This rant is all about how to go from just being average to being one of those that people look at and go 'wow'. This is targeted to those that already know the basics, those that know what they're doing when they pick up a pair of strings and start spinning. I'm just going to say it now, all of the comments in here will be stated like they are facts, they're not, they're my opinions. I know this, and I now you know, don't argue about it.

There are a lot of people out there in internet land that spin and are average at it. They look up to people that are 'better' and try to find out how they can get to that level. The easiest answer is "Myron (we're going to use him for the sake of this argument anyone could be placed here) knows how to seven beat weave (yet again this is only placed here for the argument, any advance move could be used), so I need to learn that so I can be better at stringing'�� The person then takes the time to learn that move, and finds out that although they can do that move, they're nothing like their idol. They learn more and more moves, and even though they know moves that are very advanced, they still aren't quite at the level as some other people they see with videos out. These people even look at videos from new people that get amazing reviews and get upset because the newbie gets better reviews when all they are doing are basic moves.

For example, this video: http://www.glowsticking.com/forums/Minneap...ideo-t9779.html It's a favorite of mine because the moves that he does aren't that technically difficult. There are a few advanced moves thrown in there, but for the most part they're not too difficult. The thing that makes this movie so memorable in my mind is how the moves are used, how the music interacts with the spinning and how everything fits together. If this video was edited in any other way with any other music it wouldn't work out and have the same feel as it does. Just to prove this point, watch that video, now watch that video on mute while this song is playing in the background http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AX43q809oNE you can try as hard as you want to think otherwise, but the video suddenly losses a certain feel to it. He's doing the same moves, to the same editing with the same lighting, but how he and the music interacts is different and makes the entire video different.

Raves, parties, events or whatever else you attend and spin at there is usually music at. That music effects or at least it should effect how you spin. During the slow parts you spin slower, during the fast parts you should spin faster. You should change with the music. This is the secret to being an above average spinner, you have to spin with the music. If you move with the music, know the music and enjoy the music, instead of simply doing move 1, move 2, move 3, ect. you very quickly become one of the better stringers out there. Instead of simply doing a list of moves, you are dancing, you are performing, and you are hopefully letting a small little bit of you out there for other people to see.

This is partially a rant about stringing in real life and stringing on videos that you put up. Stringing in real life, this is a MUST. To be anything beyond average you MUST work with the music, you MUST make this a dance, and you will very quickly become one of those that people look at and go 'wow'. On the internet it's a question of editing. Choose your music and edit your videos wisely. There is a time and a place for your favorite track and unless it fits with the feel that you want for your new video, don't use it. It might be your favorite track of all time, but you can very quickly mess up good stringing with failed music selection.

In review because I've ran all over the place with this rant:
1) Glowsticking is a dance, treat it as such and move around and interact with the music.
2) Don't just learn a long list of moves, that's boring and the only thing you get at the end is a long list of moves that you can do and no style to go with it.
3) Music is important. A necessity in real life stringing, and a vital part to video releases.

Hopefully this will help out someone out there.
Feel free to comment intellectually.

yes, to it all

I'd add in to also remember to keep everything crisp and clean. Any moves done sloppily are ugly, but advanced moves done sloppily are even worse.

tru that man. to all of it!!!

lol. truth.

good article, definately worth a read.

agreed

ive always viewed glowsticking as a dance. if you're not feeling the music, you're not really glowsticking in my eyes

FACT
I agree with the dance aspect. you cant just pick up and string you have to Feel the music and let it show through your expression.

Pin worthy.

i agree. glowsticking is a dance form.

I totally agree with you, I am going to focus really hard on my next video to dance, move around, go with the music more than doing UBER SWEET MOVES

Yeah I agree. That's all I can say because everyone said what I wanted to say >_<

* Raises Fist *

Brilliant job. I would love to add but I am certain it would just be reinforcing.

i would like to play devil's advocate here.

although i agree that taking music and speed into consideration is usually not a bad thing. i feel that this rant over-simplifies the issue.

i don't think stringing slower during slow parts of the music, and faster during fast parts of the music automatically grants someone style. in fact, i feel that it's cheesy and overused. it doesn't have enough depth.

for example, if you are at a rave and the trance track playing has a loooooooooong build up of 2-3 minutes. are you suggesting that the stringer string slowly for 2-3 minutes? i think that's just silly. and i would definitely get bored watching that quickly. it's too perdictable.


personally, i think getting "above average" and to "stand out" or "developing your style" all needs to come from combo construction. (and if you seen my articles or posts around the forum you probably already know that i am a firm believer in this).

and instead of simply slowing down or speeding up with the music, i think it's smarter to just construct combos that varies its speed to create excitement. for example, instead of having a combo that goes wrap, wrap, wrap, wrap, wrap... try to make one that goes wrap, wrap, wrapwrapwrap, wrrrrrraaaaaaap, wrap, wrap.

so how do you deal with the issue of glowstringing "to the music" at a rave where you don't know what songs will be playing? well, i say just practice to your favorite genre, whether it be house, trance, or drum and bass. because most songs in the same genre plays at just about the same speed anyway.

don't let the music control and dictate what you do. dance WITHIN the music instead.

As stated in the opening a lot of what I said was my personal opinion, but I'm always up for a discussion on the topic.

