9 Jul
2010
9 Jul
'10
4:36 p.m.
hey chris - i have worked with bands before that didn't know what "contra"
music was, and it can be an adventure!
if you have a chance to talk to the musicians ahead of time, PLEASE DO SO. you could give
them a CD to listen to so they know what "contra dance music" sounds like.
there are also some dance videos on the web, if they are interested. if you have the
opportunity to listen to the music they play, that will help you, too.
if they haven't played for a dance before, speed will be the most critical thing.
make sure you have a way to communicate with them about tempo. they may also have to have
"four potatoes" explained to them :-)
fyi - almost anything can be played for contra dancing if it's the right length and
tempo. i have danced to the liberty bell march (theme song from monty python), tv theme
songs, flight of the bumblebee (really!), and numerous other pieces of popular music -
it's not the "right tune" that will make the dance work, it's the
"right music".
whatever tunes they (or you) pick, what really matters is that the musicians have some
comprehension of how a contra dance is supposed to work.
good luck!!
barb
Date: Thu, 8 Jul 2010 19:14:06 -0700
From: winston(a)slac.stanford.edu
To: butterwell(a)gmail.com
CC: callers(a)sharedweight.net
Subject: Re: [Callers] Best tunes for a band that normally doesn't play Contra
Chris --
The best tunes for a band to play are tunes they _can_ play. Wizard's Walk is
a pretty great tune, but a band that doesn't play for contras is going to
massacre it anyway.
What kind of music do they usually play? Do they play from sheet music?
If they play old-timey, people here will have suggestions. (Angelina Baker,
Old Joe Clark, Liberty).
If they play Irish, people here will have suggestions (Swallowtail, maybe).
If they're classical musicians who can play anything put in front of them,
it may still not feel very contra-like. But I'd put some kind of strongly
phrased jig ("Blackberry Quadrille", maybe) in front of them, since I think
that's the likeliest to be legible to previously non-dancing wedding guests.
-- Alan
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Greetings,
I'm planning for a one night stand, or, more
precisely, a one dance
stand, at my brother's wedding. I'm seeing all sorts of advice here
for the kind of dances to use in such a circumstance, so thank you
all.
But... he's asking what tunes the band should
play, and I have no clue
as to the names of the best traditional tunes for contra. I only need
a couple.
Thank you in advance.
-Chris
Christopher Buck
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