The Music Genome Project on Pandora – great Music Resource

As you all know, great music is a very important part of indoor cycling, and it can sometimes be one of the more daunting aspects of teaching, especially to newer instructors. Of course, you will never, ever please everyone with your music, that’s a given. I believe in offering a variety, while still playing music that you like, music that touches your own soul. On the other hand, sometimes it’s beneficial to think outside of your own musical preferences to discover songs that have emotional qualities that help you define your road and empower your students, songs you might have otherwise not payed much attention to. I know many instructors who used to say they only liked mainstream music, but after exploring other empowering genres like world, global and electronic, they learned how powerful they can be, and have expanded their musical preferences in the process.

Many of my students have told me that one of the reasons they prefer my classes is because they know they are not going to hear the same old music they hear on the radio or that all the other instructors play. I also know that I have even taught many of my students to love and appreciate the kind of music I play.

At ICI, we want to provide you with music resources so you can expand your musical library, and in the process, your musical mind. Read more…

What’s your favorite ANGRY song?

Not ANGRY like; “I want to punch your lights out!” More like; “there comes a time where you want to turn the pedals with anger.” I like to use songs that communicate this type of intensity in my class when I’m looking for a very focused, very determined effort.

Here is a good example of what I mean:

Do you have other suggestions? Leave them as a comment so we can build a list for others to use.

What’s in your iPod? Cool-down songs

While driving around on my vacation in New Zealand last week I plugged in my Monster cable into the car and listened to my iPod through the radio (that cable is the BEST invention ever). One of the playlists I listened to is my “cool-downs” playlist, which has over 250 songs (and growing all the time). When I’m making a playlist for a profile, I’ll usually draw from this for my final song or two.

I’ve noticed this group of songs makes for some fantastic listening music while driving (or while cooking, hanging out, at a dinner party, etc). I put it on at the beach house we shared with my family and their friends our first few days in New Zealand, and it was a big hit with everyone. Listening to it in its entirety (we drove a LOT) also made me realize what a great collection I’ve gathered over the years! I’m grateful for all my friends and Spinning contacts who have shared their music with me, especially the music from other countries.

In an indoor cycling class, I believe the cool-down song is every bit as important as the rest of the music you select for your profile. Read more…

Free Music!

I was first introduced to Norwegian Recycling a few years ago when someone gave me a song from this “group”. It’s not really a group, it’s one guy, Peter Bull, a young engineer in Norway who is a genius at mashups. Google “mashups” and you’ll find his name all over the internet.

I used them primarily for cool-downs – they are wonderful creative mixes, especially How Six Songs Collide, Just Like a Ghost and Sorry For I Mashed You. I also like Enough To Fly With You for a seated flat, warm-up or recovery interval.

I recently found out about his website where you can download 48 songs for free. I just downloaded them all, and discovered many of the others are a bit too hip-hoppy for me (especially from the Donkey Business compilation), however you and your students might enjoy them.

You might also find some mashups and DJ mixes from Simon Iddol that you like. At the very least, you’ll have music that no one else on your block has! (Warning, some have very explicit lyrics)

Are mashups legal? From what I’ve read, it’s a very confusing topic, and the remix culture is quickly gaining steam and acceptance. Many artists actually like the remixes of their songs and don’t have a problem with them, it’s the producers who raise the stink. According to this website, mashup artists use a legal loophole to create their art, and don’t charge for the songs (although they’ll take “donations”). It appears to be what Norwegian Recycling is doing.

One  analogy I heard is that a mashup is like cutting out pictures of art and creating a collage, kind of like découpage. I for one, have bought a song or two as a result of hearing it on a mashup, so in many ways I can see how it benefits the artist. There are others far more versed in the legality of music than me – I just try to buy songs legally whenever I can.

Free downloads from Masterbeat

Click here to get ten free downloads from Masterbeat, a legal downloading site that has a lot of recent releases and remixes. (Thanks Krista from Pedal-On for posting this link).

