tennisBRONZE Member
confused and abused
363 posts
Location: bristol, United Kingdom


Posted:
Right people before you read any further this is not a 'what music do you/should i/is your favourite to spin to thread?' I would like to know HOW you spin to music.

Allow me to elaborate. wink This morning i was spinning to some pretty standard trancey house music. The music was all based on four beats, so i just tried one 'trick' for every four beats.

one two three four change two three four change two etc....

I found myself feeling very robotic and quite methodic. But my spinning was all in time and the variety of things i know could last three or four songs. Enough for a little performance.
Then i tried concentrating on just dancing myself and as my body contorted and moved i realised that i could no longer plan my 'moves' ahead and that they all occurred kind of spontaneously. This led to me thinking am i limiting my performance abilities if i cannot plan my 'tricks' ahead or am i getting more involved in the music and therefore spinning well because i'm feeling the music more.

confusedI really hope i'm making sense. confused

I have also tried spinning and purely concentrating on everything but the beat of the song, trying to poi to the vocals, melodies and other bits in songs. I speed up and slow down to the vocals. Start isolating on breaks in the music. if the song is building up to a crescendo (sp?) i raise my hands or lower them to add some kind of connection to the music and so on. I enjoyed this but found it soooo hard.

I have never had a two,three minute routine as i'm pretty passionate about poi being a flowing art and not a mechanical thing. But i was wondering how mentally you approach spinning to music. What makes you do the combination,move, stall at that point in the song and why?

I would love to hear you opinion i find myaself concentrating on moves too much and not thinking about how i can relate them to my style and dancing.

ubbrollsmileTennis ubbrollsmile

My cat's breath smells like catfood


colemanSILVER Member
big and good and broken
7,330 posts
Location: lunn dunn, yoo kay, United Kingdom


Posted:
great post dude.

i feel very similarly to yourself about this except i rarely think about it whilst spinning - i do most of my thinking about poi sat here at work wink

how do i spin to music?
some people say i don't dance enough but that's just what they reckon tongue

this question is great: "What makes you do the combination,move, stall at that point in the song and why?"
cos like you said, sometimes you can flow into whatever you feel like and other times it has to be planned.

if i know a song fairly well, i find that thinking about what i'm gonna be spinning next matters little and i can spin with stops and direction changes at natural points in the tune.
with tunes i don't know i find stops and speed variations are hard to get right everytime.

its kind of a balance between freestyle and performance.
if you know a piece of music well, you are not trying to anticipate the tune the whole time but rather your mind is free to create patterns based on a combination of your mood and the music you hear.

a good analogy of this is a skatepark you visit every week.
you can do the same tricks and the same lines are available but depending on how you're feeling, you'll combine these in a way unique to that visit.

"i see you at 'dis cafe.
i come to 'dis cafe quite a lot myself.
they do porridge."
- tim westwood


DurbsBRONZE Member
Classically British
5,689 posts
Location: Epsom, Surrey, England


Posted:
Hmmmm, good question.

I'd have to say similair to Cole - If I know the song, know all it's little changes, beat changes etc etc I'd sort of go with those. I love to spin to Shpongle and that music is just constantly changing and you can really go with.

If I was spinning to Housey kind of four-on-the-floor kind of stuff - I'd sync the poi into the music but probably concentrate on "dancing" more.

Now, put on some postively pounding drum n bass, and I find you can really get a happy blend of both - If you're a fast spinner, you can sync in with it, the music has a a great "skip" to it so I can really move with it, but (if you'll excuse me getting drummer-esque for a bit) you can slow your spinning down to half speed, hit the stops and such like.

Even though I listen to mainly rock, I don't think I've ever really spun to it. Not sure why confused

Burner of Toast
Spinner of poi
Slacker of enormous magnitude


GottaLoveItSponge
883 posts
Location: Stevenage


Posted:
Hehehehe, I'm trying to imagine spinning to gabba LOTS of thwacks and kapows!!!!

Youch

I spin to lots of music, mainly rock cause I enjoy the heavy beats and different voices. I haven't established any type of moves, sometimes I put my poi down and just dance to the music by myself, I don't feel like my poi inhibit me at all just I like to feel the music by dancing differently, a dance I haven't got to grips with spinning at the same time. Otherwise for music I know it seems to flow a little better than for songs I don't know. I don't really dance too well but I like to do it so who cares?!?

