Everything you need to know about picking your floor music and where to look.
By Chloe Byrne – gymnastics coach, judge, and choreographer
Congratulations! If you’re looking up how to choose your floor music, that means you’re getting a new routine and that is so exciting! You’ll perform to your best abilities if you’re excited about your routine and if you really enjoy performing it. It’s important to get the music right as you will be listening to it many times and your choreography will be based around the style/ theme of the music. Before you go on the hunt for music, check with your coach in case they already have a piece of music picked out for you or you may be learning a routine that’s handed down from another gymnast.
You should really love your music and feel excited when you hear it. In my opinion, it’s best that the gymnast picks their own music with guidance from their coach/ choreographer or that the coach sends a selection to the gymnast to choose from. This way it’s a personal choice by the gymnast and they’ll feel more connected to it than a piece of music they’re handed without any say in the choice. I usually ask a gymnast to pick their favourite 3-5 pieces of music and send them on to me for review.
I’ve created a check list that you can go through when choosing your music as well as a few tips on how to choose your floor music and where to find floor music.
Check List
We’ll start with the pre-requisites for floor music in general and then move into style, etc.
1. Is the music the correct length?
Your floor music should not exceed 1 minute 30 seconds for F.I.G. routines and for most levels. For lower levels there can sometimes be a lower time limit such as 1 minute, depending on the levels requirements by your gymnastics governing body.
When choosing your floor music, it’s important to keep this time limit in mind, however, you can always choose a longer piece of music that could be cut and edited to create a piece of floor music the correct length. Don’t worry if there isn’t a warning ‘beep’ included as this can be added to your music.
It’s important to note that the time limit is a maximum length but that doesn’t mean you’ve to reach it as a minimum. If you aren’t a strong dancer and you don’t have a long list of requirements, it might be a good idea to do a slightly shorter routine so you’re not losing marks on your execution. If your limit is 1min 30 sec, I’d recommend reaching at least 1 minute 5 seconds, so it doesn’t feel too short, and you’ve done enough dance. If your limit is 1 minute, I’d recommend not doing any less than 45 seconds.
If you move up a level next year with more requirements though, your routine might be too short to fit them all in without feeling rushed so keep that in mind. Sometimes you may find music that can be cut perfectly at 1min 15 sec in and then you’ve a 1min 30 sec version for next year.
2. Is the music free from words?
The music should not have any words in it. The human voice may be used as a musical instrument without words. Examples of the ‘ human voice’ as an acceptable instrument are: humming, vocalizing without words, whistling, chanting.
3. Is the music good quality and edited flawlessly?
There shouldn’t be any abrupt cuts in the music. It should have a clear start and end. The sound should be high quality. If you think you’ve chosen your floor music, try playing it in the gym on a big speaker to hear what it sounds like in a big space to double check the quality is high enough.
4. Is the music age and level appropriate?
Does the music suit your age? The bigger, more dramatic, and powerful pieces of music are usually more suited to older gymnasts as they have the experience, big tumbling passes, and presence to pull them off. However, you can get a dramatic 9-year-old in a high level who could pull it off too, so it really comes down to the personality, style and performance skills of the gymnast. Most gymnasts have their floor routine for an average of two years so keep this in mind when you’re picking your music as you might pick something that’s cute now as an 8-year-old but in two years’ time, it might be a bit too cutesy for you.
5. First impressions – do you feel connected to the music and excited that you think you’ve found “then one”?
Does the music stir up emotions in you such as excitement, happiness, sadness – does it give you goosebumps? When you hear the right floor music for you, it’ll usually click – you’ll feel connected to it and excited by it. You can’t wait to get going on your choreography and for the next competition to perform it. If it’s the right one for you, you’ll probably feel it.
6. Does the music suit your style, your personality, and play to your strengths?
When your music fits your personality, you can really show it off. It you’re a really confident gymnast with lots of fierce attitude then a powerful, dramatic piece or a hip-hop number could suit you well. If you’re great at acting and playing a role, maybe a jazz number with lots of facial expression. If you’re a bit quieter and graceful, then a piano piece with lyrical dance choreography could be beautiful on you. Having said that, people can be great at playing a role, so a gymnast who is quiet sometimes may also be capable of getting on the floor with a big presence and rock the stadium. Go with what you think you’d be good at.