EDIT: just found out there are 10 other free songs you can d/l on Masterbeat: https://www.masterbeat.com/#release/pulsefree

All instructors are eager for good free music – so if you know of a legal source, let us know. They are out there, especially indie groups or collectives that are trying to get exposure. If you hear of one, we want to know too!

Introducing MixMeister Express 7

MixMeister Express 7 is now for both PC and Mac – but you still can’t use AAC Audio files of any type. Students of the MixMeister Express Academy learn how to convert their files from AAC to MP3 in lesson #1

Yep, it’s $70.00 but that’s better than the $200 Mac users needed to spend for MixMeister Studio. Existing users can upgrade for $19.99.

It’s a whole new install so you can keep MixMeister 6 installed and start over with version 7.

I have been playing with for a few minutes and the first cool new thing is it will import a playlist from iTunes. I have always preferred to build my playlists in iTunes instead of MixMeister so I see this is a big improvement.

I will have my full review soon and I will be making changes to the MixMeister Express Academy to reflect the new features.

Your iMix has been submitted to the iTunes Store

Dear John, Congratulations, your iMix “ICI/PRO Sport iMIX Electronic” has been published in the iTunes Store at:
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewIMix?id=355752720

ICI/PRO Sport iMIX Electronic Playlist Notes: I thought all of us from www.indoorcycleinstructor.com should be posting Sport iMixes of our favorite Indoor Cycling Class music playlists. 8:46 warmup > Pushing West is a great climb to get aerobic and ready for the rest of the class. If you buy your music from iTunes try creating your own Sport iMix. The Sport iMixes are for fitness related activities. If you use ICI/PRO in the title others will be able to find them. Does this help?

Cupid is Stupid Valentines Profile

As you can probably tell, I really like the profile concept of dueling intervals, where each hard effort alternates between a flat road higher cadence and a climb with slower cadence higher resistance. It has become a staple, especially when putting together theme rides!

Last year I posted a Valentines Dueling Interval profile on my Funhogspins blog. This year I am going to do something similar for my Friday and Saturday classes, but with a little more of an “anti-Valentine’s” theme. Just for fun, my ride is called Cupid is Stupid.

Some of the recovery songs in between the efforts are the same as last year’s ride (I have limited good short love songs in my library)!

I am still in base building with my members so I won’t be pushing them too hard – but we’ll probably get up to threshold on some of the work segments. You can certainly raise the intensity above threshold during the work efforts if you wanted to. Enjoy the profile! Read more…

Did you back up your iTunes Music files last night?

I did…. Well OK I didn’t, but Carbonite did for me. Like it does every night

Good morning John. Every thing is backed up and secure

Could this happen to you? Video after the jump.

Read more…

With new single You’re Not Alone, he hopes to motivate people to make things happen in their lives.

Don’t ask why, but I was over at the Life Time Fitness Triathlon Site this morning. Thankfully you can’t sign up yet they have this great song available as a free download.

Minneapolis music icon Tim Mahoney completed his first Triathlon – the Life Time Fitness Triathlon – in 2008. With his new single You’re Not Alone, he hopes to motivate people to make things happen in their lives.

“It’s about trying to get deep inside yourself to find that inner strength that we all have but sometimes can’t find,” says Mahoney about his latest single. “I’m just a regular voice out there that says if you stick to it, you can accomplish your goals. When the chips are down, there is reason to believe.”

I though this tied in well with Jennifer’s earlier post about legal free music sites.

Here they come, here they come

“Here they come, here they come, Here they come and they might as well…” Begins Gramarye – by Remy Zero. If you enjoy tracks with a lot of changes of intensity (you can hear the surges and big sprint finish) this may be a song you and your class would like. You can sample the whole song at Lala.

Don’t know Lala? I just found it. Lala is a music service where you can listen to the whole song, not just 30 seconds.