Monkeys monkeys and bananas


t0xicmember
54 posts
Location: los angeles


Posted:
i definatly spin best to drum'n'bass and jungle....i think poi looks best when its fast(unless you cant get it to be clean) bhut yeah i try to switcj it up every 2nd or 4th beat, it depends on what move your doing, some moves lok better if you do them quick, especially if your comboing etc. but i mean if your busting a spinning crosser or wall plane you want everyone to see what your doing, with wraps i try to keep every wrap either on each beat, or if i can every 1/8th beat.....imagine how fast that is, most dnb songs are about 170 bpm... but if im just chill some epic trancs will do, and i will just flow to the music, but dnb gets me inthe mood cool

TheWibblerGOLD Member
old hand
920 posts
Location: New Zealand


Posted:
Wow toxic, don't think i've ever seen someone spin poi at 1360 bpm. wink

Gotta work now but this is a great topic. Gonna write something about:

Music Beat => Poi circle

Pitch or volume => Position of center of rotation

Any super quick rhythm => Isolations

mix it up a little => 1/2 speed or X2 speed

Rolling Beats => split quarter time

Fill in your own opinions about all the above, wouldn't want to impose my opinions on any of you wink

Agree with Coleman on most things. But the really interesting thing I find is when I DON'T KNOW A TUNE and yet I can still hit the beats, stops and stalls. Only when i am 'In the zone' of course. How the hell does that work? I mean, you are reacting to the music as it happens, i.e quicker then the time taken for your BRAIN to process the information. I believe this to highlight the difference between the BRAIN and the MIND.

m

Spherculism ~:~ The Act of becoming Spherculish.


Azrellemember
34 posts
Location: Glasgow, Scotland


Posted:
I use a mix of industrial/dance and even classical sometimes for spinning

I listen to the piece thoroughly and pick out any little bits where a particular trick will work well. Currently i'm working on one to "flight of the bumblebee" which is 4 beats in 4 bar repeats with the occasional 2 bar (yes, i play piano ....lol) and there's the occasional little bit meant to imitate the bee which suits short string loops and some over the head stuff.

Last year i did one to Feuer Frei by Rammstein and there were some really distinct BANG BANGs in the chorus that were just asking for larger tricks to go in time with them.

I do tend to dance a bit so a good beat is necessary, but playing around with quiet sections to do a few wraps and tricks that dont suit a 4/4 beat fit in there usually

[Nx?]BRONZE Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
3,749 posts
Location: Europe,Scotland,Both


Posted:
I just dance, and let the poi take care of themselves. I add in wrap combos on and across the beat, big arms for creshendos, isolations for floaty bits, whatever takes my fancy. the most important thing I find is to bounce around all over the place, pleaple whove seen me dance at spitz will know what im talking about. really working on getting my footwork into my spinning at the moment.

T wave

This is a post by tom, all spelling is deleberate
-><- Kallisti


tennisBRONZE Member
confused and abused
363 posts
Location: bristol, United Kingdom


Posted:
poi poi poi i see what you mean in reguards to your post and i believe i kind of have certain tricks for certain noises break downs etc but i am always getting very conscious of the mechanisation of my spinning. Even with a acceptable variety of 'tricks' I start noticing myself getting bored of always isolating during vocals even if the 'tricks' i'm doing are different, i still feel repetative confused.

With reguards to the not knowing the song but knowing what happens when it will break/climax is possibly down to the methodological way in which we think and the pattern running through the songs which we may not be aware of consciously but you get the ubblove 'feeling' ubblove

Thanks for your opinions the more the merrier

peaceTennis peace

My cat's breath smells like catfood


tennisBRONZE Member
confused and abused
363 posts
Location: bristol, United Kingdom


Posted:
Split quater time.
Ain't that reeeaaalll slooow....?

Might try that
thanks

My cat's breath smells like catfood


colemanSILVER Member
big and good and broken
7,330 posts
Location: lunn dunn, yoo kay, United Kingdom


Posted:
quarter time.

less to do with 'time', more to do with poi split.
split time is 180 degrees apart.
quarter time is 90 degrees apart.

like spinning an L

i only know one person that can spin it well.
he spent about a month getting a perfect quarter time 3bt weave and no-one liked it so he stopped doing it frown

"i see you at 'dis cafe.
i come to 'dis cafe quite a lot myself.
they do porridge."
- tim westwood


PaliGOLD Member
journeyman
84 posts
Location: Ubud, Bali, Indonesia


Posted:
I've been spinning to progressive trance which makes for a wide change in energy - often wax on turntables (yay pitch control).