I agree that the fast with a fast beat slow with the build up does get used quite a bit, but not evenough. For those people that have never considered this point, that's the jumping off point to what we're both aiming for.

I agree that both the music and the moves have to be incorporated together. If it wasn't for both of them working together things don't work out that well. I agree that combos and diversification within combos do good things, but that last little thing that I think many stringers are missing is those diverse combos and those diverse moves, with the interaction with the music. Even if you don't know the song you can still try to dance, you can still try to move, and you can still try to use the music with what you technically know. I'm trying to take those people that already have that technical knowledge, those people that already know what's going on, and getting them to broaden out just a bit and begin to think about the music.

Technical stringing is impressive, I've seen technical stringing that blows my mind, however I'm a bigger supporter of making this a dance, making this a way to express something to the audience.

I agree with how you said it, that you need to dance within the music. That's a good way to put it. You need to keep the dance and you need to keep the music, and they need to work together. That's what I'm trying to show within this rant.

You're not playing devil's advocate, you're working within what I'm already trying to get people to see, you're just taking it to the next step. You're taking the advance stringing and incorporating that within your dance. Where I'm just trying to get people to think about the music and their movements.

i think to make your glowsticking have style, making it your own, and get above average... the key is to move away from performing just moves, which you have mentioned in your original post.

but i don't think going faster or slower with the music helps with this.

if you seen people do this, way more often than not, they are still sticking with the move after move after move.... just changed the speed. and the end result is the same old routine, but even more drawn out... because now they like to weave around faster once, and weave around slower again.

I agree wholeheartedly with you, Adrillf. Another good post about breaking that plateau (IMG:http://www.glowsticking.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/thumbsup.gif)

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Why always wraps, Wes? What about string manipulations? What about color switches? What about tosses? I feel that having this mentality that wrap combos is the only way to progress in glowstringing...is detrimental to the expansion of the art. Now, if that's NOT what you're saying, then you can ignore what I just stated.

But I always get this impression that you're always looking only in one direction. The definition of "expanding glowstringing" or "bringing glowstringing to the next level" means just what it says: expanding and bringing it to the next - however possible - by creating new styles, new concepts, and so forth. If we were so stuck on wrap combos, most of the videos being posted up in the past...3 years...could not exist because they clearly showcase a departure from the "wrap combos are definitely the way to go" mentality.

Moreover, don't you think that glowstringing is about expressing yourself? So, if it feels right to go slow WITH the song, then I will do it. If you don't follow the music while stringing, why are you playing the music at all? That totally defeats Adrillf's point of working with the music and making a dance. This just seems counterintuitive:

I would go slowly for 2-3 minutes, yes. I don't care if you definitely get bored of watching my slow stringing - I string for myself, not to impress others. I don't care if someone finds my stringing predictable. If that's how I express myself, I've fulfilled the purpose of glowsticking, of expressing myself.

I was talking to a person about glowsticking and they put an annalogy that doesn't work perfectly with anything that has been said, and should be taken as a point to ponder along these lines of thinking.

He said that he sees how that each move is almost like a letter or a word, and on it's own it is simply a letter or word, but when used together in the right way is able to create a word, sentnece, thought or something even larger. Each one of us use the same letters and similar words, yet the goal is to get each of us saying different things with those 'words' and 'letters' because if not we're all just saying the same thing.

Now on my note about this idea: how boring is it to have a person write a post that is simple abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz? It's nice to know that they know all of their letters, and it's good to see that, however how much more does it mean when a person is able to form a simple sentence like "Thank you" "I love you" or any other one. They don't use all of the letters, the gramar is simple, yet those simple phrases mean more than abcdefg. . .

Hopefully that sparks some ideas and we can get some more conversation about this topic.

I partially agree with you Adrillf. It will make somebody better but its not going to turn a newb into somebody that is great just because they are going to the music. I think that is only one aspect of it.

Just by looking at your video example. There are so many edits in most videos out there. Even if the person used the same song they wouldnt be "dancing" to the same part of the track.

I agree with a lot that's been said because my reasons for stringing are, perhaps, a little more off the usual beaten path and more along with what's been said here. While many people are drawn in by the beauty of the lights and the impressive technical skill of stringers-- which is undeniably appealing-- I began learning because I wanted to be able to express the music to the fullest. With other genres, I do this by singing, or dancing in other styles, but with EDM I had never felt like I was able to channel the music.

Hence, stringing. I treat it as an extension of the music, though I'm enchanted by it as an art in its own respect as well. But even when I'm struggling to learn something, I have a problem staying still; I tend to move a lot (and occasionally have to force myself to plant my feet and break it down).

Does this movement and feeling of the music suddenly mean I'm a good stringer? Hell, no. I'm all over the place in technical skill and know a grand total of maybe eight or nine moves. I've practiced, what, four times? Someone pointed out something that made me realize I have no concept of being restricted to and by planes because I learn things by viewing them in terms of how music connects to body movement, and how the strings arc through the air as a result. I tangle my strings more than a torn spiderweb.

But I love being able to work with the music, and I don't feel as if it controls and restricts you-- rather, it guides you. Can moves get repetitive? Of course. But if the same 4/4 measure makes me feeling like I want to stick with doing a bunch of weaves and spirals, well, then I will.

Performing is one thing, and I get a joy out of giving joy to viewers; but with dance, so much of it is expression of yourself. It's hardly showing off and always consistently being technically better than others.