[Callers] Re: working with inexperienced bands

Hi, There was also a discussion on this point on or around Sept. 4, 2024, started by Seth T. entitled: "[Callers] Resources to turn musicians into dance musicians?" Unfortunately, I can't find it in the archives to send you the link. Wearing my hat as a dance musician and band leader, and being in a situation similar to yours, in a college town far from an area with large numbers of skilled dance musicians, these are the suggestions I posted. I hope they help. ===== Hi All, I think everything they [skilled musicians who are new to playing dance music] need to know is in "September" by Earth, Wind & Fire https://youtu.be/Gs069dndIYk?si=Nn4OCiYYZv_kKcr1 Also, maybe listen to the interview of Verdine White, the EWF bassist, with producer Rick Rubin <https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/broken-record/earth-wind-fires-verdine-white-with-rick-rubin>. It may help convey how long and diligently dance musicians work at their craft and, therefore, help them appreciate the music form. All musicians I recruit and audition, I ask that they study and understand everything going on in "September." If they have a year, I recommend the Dance Musicians class at the John C Campbell Folk School, created by David Kaynor, and, in the year I took it, was taught by Betsy Branch, Susan Songer, Peter Siegel and Andy Davis. https://www.folkschool.org/calendar/ They might also study recordings of the New England Dancing Masters on YouTube. In my approach, the key element of dance music is a sense of inner pulse, and then, performance with a strong pulse or "groove." However, like pitch and intonation, pulse and groove are subtle abilities that only a small percentage of musicians have or can develop. Unfortunately, I have found that few musicians have a ready sense of pulse, though I believe it can be developed. For our dance, I play solo, with live overdubbing and, usually, a drum machine, because, for the time being, I gave up on trying to develop dance musicians. (Background: ours is an all-new, all-beginner dance community. This clip is from our first dance of this school year which was a small group, but we doubled our number at last night's dance.) https://youtu.be/LFSnfpyeS9o?si=jg8zqKNcwc3TpkrU I hope this helps your musicians. Rob Matson ===== - - - - - - - - - - - - Robert Matson Innovation Media Corp. The Innovation Works, Inc. Cell: (917) 626-2675