When it's just melodic, with little or nothing going on rhythmically, I tend to do really slow corkscrews and turns, changing the levels with the pitch, and moving my beats with the melody if I know the song.

Other than that, I just try to stay within the same family of moves while the same thing's going on in the music, making transitions when it does and letting it tell me where to go. This is the _only_ time I use weaves with more than 3 beats per side - otherwise I just can't find occasion for it.

Very good thread! kiss

peace ubblove weavesmiley

Genuineness only thrives in the dark -- like celery.


DeepSoulSheepGOLD Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
2,617 posts
Location: Berlin, Ireland


Posted:
The reason why you can predict what will happen in the song is because of the way most dance music songs are structured.



Ask a half decent DJ and they'll be able to describe it better but as far as I know an average song is usually broken up into 2 parts, each with a creshendo. Those 2 parts are then broken up into 2 further parts, each with a slightly smaller exciting bit.This is kinda what I'm badly trying to say.



The counts between this parts are all predictable....ie they tend to be based on a template. I think each quater is 4 counts of 4 or something like that. You may subconciously pick up on this....and it'll explain how you know know what's about to happen.



As for how I dance I just got for it....don't think about it too much. Bouncing up and down is fun biggrin lots of turns, twists and combos at exciting parts. Tis fun exaggerating body movements and stuff.... Tempest in the Kitchen twisting his leg up to opposite knee with a twist on morning cofee springs to mind as an example...

I live in a world of infinite possibilities.


DurbsBRONZE Member
Classically British
5,689 posts
Location: Epsom, Surrey, England


Posted:
Yeah - I don't ever think to myself "Oooo, that bits coming up - I'll do that move" or even - "Here comes a fast bit, I'll go with that"

I just sort of erm...(desperately trying not use the word "flow")....go.

I mean - do you think about your dancing normally?

Burner of Toast
Spinner of poi
Slacker of enormous magnitude


simian110% MONKEY EVERY TIME ALL THE TIME JUST CANT STOP THE MONKEY
3,149 posts
Location: London


Posted:
Coleman say:
Quote:

quarter time... i only know one person that can spin it well.




Was that bovrilmonkey? if not then you know two wink

"Switching between different kinds of chuu chuu sometimes gives this "urgh wtf?" effect because it's giving people the phi phenomenon."


TheBovrilMonkeySILVER Member
Liquid Cow
2,629 posts
Location: High Wycombe, England


Posted:
Quote:


Was that bovrilmonkey?




No, it wasn't, because I can't spin quarter time very well.
I can only do it occasionally, when my poi are in the mood to behave.


Back onto the topic for a moment, I very, very rarely spin to music.

This is mainly because the music usually played at Spitz is poo.
Well, to me at least - I'm sure the vast majority of people there enjoy it, or it'd never get played. That's really a testiment to how cool spitz is - I can't stay away, not even when it means listening to music I don't like for a few hours smile

But there's no sense crying over every mistake. You just keep on trying till you run out of cake.


Kitveteran
1,269 posts
Location: middle of Troon


Posted:


do they do fire at spitz?

I havent played much with music yet, span a bit at the blackford quarry party i was at last year but didnt have much to play with then... so ended up just doing beat stuff, couldnt fit the weave into the beat, i kinda sucked actually...

random murbles

BELTANE FIRE FESTIVAL. 30th april ~ Calton hill - Edinburgh
SAMHUINN FESTIVAL. 31st October ~ Royal Mile - Edinburgh


simian110% MONKEY EVERY TIME ALL THE TIME JUST CANT STOP THE MONKEY
3,149 posts
Location: London


Posted:
Kit - No fire at spitz. Could have done with some last night too. Twas chilly.

(look! i resisted the temptation to repeat the joke about combustion being rapid socks-idisation. i'm a good monkey ubbangel)

oh and Bovril,
Quote:

I can't spin quarter time very well



You are a BIG LIAR tongue

"Switching between different kinds of chuu chuu sometimes gives this "urgh wtf?" effect because it's giving people the phi phenomenon."


TheWibblerGOLD Member
old hand
920 posts
Location: New Zealand


Posted:
Oh yeah. My poi have bells in so as I practice I learn the 'riff' that goes with a particular movement. I usually find myself kinda hum-sing-clicking along with the music, totally works for me.

