[Callers] Blues for contra dancing

Richard via Callers callers at lists.sharedweight.net
Sun Oct 18 15:13:28 PDT 2015


The structure of a classic blues song is 12 bars long (24 beats). Modern blues bands do play a lot of tunes that are not in this structure.  In any case it might be interesting to think about contras that are or could be made to be 48 or 72 beats long, rather than 64. 

R

Richard Hopkins
850-544-7614 
Hopkinsrs at comcast.net

Sent from my iPhone


> On Oct 18, 2015, at 4:01 PM, via Callers <callers at lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
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> Today's Topics:
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>   1. Re: Dances For Short Line (Louie.cromartie via Callers)
>   2. Re: Dances For Short Line (Linda Leslie via Callers)
>   3. Musical styles for a Barn Dance question
>      (Leslie Gotfrit via Callers)
>   4. Re: Musical styles for a Barn Dance question
>      (John Rogers via Callers)
>   5. Re: Musical styles for a Barn Dance question
>      (JD Erskine iDance via Callers)
> 
> 
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
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> Message: 1
> Date: Sat, 17 Oct 2015 16:32:15 -0400
> From: "Louie.cromartie via Callers" <callers at lists.sharedweight.net>
> To: Martha Wild <mawild at sbcglobal.net>
> Cc: sharedweight <callers at sharedweight.net>
> Subject: Re: [Callers] Dances For Short Line
> Message-ID: <C99FE837-4B91-4DDB-8469-645083D7DAB5 at gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain;    charset=us-ascii
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> Just curious. Robert doesn't recall writing (or calling) a dance called Saint Louis Cruise. Perhaps it was created by someone else.
> -Louie (not a saint)
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> Today's Topics:
> 
>   1. Re: Dances For Short Line (Louie.cromartie via Callers)
>   2. Re: Dances For Short Line (Linda Leslie via Callers)
>   3. Musical styles for a Barn Dance question
>      (Leslie Gotfrit via Callers)
>   4. Re: Musical styles for a Barn Dance question
>      (John Rogers via Callers)
>   5. Re: Musical styles for a Barn Dance question
>      (JD Erskine iDance via Callers)
> 
> 
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
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> Message: 1
> Date: Sat, 17 Oct 2015 16:32:15 -0400
> From: "Louie.cromartie via Callers" <callers at lists.sharedweight.net>
> To: Martha Wild <mawild at sbcglobal.net>
> Cc: sharedweight <callers at sharedweight.net>
> Subject: Re: [Callers] Dances For Short Line
> Message-ID: <C99FE837-4B91-4DDB-8469-645083D7DAB5 at gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain;    charset=us-ascii
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> Just curious. Robert doesn't recall writing (or calling) a dance called Saint Louis Cruise. Perhaps it was created by someone else.
> -Louie (not a saint)
> 
>> On Oct 16, 2015, at 12:56 AM, Martha Wild via Callers <callers at lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
>> 
>> It's a good time to call dances that might need extra space along the line - for example, there are some dances with a ladies chain up and down as opposed to across the set such as Saint Louis Cruise by Robert Cromartie. 
> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 2
> Date: Sat, 17 Oct 2015 17:12:51 -0400
> From: Linda Leslie via Callers <callers at lists.sharedweight.net>
> To: "Louie.cromartie" <louie.cromartie at gmail.com>
> Cc: sharedweight <callers at sharedweight.net>
> Subject: Re: [Callers] Dances For Short Line
> Message-ID: <F564544E-28C1-4939-8285-71308A7036B1 at comcast.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252
> 
> I believe it was written by Roger Diggle?.
> Linda
> 
>> On Oct 17, 2015, at 4:32 PM, Louie.cromartie via Callers <callers at lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
>> 
>> Just curious. Robert doesn't recall writing (or calling) a dance called Saint Louis Cruise. Perhaps it was created by someone else.
>> -Louie (not a saint)
>> 
>>> On Oct 16, 2015, at 12:56 AM, Martha Wild via Callers <callers at lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
>>> 
>>> It's a good time to call dances that might need extra space along the line - for example, there are some dances with a ladies chain up and down as opposed to across the set such as Saint Louis Cruise by Robert Cromartie. 
>> _______________________________________________
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> ------------------------------
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> Message: 3
> Date: Sat, 17 Oct 2015 21:02:33 -0600
> From: Leslie Gotfrit via Callers <callers at lists.sharedweight.net>
> To: callers at sharedweight.net
> Subject: [Callers] Musical styles for a Barn Dance question
> Message-ID: <00563DE5-85B3-4272-810C-6A2CC08B86F8 at me.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252
> 
> I?ve been asked to call a one hour set in a rural heritage hall for a party for about 130 folks. There will be two sets at the end of the evening with a Blues Band. Yep, its a bit odd, but the organizer wants to bring all his various friends together and thought, rightly, that having someone organize some dancing would help that along. Has anyone ever called a community dance (circle mixers, scatter sets, longways, maybe a square) to a blues band? The band seems willing to work with me. Any suggestions about what to say to them so that I could call La Bastringue or Galopede, for example, and it would work?  
> 
