, but compare it to Braveheart (rated #1 on filmtracks.com). I'd love to see more skaters use Braveheart. Alexander Abt didn't use enough of it IMHO. :D
 
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