I've taught Indoor Cycling classes for about 15 years and thought I understood all of the Do's and Don'ts of delivering music to my classes. Based on the technique offered in this podcast, I'm realizing I still have a lot to learn...
Dennis Mellon is one of those Instructors who really gets music. His understanding of creating great playlist is probably one reason he was voted the top Instructor where he lives in Colorado. In a past interview Dennis introduced us to the concept of Harmonic Mixing - paying attention to the musical key of each track and combining only those tracks that are in complimentary keys.
My initial interest was learning; when does Dennis creates his class playlist? Is it after he's decided on the specific profile? Or does he build his profile around his playlist? Listen below to learn his method - he actually does it both ways.
Then, during our conversation, Dennis casually explains how his simple technique for transitioning between short intervals. "I just hit next." I've always believed that forcing a change, before a song has finished, was too disruptive. Dennis's view is that the disruption is exactly what he's looking for 🙂
The 8:50 Blue Man Group song (with the silence in the middle) that I refer to is Exhibit 13 - except it isn't available in Spotify 🙁 You can find it in the iTunes music store and it's in Deezer.
Here's the playlist I built to go with the new Epic Planet RAAM video. I started out looking for a 13 minute song to match the long climb that finishes this video. At 13:47, Peter Frampton — Do You Feel Like We Do - Live is a perfect choice. Past experience has shown me that you can go crazy trying to compile a playlist that matches a structured video exactly - better/easier to match up a few of the important sections in the ride.
Use Related Artists to complete your playlist
Working off Peter Frampton's — Do You Feel Like We Do - Live, I then used the Related Artists suggestions to build the rest of my 60 minute class. For the earlier climb in the profile I used Layla - here's the complete playlist in Spotify March 27 Cycle.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
John is a member on the AFS (Association of Fitness Studios) Advisory Council.
Holding certifications from; Schwinn, Heart Zones, Team ICG and Life Time Fitness, John's held regularly scheduled cycling classes between 1998 and 2015 when he moved to Florida.
When the weather permits, you'll find him riding and leading outdoor groups by himself or with his Tandem partner (wife) Amy.
- Happy 75th Birthday Ed Hayes! - April 24, 2024
- Eagles pedaling through the air metaphor - April 21, 2024
- ICI Podcast 238 Meet Nerd Fitness Creator Steve Kamb - April 6, 2024