Music to ride by

It is raining yet, again, as always, or so it seems these days, here in Houston. Not only is it raining, but each little cell brings with it its’ own thunder and lightning. As a result I am spending more time inside on a stationary bike than I am able to spend out on the road. This is frustrating but not a total loss as I had decided to spend the month focusing on speed intervals, and although not as fun as watching the outside whiz by, I can at least set the tension on the stationary bike at more and more difficult levels, thus hopefully increasing strength and stamina.

Because of the sweat haze factor, I do not wear glasses when I work out. This means that I cannot see anything much beyond eight feet, so watching the Tour on one of the TV screens is out of the question. Being hazy eyed is good for the concentration, but leaves few options for taking my mind off of my breathing and legs during the fast intervals.

My best solution for mind over matter is listening to music on my iPod. Current favorites from the world music roster include the Australian group Outback with their two albums “Dance the Devil Away” and “Baka”, “Nomad” by the group of the same name, “Planet Drum” by Mickey Hart, “Into the Labyrinth” by The Dead Can Dance and “Hybrid Vigor” by Beth Patterson.

Outback’s music is a fusion of dijeridoo, jazz violin, Middle Eastern and African drums, and jazz/folk guitar. The tempos are quick, in the 90 to 120 beats per minute range which works well for me and allows me to keep my cadence up if I can manage to pedal with the beat. Another advantage I have found with almost any piece of dijeridoo music is that it is excellent for establishing fast rhythmic breathing. Each piece is long, in the 4 to 6 minute range which allows enough time to get a good rhythm going and, if you time it properly, can take you right through a 4 to 5 minute interval.

“Nomad” features a fusion of Australian music and Native American sources and has quite a few vocals, mostly chanting and rhythmic counter point. The tempos are a bit slower, but it is possible to double time against the base tempo and still maintain a slower breathing pattern in time with the bass and dijeridoo.

“Planet Drum” will keep you feet dancing on the pedals. The music is all about the drums, from the big earth drum sound of native American cultures to the high stingingly complex rhythms of Middle Eastern drums along with some interesting vocals and counterpoint melodies.

“Into the Labyrinth” and “Dead Can Dance” by the group of the same name are both mixtures of native American and middle eastern styling with hauntingly beautiful vocals and poetic texts . Both are good for cool down or steady moderate riding, although you may find yourself speeding up to some of the quicker pieces.

“Hybrid Vigor” is all vocal, an interesting fusion of Celtic, modern jazz/blues and quirky upbeat Cajun sounds and styles with primarily quick and catchy rhythms for mixed cadence riding, by singer/songwriter Beth Patterson.

Although I don’t ride outside with music because I have to be able to hear the traffic around me, these cds are interesting enough to make me wish I could. In the meantime they have definitely added some life and interest to my enforced inside cadence and speed interval training.