Music help please (looking to be original!)

Caramac71

Caramac71

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We have noticed a few local unaffiliated Dressage to Music classes in the next few months, and my daughter fancies having a go. We've made a start with it and plan to have a session with her trainer to work out a floorplan. And we've got a few ideas on music, having spent hours playing clips and matching to her paces on video footage.

A friend commented that we need to avoid the more popular music themes as the judges get fed up with hearing variations of the same. Having not been to many music classes, I'm not sure what music is more popular. We'd like to find something original, but needs to be suited to a teenager on a pony and therefore I think we should keep it "fun" rather than classical or dramatic.

Our favourite 2 ideas at the moment are using Abba music, or songs from Mary Poppins. (Abba seemed to suit them really well but apparently it is used a lot?).

So, can anyone advise on what music NOT to use?
 
argh, dont do abba! done to death!!!!

try looking for orchestral version of your daughters fave songs.

i am putting together a PSG music and am using:

walk: piano version of linkin park, in the end.
trot: orchestral version of taio cruz , dynamite
canter: adele, orchestral version of set fire to the rain.
 
I went on youtube and looked for karaoke versions of the songs I wanted. I had Man that cant be moved for walk - The Script for walk, The A Team - Ed Sheeran for trot and Stay Out by Nina Nesbitt for canter. All edited on Windows Movie Maker which most computers will already have.

I love your song choices PS, can't wait to see it in action.

As for ones to avoid Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack has been done to death too!
 
I'd say the most important thing is to find music that suits the pony. This does not necessarily have to be music the rider likes! :D

I think people really limit their options unnecessarily by discarding "classical" as being somehow exclusive or boring (one presumes?).

First, a bee in my bonnet :P : to a musician, "classical" refers to a very short period of music history, roughly from 1750 to 1825, basically spanning the careers of its core composers of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. None of whom were in the habit of writing boring music, btw, and much of whose music was written for the entertainment and use of perfectly normal people!

To return to the topic, there's a vast repertoire out there of fantastic instrumental music that is barely touched by people looking for DTM music. Much of it is better composed and better orchestrated than the usual arrangements of pop music or film music that do get used. My pony usually had 17th-century wind band music, written for the types of ensembles that accompanied the original horse ballets. Baroque music often works well, because much of it is based on dance types and it tends to come in fairly short sections which can easily be arranged to go with the floor plan. Big-band music is often also very effective.

Please don't: a mish-mash of Orff's Carmina Burana, Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries, the Hallelujah chorus of Handel's Messiah, a terrible recording of Bach's Air on the G String, and a bad MIDI arrangement of Pachelbel's Canon in D. It's like "Attack of the Bad-taste Bridezilla". :D And yes, I actually encoutered something like this! If this is what people think of as "classical", no wonder they think it's bad!

Also, try to put the sections together so that the music doesn't get cut off mid-phrase. If you're not sure how to do that, then fades can be your friend, but I think it's lovely if the choreography actually lines up with the musical phrases to a certain extent.
 
What's her horse like? Colour etc?

I'm not big into Abba lol! Also I think the quadrille to music thing that won last year was Mary Poppins? I remember reading about it in BD magazine.

I've always thought this could be hilarious to ride to, esp at two mins in. Disney might be a fun theme actually, because it's so expressive.

[video=youtube;OE5Ww1QQFL0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OE5Ww1QQFL0[/video]
 
spookypony said:
I'd say the most important thing is to find music that suits the pony. This does not necessarily have to be music the rider likes! :D

I think people really limit their options unnecessarily by discarding "classical" as being somehow exclusive or boring (one presumes?).

First, a bee in my bonnet :P : to a musician, "classical" refers to a very short period of music history, roughly from 1750 to 1825, basically spanning the careers of its core composers of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. None of whom were in the habit of writing boring music, btw, and much of whose music was written for the entertainment and use of perfectly normal people!

To return to the topic, there's a vast repertoire out there of fantastic instrumental music that is barely touched by people looking for DTM music. Much of it is better composed and better orchestrated than the usual arrangements of pop music or film music that do get used. My pony usually had 17th-century wind band music, written for the types of ensembles that accompanied the original horse ballets. Baroque music often works well, because much of it is based on dance types and it tends to come in fairly short sections which can easily be arranged to go with the floor plan. Big-band music is often also very effective.

Please don't: a mish-mash of Orff's Carmina Burana, Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries, the Hallelujah chorus of Handel's Messiah, a terrible recording of Bach's Air on the G String, and a bad MIDI arrangement of Pachelbel's Canon in D. It's like "Attack of the Bad-taste Bridezilla". :D And yes, I actually encoutered something like this! If this is what people think of as "classical", no wonder they think it's bad!