Learn quarter time, de, dum..............de, dum................de,dum............... Great for building up to crechendo (sp?)

Also useflu in blues, although I guess this would be 'third time' or 'triplets', i.e 120 degree split.

m

Spherculism ~:~ The Act of becoming Spherculish.


DurbsBRONZE Member
Classically British
5,689 posts
Location: Epsom, Surrey, England


Posted:
Yep - Swung 1/8th notes = First and last beat in a triplet... Depending where you count it from - 240 degree seperation or 120.

This is very sad, I'll stop now.

Burner of Toast
Spinner of poi
Slacker of enormous magnitude


tennisBRONZE Member
confused and abused
363 posts
Location: bristol, United Kingdom


Posted:
I find weave orientated 'tricks' fairly hard to put in time if i stay in the same move for any length of time. I've been learning as many different transitions as possible and trying to get a few where you are already half way into the next thing.
Such as going into a 5bt weave at the point where essentially i've done the first 'over under over'
This kind of means i only have two beats left to go on one side at the beginning but i'm in a 5bt weave position. This allows me to fit my weave moves into time a little better. I hope that makes sense and offers a little help. weavesmiley

winkTennis wink

My cat's breath smells like catfood


[Nx?]BRONZE Member
Carpal \'Tunnel
3,749 posts
Location: Europe,Scotland,Both


Posted:
intresting point that....

ive found that poi has helped me learn my 6/4

If you do an odd beat weave over a even beat rythum and manage to get the transitions hitting every second beaat you end up doing 6 beats over 4. Now i know a lot of you arnt drummers, but for thoes who are this opens up more intresting possibilities, esspecailly when you geet the same pace but swich up to 4 beat weave but still playing 6/4 ect. It actually feels really good once you get it.

the only trouble i find is cos its in a weave, no one really notices anyway. but hey, thats a diffrent thread!

T wave

This is a post by tom, all spelling is deleberate
-><- Kallisti


FireSpiritSILVER Member
Classic 90's Fire Dancer... Poi, Staff, Doubles, and Breathing
743 posts
Location: South Lake Tahoe, USA


Posted:
How would you Dance to Music! ubblol You just move to the beats right? Well its about the same thing, you just have chains or a staff in your hands. wink

Its a Dance in the first place, weavesmiley once you find where you are in the Sphere of Fire you then can start dancing. Then Music will come in.

Who Needs Music anyway, Spinn to the beat of your heart! ubbtickled

FIRE IS ALIVE!
IT LIVES AND BREATHS!
IT CONSUMES, AND DISTROYS!
BUT WE CONTROL IT,
AND DANCE WITH FIRE!!


DurbsBRONZE Member
Classically British
5,689 posts
Location: Epsom, Surrey, England


Posted:
Nix? - The ol' "Superimposed Metric Modulation" eh? Always fun when drumming...
5 over 4 (Not as in 5/4) is a bee-atch to drum with, but not tooooooooo bad to spin to.

Not that I actually do any of this when spinning normally - I just like to play with these things every now and then...

FireSpirit - Just what I was thinking. Like I said earlier, does anyone think about how they dance normally? Nope (well, not usually), so Poi-ing shouldn't be any different.

The trouble with dancing without music is that everyone thinks you're mental wink

Burner of Toast
Spinner of poi
Slacker of enormous magnitude


GottaLoveItSponge
883 posts
Location: Stevenage


Posted:
Quote:


The trouble with dancing without music is that everyone thinks you're mental wink



But it's so much fun!!!
Yeah I agree with dance to the rythm of your heart... isn't that were all music came from? 1 beat?

Monkeys monkeys and bananas


joulzenlightened
187 posts
Location: montreal


Posted:
k i didnt read the other posts concerning this subj cus i'm kindof in a hurry but till wanna answer this post cus i feel concerned lol

1: i figured out a long time ago that one cannot plan his moves a head, only plan combo's. all my shiws are impro.

2: the music is a great thing to follow us the croud folows your flow much more and itll force u to quickly change your movements sicne your going at some 130 bpm music

3: it never makes ense until u try it

4: 3 min shows are 2 long cus no matter how many moves u ahve, the croud catches on to what u do ( not a good thing)

5: try to coordinate the beats of your poit to the beats of the music
EDITED_BY: joulz (1075757667)

it must be green



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