7 Day Free Trial

So you are ready, with the perfect class, when they do get there…

Carbonite Saved My iTunes Indoor Cycling Class Music

Watch as I recover my iTunes music and other data. Then cross one item off your 2010 resolutions list by signing up for a free trial of Carbonite here.

How do you bring music to your class?

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How to introduce longer periods of silence

I’ve been reflecting a little more on the silence issue since it came up in the teleconference on Sunday. Some instructors are still having difficulty feeling comfortable not saying something for much longer than 30-60 seconds.

If your students are so used to non-stop talking, it might take a little while for them to realize the benefits of riding “alone”, but I believe that sooner or later, everyone will begin to enjoy it.

On the call I also suggested that perhaps some instructors have the perception that their students want or need a verbal command, simply because they are staring up at them. But in actuality, they might not be thinking that at all – how many times do we assume that someone is thinking one thing when we find out later that we are entirely wrong? If they are starting up at you, looking like they are waiting for a command, I think it’s because they are just conditioned from all the instructors demanding their attention by talking too much. They are like Pavlov’s dog. It’s up to you to condition them otherwise, and it’s not as hard as you think.

This morning in a Strength class I finished with an 8-minute climb. It was what I refer to as an introspective song¹, a great opportunity to quiet the mind and simply focus on the rhythm of the music and their movement as they pedal, as well as on their breathing and their pedal stroke. My students are very used to riding “alone” for 5-8 minutes at a time so I didn’t have to convince them – they already LOVE doing it! Below is what I said prior to the 8-minute climb (although I didn’t say all of this – I embellished this to assist those of you who are struggling with how to introduce longer periods of silence). Read more…

Energia Magica, upcoming audio PROfile

I just posted this in the comments section of the “Top 100 Songs” post because I have two awesome songs I wanted to add to that list. I used them this morning and they really exemplified the theme of my ride. I decided to repost my comment here so no one misses it. I did this particular profile for the first time this morning and I am very excited about, I’ve decided to make it my next Audio PROfile (for ICI members) so I can share with you some inspirational and emotional climbing coaching techniques. The music choice in the profile should inspire you to use  your music selection, just like a soundtrack in a movie, to reflect your objective by using the feeling, emotion and power in a song.

I’ve been planning to do a “long grind” for awhile, a term for one long hill that has few if any breaks. I do this about once every 4-6 weeks. This particular ride has been incubating in my mind for a few weeks, the music I was going to use, the coaching,the visuals, the words I would use to inspire my students through the tough parts. And it has a lot of tough parts, as you can see by the profile below.

I call the ride “Energia Magica”. It is one long climb up the Col de la Forclaz in France, a “category 1″ climb in the Tour de France, with 10-15% grade segments – represented by the red sections in the profile. Yellow is the next hardest, so you can see that the middle is the toughest part, with a challenging finale as well. Ouch. A cyclist would look at the profile and grimace, recognizing the sufferfest that lies ahead, while also relishing the thought of the physical, emotional, and mental benefits that one gains from accomplishing an ascent such as this. This is one of those climbs that becomes a rite of passage for cyclists. There’s no reason why it can’t also be so in your indoor cycling classroom.

In the ride I talk about tapping into the energy from your surroundings and environment, such as the trees and the rocks and the road on a long climb, to help you get to the top. This is what I call the “magical energy”.  Read More… Read more…

ICI/PRO’s Top 100 Indoor Cycling Songs

ICI/PRO’s Top 100 Songs

Want to punch up your playlist with some of the best music on the planet AND get the inside scoop on how to teach each empowering song? Thanks to a suggestion from ICI/PRO member Charles Farrow of Montgomery, Alabama, we’re going to collect 100 of the BEST songs ever recorded along with coaching tips from YOU – the most passionate instructors in the world!

Think for a moment…what is your favorite song – that little gem that creates explosive energy and reaffirms your commitment to indoor cycling? Now, here comes the good stuff….how do you TEACH that magical song to encourage your students and help them squeeze out every last drop of effort?