Also, try to put the sections together so that the music doesn't get cut off mid-phrase. If you're not sure how to do that, then fades can be your friend, but I think it's lovely if the choreography actually lines up with the musical phrases to a certain extent.
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Wise words. Especially wrt picking music that suits your pony. No point choosing music that's all lightness and airiness if your horse/pony is a chunky monkey/not particularly light on its feet. The music should show the horse/pony off, not accentuate it's weaknesses.

P
 
The only one I did (was too much preparation for me!!!) I did to kareoke versions of Eminem... Lose Yourself, Shake That, and Love the Way You Lie. I'll be honest it didn't go that well... But my music choice was appreciated!

I regularly school to rap and hip hop the same way I do in the gym - I love the rhythm, and getting into that rhythm really helps the work!
 
Charliepony said:
What's her horse like? Colour etc?
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She's a 14.1 black pony, not chunky but not a fine showy type either. A bit hard to describe really. Her best pace is trot, it is very active and probably the reason why we think she suits the Mary Poppins type music.

Not discounting "classical" music for any reason other than it just seems a bit too serious for them (not sure they are quite ready for something big and dramatic) - and I think she needs to feel comfortable with what she is doing. Also our musical knowledge doesnt extend much beyond pop, musicals and film/TV soundtracks!

So will avoid Abba (sadly) and keep searching, although still rather liking the Mary Poppins.

Thank you for reminding me about sending off to BD for music licence - I was told this was quite a simple process but I'm not sure how long it takes. Does anyone know?
 
Caramac71 said:
Not discounting "classical" music for any reason other than it just seems a bit too serious for them (not sure they are quite ready for something big and dramatic) - and I think she needs to feel comfortable with what she is doing. Also our musical knowledge doesnt extend much beyond pop, musicals and film/TV soundtracks!
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Much classical music is incredibly silly and funny! :D Will try to find you a link, just for a giggle.
 
to a certain extent , it IS about finding music you adore though, as much as it fitting the horse.

CS is a very light plinky plonky classical/pan pipes type chap, he's not chunky or big moving enough for really pounding beats.

the orchestral versions were my compromise, as i dont think i would actually have bothered to do it at all if i had felt that i HAD to stick to the plinky plonky stuff just so it suited CS and/or didnt offend crusty judges!

i found a very nice piano version of love the way you lie that would have suited walk (the first 1/3 of it anyway) :)

youtube is your friend, try and find orchestral versions of more modern music, that way both daughter and judge can appreciate it.
 
Well I had Muse undisclosed desires for the trot, Amy Winehouse- Love is a losing game for the walk and Muse- Uprising for the canter. AND It had words and everything :p .........Judge put 'brilliant second song choice'

I too school regularly to r'n'b, hip hop etc as I like the beat!

Fed up of all the blummin instrumental and classical. I think ten years from now dressage to music will have changed slightly as younger judges come through and hopefully more contemporary music with it. It would certainly attract a wider audience to dressage I think.
 
A tip from a friend was to avoid 'big' music (dramatic music) for the lower levels.
Echo others on finding music that enhances the horse (if the horse has a slow laborious walk, don't choose really slow music as you just emphasise the lack of forwards) but it is finding music that the rider and the horse both like so that is personal taste.
there are a number of websites which will give you help in determining your pony's bpm for each pace
if you do use different artists make sure the music flows and has a similar theme to it
Its easier to avoid lyrics simply as it allows you to mix the music together more easily and adjust the timing of it if needed (slightly slow or slightly speed up). If the lyrics are also too in your face it will detract from the horse and rider who are meant to be the focal point
 
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agree, sometimes some lyrics for just one section (eg the walk, or the medium trots) can work, but an entire composition of lyrics looks amateurish IMO.

also (as pointed out above) without lyrics, you can easily slow it down or speed it up slightly to improve the way it fits/works with the horses paces.
 
Agree with what's been said and if your daughter is young, Mary Poppins would be great. Where have you found unaffiliated DTM in Kent OP? Am also looking to get going this year and can't help but trying to walk/trot/canter to every bit of music I hear at the moment.

Really looking forward to seeing CS's first DTM video - music sounds great.

Is it best to keep to a theme? i.e. all big band/all hip hop etc. and I thought lyrics were frowned upon?
 
if I was ever able to compose some DTM i'd actually go for music not many people listen to!

I'd definitely have to use some Runrig - love them!


Every river (my favourite) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bsmvf58_GU4 or hearts of olden glory http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgXGAMa4c8E or book of golden stories http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQQPWSrN8Ck


can you tell I like runrig! ha ha!


maybe a bit of Loch Lomond - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TW_olmbR3k (yes I was at this concert in the standing bit!) (the jumpey up and down bit is about half way through!)


actually I think I was at all those concerts! ;)

actually it would take me an age to find some good trot/canter music but I'd definitely use instrumental, however it would still be awesome to use some I loved!


I love classical too :D

maybe one day...
 
i think try and stick to the same genre approx, i HATE it when people have very tinkley classical music for eg trot then explode in to canter to rock music then walk to disney etc!

using a piano version and 2 x orchestral versions has kept the tone of my 3 pieces very similar, and adele/tai cruz are obviously both modern pop too. Linkin park is the odd one out but the piano version is very toned down and actually where i want to stop that piece, the ending bars flow in to the opening bar of adele really well, so it does work.

it does depend how much time/effort/£ you want to put in, but i think its much more polished if you can get someone who knows the software well, to cut/paste/repeat to suit the floorplan-there is one section of set fire to the rain that i want repeating for both my canter piris, and another as the lead in to my tempis, but it needs doing well so that it flows as though it was always that way, not an abrupt mish mash.

i think you just need to listen to all the bits together, not in isolation, so a piano cover for walk and big band for trot/canter might work, and also breaks it up a bit so its not too samey samey.

im going to try and get to the 20 x60 arena again in feb to do the final recording of the groundplan and then get my music genius to do the music, but if what i want is too complex ill just go to one of the big specialist companies.
 
Prince33Sp4rkle said:
agree, sometimes some lyrics for just one section (eg the walk, or the medium trots) can work, but an entire composition of lyrics looks amateurish IMO.

also (as pointed out above) without lyrics, you can easily slow it down or speed it up slightly to improve the way it fits/works with the horses paces.
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Well........I am an amateur :p To be fair, it was only a last minute, small, unaffiliated thing so it probably didn't matter. Doubt I could have done the same at a BD!

There is a rider who has used the same music at the nationals though 3 years running and it has lyrics in (Muse, Eliza Doolittle and I can't remember what else) and I love that. But yes, it depends what music you pick too. Anything too poppy (I.E, One direction) (IMO) would probably make you look like a twonk.
 
Prince33Sp4rkle said:
to a certain extent , it IS about finding music you adore though, as much as it fitting the horse.

CS is a very light plinky plonky classical/pan pipes type chap, he's not chunky or big moving enough for really pounding beats.
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Ditto Fig, as we said - he IS quick moving. He's not going to match up to dramatic slow beats. He needs something quick and sharp to match him.

I also hate it when people swap genres of music; there should be a theme, DTM should tell a story of sorts.
 
Hi - how do you find venues who hold D2M competitions. I'd love to have a go and went to a local clinic last year but it would be nice to know where I can showcase our talent (or lack of!!). I am based in Loughborough, Leics so local venues are Hargate, Brooksby and Vale and would be looking at Prelim or Novice D2M. Any ideas where to find schedules at these and other venues for D2M?
 
Olliepop - Moulton College or Moreton Morrell if not too far.

Agree with comments re big music for lower levels - although I would love too enter to start of 'Cry Me a River' like Carl did! We have TV themes for one horse, including the lovely 'Lightening Tree' (makes me well-up just thinking about it :) and for the other, disco - 'You sexy thing', some James Brown and something I can't recall - that's not good!

Just make sure music suits horse, more important, I think than whether it is highly original and that floor plan is good & different. Then have fun getting to grips with actually putting the music together, without loosing your temper.....
 
Nicnac said:
Where have you found unaffiliated DTM in Kent OP? Am also looking to get going this year and can't help but trying to walk/trot/canter to every bit of music I hear at the moment.
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At Bluebarn Equestrian Centre, Great Chart (near Ashford). Run by SMP Events. Nice venue and really well run shows, have been to lots with them, although DTM is new for them. First one is towards the end of February and then they have another in June (I think). I also came across one just before Christmas at Saddlesdane.

We were thinking of doing a "theme" so that if she decided to do a costume class later in the year, we could adapt it for that. She did Pas de Deux at Oldencraig Strictly Come Dressage at the end of last year and we had so much fun with that.

Are Western film soundtracks well used? OH rarely shows any interest in anything equine but has come through with a few suggestions so we thought we should give his ideas some consideration.
 
go on itunes and search on the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, they have done some amazing classical versions of 'popular' songs, watch a video of your daughter riding the test while you're listening to the songs, will give you a good idea of what works and what doesnt.
 
The use of lyrics is very personal I think. My elem music is all Adele, with the lyrics (her voice is an instrument too). It has been loved by all bar one judge, who simply wrote, I'd like it better without lyrics. well, thats her personal choice. It suits pony really well, and I'll stick it for now.
Winner of the BRC Elem Champs last year was all lyric music too, so it can't have that much affect. Some of the GP riders frequently use lyrics too - wouldn't class them as amateur!!
 
there are exceptions of course, but i cant think of a single GP Kur where ALL the music uses lyrics? And my point was(if you read it) that although some riders use a small portion of lyrics for certain movements, or just for the walk etc, none (that i can think of over the past 2/3 years) have had lyrics throughout their entire test.......................

The Royal Philharmonic is very good and they did the copy of Adele that i am using :)
 
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