OK - I have had several very knowledgeable musicians explain this to me and I still don't understand how a reel has 8 measurers to a phrase - or even if that is true.

Mac McKeever
St. Louis






On Wednesday, September 4, 2024 at 04:55:06 PM CDT, Neal Schlein via Contra Callers <contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:





What dancers and callers understand as “a measure” or “a beat” is not necessarily the same as what professional musicians will understand, depending on how the sheet music was written. 

(My wife is a classically trained clarinetist who can also play violin and fiddles a little; she has gotten used to my terminology, but we still have miscommunications occasionally.)

I strongly second the advice of communicating the concept of potatoes and practicing exactly how long you expect the band to play before you start calling, and how to signal the end of tunes.  The advantage you do have on that particular front (assuming these are classical musicians) is that they are used to watching a conductor for gestures. 

They may have difficulty setting a good starting pace for tunes.  I’d tell them to be careful with recordings as those frequently are paced differently and are flourished for listening. One of the finest fiddlers I know once recorded a 9 minute track for me with the preface that it would be great for dancing, but not much to listen to.

I will ask my significant other if she has other advice. 

Neal Schlein
Librarian, MSLIS

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