You want to play up your strengths. If you’ve done some styles of dance before (e.g. hip-hop, lyrical, jazz) and you know you’ll be good at them, you can pick music to suit what you’ll perform well. Gymnasts who’ve previously done some ballet can look beautiful doing a lyrical piece. If you’re worried, you’re not the best dancer, a high energy, fast moving piece, hitting some sharp positions with a few tricks included can work well. The energy can make up for the dance technique.
7. Can you visualise your skills while you listen to the music and are they nicely spaced out with recovery time?
If the music is suitable to your level, you’ll be able to visualise your skills while you listen to the music. For example, you can hear the change of tempo or intensity where your tumbles would kick in. You can hear a great part where you could put your leap series, a nice twinkly part where your spin could go and maybe a big beat for a big jump. If you can nearly plan out where to stick your skills within the music, it will be a good choice.
Make sure the intro isn’t too long, especially if you’re competing at a high level and need room for 3 or 4 tumble runs. If you’re dancing for 30 seconds at the start before the music kicks in for a tumble, you only have 60 seconds left to fit your 3-4 tumbles in, decreasing your recovery time between tumbles.
8. Does the music have variety and contrast to keep it interesting for the judges and audience?
We’ve all heard those routines where the music mostly stays the same throughout. Not only is this boring, but it can also be hard for the gymnast to know their place in the music as it mostly all sounds the same, especially for a young inexperienced gymnast who can just get lost in the music. Like my point above about visualising your skills in music, it is important that there are changes of pace and tempo – diversity to support tumble runs, leaps, etc. It’s good to have a build-up of the music for tumble runs and a contrast of some soft, calm bits and some intense, explosive parts.
9. Does it have a strong finish?
Listen to the music from beginning to end to ensure the quality is good, the editing is perfect and to ensure it has a strong finish. You can lose marks if you don’t finish with the beat at the end of the music so it’s important that the music gives you the opportunity for a powerful ending that will leave a lasting impression. It’s the last thing the judges see and hear before they calculate your artistry deductions so aim for a big finish to reinforce the fast that you were fabulous! Ensure that the music has a natural ending as opposed to an abrupt cut, resulting from poor editing. It’s okay for the music to end abruptly if it sounds natural as part of the final beat. If you’re unsure if it sounds right, ask a friend or the coach for their opinion. If you really love the music, there might be a way to fix it and smoothen out the editing.
10. Can you count your music?
It’s a big plus if you can count your music. This really helps for when your coach or choreographer is making up your routine and for when you’re learning it. If the counts are very irregular and it’s hard to identify the beat, it can be hard for you to learn the routine and hit the beats. When I talk about counting, I’m referring to counting the beats. This is usually in counts of 8 or 3 for a waltz. If you find it hard to count your music and you’re getting lost in it, you’ll likely find it hard to dance to it in the correct timing.
11. Is the music original?
Have you heard this music before? Perhaps too often? Is the piece of music overused? Maybe you recognise it from hearing it at competitions? Perhaps it’s a well-known TikTok or Disney song or it’s the theme tune to a show everyone is watching at the moment? Sometimes, people will choose music that’s popular but by the time the competition comes around, people are sick of hearing it. Remember, you’ll have this routine for about two years. Will you still love it then? Also, as a side note – just because you love a song from one of your favourite singers, doesn’t mean it’s going to translate well to floor music. Remember to visualise your routine to it and ensure it has diversity.
You don’t lose any marks for having the same music as someone else. However, if too many people have the same floor music, not only will the audience and judges get tired of hearing it, they’ll also compare you to the best performance using that music that they’ve seen. If you’re not dancing as well as a gymnast they saw performing to this music earlier, they’ll take higher artistry deductions. They’ll also be subconsciously biased as they feel they’re going to be bored right from the first beat of the song when they have that “this again?” thought.
