FreeStyle canoeing and music

Paddling along with some slow-ish to moderate tempo music can be a useful exercise to help slow down your ‘running’ cadence and contribute to developing a relaxed pattern of rhythmic paddling that can be maintained for an extended period. When paddling to a piece of favourite music, you tend to become immersed in it, and VOILA! One tends to fall naturally into its rhythms, and strokes begin to follow the music's tempo. They become smooth, easy, unhurried, with consistent power and recovery, and you find your boat gliding almost effortlessly. When my wife Anita and I first started FreeStyle lessons, beginning in solo canoes and then a little later in tandem, there were times when our Instructors would take some class time to have the students do ‘linkages’ – that is, combine two or three FreeStyle manoeuvres into one paddling sequence. Paddle out and do an axle, say, then come back and do a post. And then, well you choose what move you will do as a third element of the sequence. This exercise helped us to become more aware of the ‘aftermath’, as you might say, of each manoeuvre.

At its conclusion, where is your paddle? Where is the canoe pointing? In what direction is the canoe’s momentum tending? And given all that, what might be a logical and efficient choice for another move, either forward or reverse?

Paddling along with music can help a lot to spark your awareness of every manoeuvre you do, where it will go, where it will end up, and when it’ll get there. If you know the song well enough, you can anticipate what you know is coming up next and choose what might be a good move to execute during that high note the singer will hold for a measure or two or that instrumental bridge. A sort of ‘let’s try this and see how it fits’ approach. Informal practice and experimentation with a musical background can go a long way towards helping you put together smoother linkages and opening your imagination to possibilities, alternate selections of what you might do next. What you might like to do, or what you might need to do out on a river somewhere. All the while keeping in mind the canoe’s movement and momentum and how you might make some use of that and work with it right here and right now. All of this goes double, if you forgive that choice of phrase, for tandem paddlers. Much of tandem paddling depends on the teamwork between the bow paddler and the stern paddler; the two realize that they are indeed a team and should paddle like one. The bow paddler handled the bow, the stern paddler following the bow, and handled the boat. That teamwork, that concept, is fundamental. And for tandem paddlers, paddling to music helps a lot with developing that whole teamwork thing. It fosters the smooth and rhythmic cadence mentioned earlier and nurtures the concept of paddling in sync with each other, which contributes so much to efficient and effective tandem paddling. For the stern paddler, in particular, it helps develop a sensitivity to the bow paddler’s actions. Not just with syncing, but also in learning to recognize subtle cues as to what the bow paddler is about to do, an anticipation of what s/he is likely to do in a given situation, and then being ready to respond with the stern in whatever way will be appropriate to enhance/facilitate the successful execution of the manoeuvre. When that happens right, it’s a joy.

PADDLING TO MUSIC HAS A GOAL:

l To foster a relaxed and undisturbed session with just you and the canoe (or two of you and the canoe, if that applies), a chance to get into the zone and shut the rest out. l To improve your overall familiarity with the tools and techniques of FreeStyle. l To practice, as you might say, the language of paddling. The vocabulary, the syntax, the grammar and idioms of that conversation between you and the boat. l To begin to be more ‘fluent’ in that language, more intuitive with your paddling. l To move more towards it’s all just being natural. If you’d like to give this a try, then you’ll need to get together a playlist of songs you like – any kind, any length, any genre – just stuff you like. Please put it on your phone or an mp3 player (and yes, there are small drybag-like pouches commonly available made specifically to protect such devices while you’re on the water, but I bet you knew that already). Collect maybe 45 minutes’ worth or so of slow to moderate tempo stuff (waltz time songs are a good choice too – ‘Foggy Mountain Breakdown’ perhaps not so much). Turn on, plug in, and paddle out. And if you’ve stuck with me this far, and after a few practice sessions with music on your own, I have one final suggestion for your consideration. Try putting a routine together. Not with the idea that you will ever perform it in front of an audience of even just one. Ever! Do it just for yourself. Pick out an ‘appropriate’ piece of music (however you may define that) three or four minutes long, and take it out on the water and try paddling some manoeuvres along with it. Explore some possible linkages, in time with the music’s beat, and keeping in mind the songs’ natural divisions and dynamics. You may just find, as we did, that Interpretive FreeStyle is both rewarding and a whole lot of fun. I mentioned at the start that some folks refer to Interpretive FreeStyle as ‘canoe dancing’. You will have seen the bumper sticker that says, “You can dance with the river, but you have to know the steps.” Practice with music can help you learn those steps so that you and your canoe will be better partners when you next dance with the river.

MUSIC AND PADDLING

GO HAND-IN-HAND!

Interview by Zack Teperman Breakout music star Joylissa is known for her hit songs - such as her latest single entitled HOME – but beyond the music, she is all about exploring the planet and paddling.

Since she was young her parents would take her out camping, canoeing, kayaking and more, which blossomed into a love of adventure and the water.

We had an exclusive one-on-one chat with the rising music star and how music and paddling go hand-in-hand for her!

Why is paddling and being out on the water/outdoors so important to you and your mindset as a person and musician?

Growing up my parents often took us camping, canoeing, kayaking, hiking. I learned to appreciate the peace that comes from being out on the water in nature at a young age. The world can shout at you from all directions but when you’re in nature, the shouting stops and you can finally hear what your soul needs. I need that peace as an artist to get past the layer of the superficial and get to the core.

When was the first time you paddled out on the water?

Some of my earliest memories are of my dad tying our seventeen foot red canoe to the top of our minivan and heading out to the lake for the weekend. We would head up there 2-5 times a summer to fish and explore the lake!