> Any suggestions for youtube links for a caller calling to something other than the usual trad tune? I could bring in a fiddler and ask the band to back the fiddler up. Any advice on doing it that way? 
> 
> Is this so ridiculous that you?re all doubled over laughing? People will be there not because they are blues lovers so much as their buddy is throwing a party.
> 
> In any case, I?d be grateful for advice
> Leslie Gotfrit
> 
> 
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 4
> Date: Sun, 18 Oct 2015 00:24:52 -0700
> From: John Rogers via Callers <callers at lists.sharedweight.net>
> To: Leslie Gotfrit <lgotfrit at me.com>
> Cc: "callers at sharedweight.net" <callers at sharedweight.net>
> Subject: Re: [Callers] Musical styles for a Barn Dance question
> Message-ID: <65CF175B-3ADF-4823-9D15-A42D75F21167 at icloud.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
> 
> With the right cooperation from the band it could work out just fine.  I've called contras to all sorts of music, including Romanian folksongs.  But, you do need to talk with them about the fact that every tune needs to be 32 bars and of uniform tempo.  (And the tempo should be an appropriate one.)  The AABB structure that we are used to is nice, but you can probably cope with ABCD if that is what they will play.   It will help if you can get a recording of them playing, so you can get used to timing your calls.  
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On Oct 17, 2015, at 8:02 PM, Leslie Gotfrit via Callers <callers at lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
>> 
>> I?ve been asked to call a one hour set in a rural heritage hall for a party for about 130 folks. There will be two sets at the end of the evening with a Blues Band. Yep, its a bit odd, but the organizer wants to bring all his various friends together and thought, rightly, that having someone organize some dancing would help that along. Has anyone ever called a community dance (circle mixers, scatter sets, longways, maybe a square) to a blues band? The band seems willing to work with me. Any suggestions about what to say to them so that I could call La Bastringue or Galopede, for example, and it would work?  
>> 
>> Any suggestions for youtube links for a caller calling to something other than the usual trad tune? I could bring in a fiddler and ask the band to back the fiddler up. Any advice on doing it that way? 
>> 
>> Is this so ridiculous that you?re all doubled over laughing? People will be there not because they are blues lovers so much as their buddy is throwing a party.
>> 
>> In any case, I?d be grateful for advice
>> Leslie Gotfrit
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
>> Callers mailing list
>> Callers at lists.sharedweight.net
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> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 5
> Date: Sun, 18 Oct 2015 01:12:55 -0700
> From: JD Erskine iDance via Callers <callers at lists.sharedweight.net>
> To: callers at lists.sharedweight.net
> Subject: Re: [Callers] Musical styles for a Barn Dance question
> Message-ID: <56235487.2060704 at shaw.ca>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252; format=flowed
> 
> On 2015-10-17 2002, Leslie Gotfrit via Callers wrote:
> snip
> 
>> In any case, I?d be grateful for advice
>> Leslie Gotfrit
> 
> Try it. Maybe. <grin>
> 
> I worked a Contra series dance with my first (advertised as such) old 
> time band tonight. The No Jigs thing initially felt a bit unsettling, 
> however the musicianship and music was great. No medleys, which I'm fine 
> with, and a bit of joint effort looking for variety had it work out 
> well. I'd mentioned all the basic parameters and communications points 
> prior to the event and tonight we went over them before the intro 
> session this series hosts.
> 
> This past summer I worked with my first Bluegrass band. I'd been 
> concerned a bit with that as well. A "Contra", really a barn dance/ONS 
> on "grass" (beaten down by the sheep for a few years), worked out well.
> 
> I covered off the points John Rogers made about tempo, length with both 
> of them. Also starts and endings, who to talk to about what, how to 
> speed up/slow down (if possible.) All the usual things.
> 
> A few weeks ago I attended a free, intro night of MWSD. The point I took 
> away from that was that someone could really use any music if it met the 
> basic criteria. There were Beatles tunes/songs, pop "standards" and 
> such. Not much in the way of tune as many of us might generally expect 
> or appreciate.
> 
> A number of callers I've experienced have offered the old saw that a 
> dancers need for rhythm might just as easily be met by a drum stick 
> attached to a car wiper as a band.
> 
> If the band is not an established one, or don't have a recording, some 
> practises/time with several of them playing prior to the event might 
> prove useful. It might also be a chance to introduce some of the key points.
> 
> A friend was working with a "Celtic" band a winter ago and had to work 
> mostly on -- endurance, even tempo, how to start and end. Doing so 
> seemed to suck up quite a bit of energy and take several sessions.
> 
> So, it appears it is also good to know when to bail on an idea in some 
> fashion if it appears bleak. For any of these one may require more lead 
> time/contact time that might be expected.
> 
> Cheers, John
> -- 
> J.D. Erskine
> Victoria, BC
> 
> Island Dance - Folk & Country
> Vancouver Island & BC islands
> dance info - site & mail list
> http://members.shaw.ca/island.dance/
> 
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