I’d recommend staying clear of floor music that famous gymnasts have used, as it’s likely that many other gymnasts have chosen this music too, inspired by their idol. As well as the judges automatically comparing you to the famous gymnast who used this music, they’ll be bored of hearing it.
Most people are drawn to music that they recognise, so it’s not a bad thing if you’re familiar with it and you know you’ve heard it before. Just make sure other people haven’t heard it too many times.
12. Is the music legal?
It’s always recommended to use royalty-free music or else to buy the music from the original source to avoid any copyright issues, especially if you’re competing internationally and representing your country. You can Google “royalty free music”. YouTube, for example, has something called “Audio Library” for content creators to find music to add to their videos. Sometimes, however, the music can be lacking in variety and change of pace so ensure the music ticks all the items above on the checklist.
You can buy floor music from floor music creators. I’ve listed some below.
You don’t, however, have to go down the royalty-free or paid-for route. The judges won’t know the source of your music and you won’t lose any marks for copyright issues that no one even knows exist, so you can still comb through YouTube videos to find one. Just remember that a lot of other gymnasts will be doing the same thing so this could lead to overlap at competitions. If you want truly original music, you should look into buying it.
Extra Tips
In addition to all my tips above within the check list, here’s a couple of extra tips.
- Listen to floor music on your own so you’re not swayed by the opinion of anyone else.
- If you worry about your stamina and getting out of breath, listen to see if the music allows you some recovery time after tumbles (i.e. does the music get a bit slower in parts to allow for some slower dance to catch your breath).
- If you tend to be very nervous at the start of your routine, ensure the intro is long enough to help you cut some nerves before your first tumble (but not too long – as mentioned previously – so that your tumbles all end up too close together with a lack of recovery time).
Where to find floor music
Professional floor music creators
There’s companies that produce and sell floor music. You can browse through the various genres to see if you like anything. Prices can vary but usually in and around $40-$70. Sometimes they can sound a bit generic or outdated. Try some samples and see if you feel connected to any of them. Some of these even do customised music. You choose energy levels, genre, etc., and they create music just for you.
Some well-known floor music websites:
https://floorexpressmusic.com/
YouTube
There’s loads of floor music on YouTube. You can also look through floor routines and if you find music you like, find out what it is and get a high-quality version of it. Don’t forget about YouTube Audio Library but you’ll need an account. Sign-in to YouTube Studio. From the left menu, select Audio Library. You can also access the Audio Library directly at www.youtube.com/audiolibrary
Spotify
– There’s a lot of “Floor Music” playlists on Spotify to go through.
– You should also check out Movie Soundtracks
– as well as the “prologue” of Broadway musicals.
– Classical music genre is another great option as it doesn’t usually have words and is truly beautiful. It’s often too long but can be edited.
If you choose your floor music from Spotify, you’ll have to buy it on iTunes to to get an MP3 version of it.
Instrumental versions
If you’ve heard a song you love but there’s some words in it, try searching the song with “instrumental” included in the search and you might find a version of it without words. Just be careful though as this sometimes doesn’t translate to good floor music as often the vocals give the melody and without it, there may just be a repeating beat.
You can also try searching the song with “karaoke” included in the search. These can sometimes be tacky or cheesy but you might get lucky!
Google “Royalty Free Music” and go through some sites. Do this with a parent though.
Some artists to check out
- Lindsey Stirling
- 2chellos
- The piano guys
- Simply three
- World music ensemble
- Electro swing
- Escala
- The Marcus Hedges Trend Orchestra
- Hans Zimmer
- Jules Gaia
There’s so many – how do I choose?
There’s a whole world of music out there to choose from and you could spend years trying to decide. Give yourself a deadline to choose by if your coach hasn’t already given you one. Set aside some time each day to listen – maybe when you’re out on a walk or cleaning your room. If you really like the sound of one, go through the check list to ensure it meets all the criteria and then add it to your list of favourites. Take a break from listening and then revisit your list of favourites, choosing 3-5 piece of music to take to your coach.
If you already have music but you hear something you’d love to have as your floor music in the future, have a little list on your phone where you keep music you’re interested in for a future floor routine so when the time comes to decide, you already have some great options.
Best of luck! Happy listening!