We need your help to create this golden list of inspiration. I’ll kick it off with my top five songs and the rest is up to you! Simply reply to this post – ONE SONG per COMMENT. C’mon, send us your best! (Duplicate songs are welcome as long as the teaching method is different.)

Update: Comments are closed on this post and Barbara has compiled the list for you. We ended up with 161 and they are available free to subscribers of our email newsletter.

Jumping songs with a strong rhythm

During last week’s teleconference, we were discussing music for jumps and I agreed to post my favorite jump songs. After the Can Fit Pro conference in Toronto in August, I posted my playlist for my session on jumps. Click here if you haven’t had a chance to download that playlist (the link is at the end of the post). Otherwise, click here to download a list of beat-oriented jumping songs directly from my iTunes folder “jumps”.

I decided to create a jump folder simply to categorize strong-rhythm songs, even though, as I mentioned, I really don’t jump a whole lot. I’ll go to this folder when I am looking for a strong beat for a concerted climb or an interval that really needs to inspire the legs to move. Most are electronic or dance, and many are tribal because of the inherent beat in the tribal genre. But every one of these songs has a rhythm, some slower, some faster, that will pull you out of the saddle!

If you don’t like electronic music, you may not care for many of these – but I challenge you to open your mind. Because of the rhythm, you may find yourself jumping! (And there’s a Madonna or two in this list…)

Enjoy!

It takes great music to be an ICI/PRO

Now ICI/PRO Members receive free tuition to the MixMeister Express Academy!

Save $19.97 while you quickly and easily learn the skills and gain the confidence you need to bring a professional sound to your next Indoor Cycling / Spinning Class.

Claim your spot in the MixMeister Express Academy as part of your ICI/PRO Membership.

MixMeister Express Academy – Now Open To New Students

When I got frustrated using MixMeister® Express I asked Keith Burnage, the creator of Cadence Revolution, for help. Keith is an expert in building seamless playlists for both his Spinning classes as well as his weekly music Podcast.  As he walked me through the parts I wasn’t understanding I thought, “I bet there are lots of Instructors who could use some help with MixMeister Express.”

The more we talked the more we got excited about what we are calling the MixMeister Express Academy.

Keith has created a series of 8 Step by Step Video Tutorials (+ a few I added) designed to eliminate frustration and have you quickly up to speed building your own seamless class playlists in about an hour.

• Video #1 Setting up iTunes and converting music to the proper format for use in MixMeister
  
• Video #2 Introduction to MixMeister Express and importing your music library
• Video #3 Building your first seamless playlist
  
• Video #4 Learning cross-fading techniques for smooth transitions
  
• Video #5 Using beat-matching for a professional sound
  
• Video #6 Exporting your seamless playlist to CD or iPod
• Video #7 Advanced music mixing techniques
• Video #8 Lengthen and shorten songs
• Additional Tips and Tricks + Student requested Videos
  
• These Videos are for Windows XP and Vista users only
  

Includes Email support for MixMeister Academy Students!

The MixMeister Express Academy – Fall Semester IS OPEN NOW- Registration is here.

Free Music + help support IndoorCycleInstructor.com

I had an email from a listener asking how I can afford to do all the work necessary to bring you the Indoor Cycle Instructor Podcast (almost) weekly.

I get some help from advertisers. It’s not much, but every little bit helps.

Companies like emusic will pay a small referral fee to sites like this one. It’s not much but with over two thousand listeners each week and over 4,000 visitors a month it could add up….. except the referral fee is dependent on people actually trying their service.

Are you willing to give their free trial a try?

It’s really a Win -Win for everyone! You get 25 free songs, emusic gets the chance to show you their digital music service and you are helping support this site and Podcast.

ICI Podcast #26 – Indoor Cycling Class Music Playlists with Cadence Revolution

Interview with Keith Burnage, AKA Keifer as he is known on the Indoor Cycling Forums. Keith is as close to an expert with Mix Meister music software as I have been able to find. Cadence Revolution is a weekly Music Podcast that Keith discribes as: