How to desing a freestyle Routine?
 

Hello Don!!!

My name's Juan, I'm 16, I'm from Spain. I'm flying a CAmodel Widebody 60 with an OS 91 FX (which can do good pattern and 3D maneuvers, but not a 3D monster) I would like to start to compete in Artistic Aerobatics.

How do you design a freestyle program? Do you pick the music first . . . . and how do you choreograph the whole thing?


Any advices? Music? I can fly very low knife edge passes, harriers, TR, blenders, flat spins, roll circles/loops...

and What program do you use to mix the songs?


Thank you very much

and good flights!!!



Juan Sánchez

www.acro3d.com

RE: How to desing a freestyle Routine?
 

Juan,

Thank you, and thank you for the questions.

I suggest you first order Propwash Video- their Ballet of the Sky series is particularly helpful in that it provides focus specifically on freestyle flying. This is large aircraft (3 meter- TOC size) but the elements are the same. Study this and you will understand how each pilot utilizes the music to best show their flying style and maneuves they want to highlight.

The music has to suit your flying style. Like you, I am good at 3D inverted harriers. I chose Bolero as a music theme for that segment of the 4 minute freestyle.

I used a demo version of COOL EDIT but understand its now part of Adobe. I just bought a program called Cakewalk Pyro 2004, but have not utilized it yet. The edit music not only allows you to combine music segments, but also add promts, and drum beats for dramatic effects. For the Masters, I scored 8th place and had a lot of complements, there was excellent competition (Quique, Christophe, Sebastiano, Jason (both of them), Mark Leseberg, Chip Hyde, Andrew... the list goes on).

I used 5 segments, (between 30 seconds and 1 minute each segment). The first one is very emotional, the second one is dramatic, the third is slow and the fourth/fifth are very energetic.

RE: How to desing a freestyle Routine?
 

If you have a Mac, use Apple's Garage Band. It can mix songs, but it also has some great audio loops that will allow you to make your own music. You can even plug a guitar or keyboard in, if you are especially musical.

Finally, it is cheap. $50, and it comes with iPhoto, iMovie, iTunes, and iDVD. It's even free with every new Mac.

RE: How to desing a freestyle Routine?
 

One other interesting item of note- some of the highest placing freestyle combined excellent flying routines, but also had strong music selection that had a degree of emotional connection. As one judge said "brings tears to the eyes"; it moves you. The classic textbook example of this technique is Christophe's freestyle routine. Well, that's a lot to consider for now.


Don

RE: How to desing a freestyle Routine?
 

Thank you very much for your answers!

I've seen all TOC 02, Don Lowe Masters, TAS 2003, Nationals, and some others videos.
The more problem I have is that I can't imagine a good freestyle routine lisening to music.


Thanks

Juan Sánchez - Acro3D Team

www.acro3d.com

RE: How to desing a freestyle Routine?
 

Here is my technique. Look for songs that have few words, mostly symphony. Start with a slow song. Use the music software to add in some cues like an explosion, or a horn blow, or a car tire screeching. Just practice the first 30 seconds. Start with rolling circle or a rolling loop, or takeoff into knife edge and do a knife edge circle. Or add a dramatic start like within the first 5 seconds so when you take off you do a snap roll to it. Practice just this first segment. Its easier to break it into segments. Once you learn what you put together in the first segment, get a couple of people to watch it and get their feedback. Remember wind has an impact on the timing. A portable boom-box with CD is the best setup. An assistant can stop and rewind it after 5, 10, 15, seconds so you can repeat the first segment until you learn what you can do that goes with the music. I found that after flying it about 10 to 12 times, I re-did the first segment to add in 2 seconds, then stretched out the Da, Da, Da Da.... Da at the end of the first segment. I kidded around with one of the guys saying, "ok, make a horn sound from low pitch to high pitch for five seconds... now!" Well, he did not really take me up on that one, but I took the music software and found a sound that worked, then put it in there an voila, it worked.

Once you get the first 30 seconds, add another 30 seconds worth of the freestyle. Then go back and do the first minute over and over again.. Build on this til you have 4 minutes.

Don't fret! The first couple of times I attempted to go through my sequence (and It was very similar to last year's freestyle) I kept saying out loud... Don't Crash,,,, Don't crash... Come on Don, Don't crash.... If you watch my freestyle from this year, I could not get the skill to do a unique spin.... So all I did was a simple upright flat spin for 10 seconds. It was simple but it worked and went with the music. After 20 or 30 times through the 4 minute sequence, everything became like second hand. Even the complicated low level snaps were almost as easy as doing them with my eyes closed. Not a really complicated sequence overall but the judges liked it enough to score it 8th.

Best of luck with yours!

RE: How to desing a freestyle Routine?
 

Hey Don!

Thank you very much!!!

This morning I will start to practice my freestyle, and I'll follow your advices.

Thanks and Good luck!!


Juan Sánchez

www.acro3d.com

RE: How to desing a freestyle Routine?
 

You're very welcome and best of luck.

Don