Good Music/Music Cuts

actualrealliveanna · Jun 7, 2015

iluvtodd said:
I wasn't put off @ all by Denney & Frazier's Lion King program. OTOH, I loved it, and agree that the music cuts were gorgeous (actually some of my favorite instrumental parts of the Lion King).

Mine as well! Such a beautiful soundtrack. I'd love to see more programs to Disney sountracks, if cut well some could make great programs! Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao had a program to Mulan that had amazing music cuts too!

4everchan · Jun 7, 2015

yeah. we are talking about different things

i can give you an example… there's a beethoven sonata that comes to my mind right now… it's opus 81a. it has 3 short movements pretty much showing a departure, the absence and the return….. so there's a story to it. going back and forth within the piece just won't make sense…. it's like if lyrics were telling a story and one would mix sentences back and forth. that's what kills me.

a lot of classical music pieces contrast tension and relaxation in larger work… this concept is ruined by cuts…. i understand that skaters especially in ice dance need specific beats, speed and so on to present their elements… but yeah… it still kills me.

I think that what you are saying about cheerleading is valid with the fact that in cheerleading you do have upbeat choreography…so it's not like you need a lyrical slow section in the middle of the program like skaters do so often…
this is often where the cuts and mixing and matching kills me most….

another good patrick SP is with elegy by rachmaninoff… of course there are cuts but it is done really smoothly and one doesn't feel like there is something missing from the music…. skaters and choreographers should hire me

I'd do great mixes

that don't upset the classically trained musician's ears

cheerknithanson said:
I'm a cheerleader so I'm used to a lot of mixes. However, since cheerleading produces a more exciting and sharp-movement and fast-paced vibe, the mixes are able to be better integrated by sound effects like bells, whistles, lasers, voice-overs, etc and also the pace of the songs are sped up and there are like at least I don't know like 3-5 songs in a mix on average maybe. I know that for skating, mixes can be a little more tricky since they don't use the sound effects and speeding up of the songs like cheerleading does.

From listening to lots of theme songs and shorter songs in the past month for me thinking of great ideas, mixes could work if

1. The songs are by the same artist/band because a similar sound will create a better flow somewhat
2. If the tunes are very similar. Like the "Babar" theme songs and the song "I don't want to live on the Moon" from "Sesame Street" or the "Sesame Street" 30th anniversary special "Elmopalooza" have a very similar tune if you listen carefully.
3. If you use like some software to make mixes that has settings to "blend" two songs together at the end of the first song and beginning of the second.

AnnaTheMusician · Jun 7, 2015

4everchan said:
as a musician, someone who is used to hear symphonies/concertos in their complete form i have a hard time with anyone going from one movement to another etc.... i really don't like cuts... it just ruins it for me. I prefer by far when skaters use a long stretch of music for the entire program or a medley rather than extracts from one piece... for instance, patrick's chopin medley works better as it takes an etude, then a prelude and later on if I recall, the etude comes back... but these pieces aren't related... so it works better for me than when we hear a bit of a first movement of a piano concerto, then a bit of the third movement, and then a bit of whatever... it just drives me crazy but i guess that's not about to change

I agree and totally understand you. Cuts of Scheherazade are usually the worst. I was scared last year when I heard my favourite skater Kiira Korpi had decided to use Sibelius' violin concerto. Luckily, luckily she used only the 1st movement and the cuts were quite decent (http://youtu.be/DXd65e8reX0). Last season I liked very much Hanyu's Chopin. No bad cuts at all. But I know it's hard to use classical music without cuts. There aren't many pieces you could use without cutting them. I just wish they wouldn't try to fit all the highlights in 3 or 4 minutes. Two or not more than three themes in a program would be enough.

eyeballlickinggecko · Jun 7, 2015

I think Maria Sotskova's "Winter" SP was pretty good. I still can't actually figure out whether or not there was a cut at all. If there wasn't, they sure picked a good piece of music.

Amei · Jun 7, 2015

Mariah Bell's Titanic Medley - the light-hearted medley really fit well with her skating... she was by far my favorite nationals program.

AnnaTheMusician · Jun 8, 2015

eyeballlickinggecko said:
I think Maria Sotskova's "Winter" SP was pretty good. I still can't actually figure out whether or not there was a cut at all. If there wasn't, they sure picked a good piece of music.

I watched the program (Vivaldi's Winter, 3rd movement) with the score and they had removed probably 8 bars from on the end. Just one repeat was removed and it was hardly notable. Very good music choice and a decent cut, I agree!

mikeko666 · Jun 8, 2015

Stephane Lambiel - Poeta
https://youtu.be/bml794ZR6n4
The cante parts are not found in the original tracks from the album. It looks like Antonio Najarro added them.

Daisuke Takahashi - In the Garden of Souls
https://youtu.be/n3L-K2T00AQ
I love how the tracks are not just sequenced, but layered one over another.

Akiko Suzuki - O
https://youtu.be/mOuaUMgFOcg
The bird chirpings are not from the original tracks. I love how Camerlengo transformed the "O" music into something totally different and original.

actualrealliveanna · Jun 8, 2015

Amei said:
Mariah Bell's Titanic Medley - the light-hearted medley really fit well with her skating.

I agree! The music was perfect for her, and the cuts and choreography were splendid. Props to Rohene for putting together such a great program.

LauraV · Jun 8, 2015

Compare to clip of Meryl & Charlie's SD at Skate America (wish I had a better one)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJLXmf7g79c

Doris, here's an HD clip of that SD at Skate America:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibI3DBfopgc

This is probably my favorite SD of the COP era. Never would have dreamed that a Yankee Polka set to Giselle (!) would work, much less prove to be such a creative and artistic triumph. The seamless music cuts add hugely to the effect.

dorispulaski · Jun 9, 2015

Thank you, Laura V! I have bookmarked it. That SD is one of my favorites, too

anyanka · Jun 9, 2015

The editing of the second movement of the Rach 2 for Chen Lu's 1996 worlds free skate was gloriously seamlessly. The kept the placid parts of the program only, making it a delicate, quiet masterwork.

Weathergal · Jun 9, 2015

mikeko666 said:
Stephane Lambiel - Poeta
https://youtu.be/bml794ZR6n4
The cante parts are not found in the original tracks from the album. It looks like Antonio Najarro added them.

Daisuke Takahashi - In the Garden of Souls
https://youtu.be/n3L-K2T00AQ
I love how the tracks are not just sequenced, but layered one over another.

Akiko Suzuki - O
https://youtu.be/mOuaUMgFOcg
The bird chirpings are not from the original tracks. I love how Camerlengo transformed the "O" music into something totally different and original.

I agree with you on all of these! As a bonus, I'm a big fan of all three skaters, especially Lambiel and Takahashi. And the ones you mentioned for them are not only excellent music selections/cuts but also some of my favorite programs of theirs. And "O" is one of my favorites for Suzuki as well.

I liked Jeremy Abbott's cuts to his "Lillies of the Valley" SP and his "Lay Me Down" SP. (I realize Lay Me Down has quite an "exhibition-y" vibe, but I did think the music cuts were well done.)

I also really liked Hawayek/Baker's "Romeo & Juliet" FD music cuts this year. I've always been a great fan of Pasquale Camerlengo in general and his choreography in particular. I wasn't sure how involved he was in the music cuts although it sounds like he is. Loved the way he put Weaver/Poje's "Four Seasons" FD together as well.

Alissa Czisny's "Winter into Spring" by George Winston FS is another program with music cuts I like. Also a Camerlengo program.

Starting to feel bad so many teams have left him and Krylova recently... :slink:

TartanSk8ter01 · Jun 9, 2015

My favourite music cut is the 1996/1997 season's Free Dance from Bourne and Kraatz. The program used the overture from High Society; Willow Weep For Me; and Opus 1. It was so smoothly combined it stays with me to this day.

drivingmissdaisy · Jun 11, 2015

Surya Bonaly had some great musical selections (although the choreography was non existent or bad). I liked her Cry of Beirut SP music, her Little Princess SP music, her Jazz music from her 1998 Olympic SP, her Four Seasons LP, and her Samson and Delilah LP. Her music was usually very appropriate for a skating program and had nice slow/fast parts. It's too bad the choreography and polish didn't live up to the music.

sabinfire · Jun 12, 2015

I really enjoyed the music edit of Evgenia Medvedeva's FS music from Russian Nationals. Particularly the transition from 'Maria & the Violin's String' back into 'Ein Sommernachtstraum'. As for why she abandoned this particular edit with Ashram during other competitions throughout the season is a mystery to me.

I searched high & low to find a good quality version of this music edit, but I gave up, and edited my own. It is extremely close to the actual edit Evgenia uses -- and I have to say, it's a very bizarre editing job on this one... not sure what they were doing when editing these 3 songs together.

Here's what my project looked like (kinda like tetris) :laugh:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8FhmS7SlrItR2N0dzdaczc0YjQ/view?usp=sharing

And here's the final music edit, linked straight to the music transition I mentioned above, from 2:30 to 3:20 (or just 3:12-3:20 if really impatient):

https://youtu.be/-ycoTdR8FrU?t=150

eyeballlickinggecko · Jun 12, 2015

I think it was because Russian nationals was the only senior competition Evgenia competed in and thus the only time she needed an extra 30 seconds.

To add, I think Polina Edmund's Tinkerbell FS music was pretty good.

noskates · Jun 13, 2015

I always liked the Legends of the Fall soundtrack but never who skated to it. It's a beautiful, soaring and poignant piece of music. Would be great for a really good pairs team.

randomfan · Jun 13, 2015

I also want to add Anna Pogorilaya's Adagio SP from this season. At first the music seemed too powerful and loud but as I keep hearing it I can see that the vocals of the men are simply beautiful as well as the arrangement too.

iluvtodd · Jun 15, 2015

noskates said:
I always liked the Legends of the Fall soundtrack but never who skated to it. It's a beautiful, soaring and poignant piece of music. Would be great for a really good pairs team.

I love the soundtrack too. I think Liz Manley skated to it as a pro. Dan Hollander skated to it for his free skate @ 1996 Worlds.

Good Music/Music Cuts

actualrealliveanna

4everchan

AnnaTheMusician

eyeballlickinggecko

Amei

AnnaTheMusician

mikeko666

actualrealliveanna

LauraV

dorispulaski

Wicked Yankee Girl

anyanka

Weathergal

TartanSk8ter01

drivingmissdaisy

sabinfire

Doing the needful

eyeballlickinggecko

noskates

randomfan

iluvtodd

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