8 Mar
2012
8 Mar
'12
5:59 p.m.
Alan's answer is the "right" one, in my experience, but I offer this
anecdote:
I used to wonder what the "right" tempo for a contra dance was, so any time
the following three things happened at the same time, I took note of the
tempo.
1. I was sitting out the dance
2. I had a metronome handy
3. The dancers looked really happy dancing
In EACH of the several cases in which those three things happened
simultaneously, the answer was, surprisingly, the exact same thing:
120 BPM
Mind you, that's just contra, and a smallish sample just in the Midwest.
Because of a square dance tradition in Missouri that sometimes used tempos
up to 144bpm (!) we were occasionally treated (or subjected) to those
faster tempos and developed a style of dancing that made it difficult for
us to dance any slower than about 112bpm (that's only two metronome marks
away from 120bpm). Bands from the East coast would come and play at
104-116bpm, and we would find it hard to stay with the music. In recent
times, the tempos from our old-time bands have slowed a bit, and more of us
have experienced bands from elsewhere at dance weekends - but we're still
happiest at 120bpm, for some reason.
I also remember reading somewhere in my two Larry Jennings books that 120
was the ideal tempo, but I can't find the reference, so maybe I made it up.
You should also know that, on a slightly different topic, the old-time
musicians who play for contra dances (around here, anyway) look at you
mighty funny if you even mention the word metronome or beats per minute, so
don't do it. Do what Alan said - tap your foot, deedle, or better yet, keep
your mouth shut, because some of them have pointedly told us callers that
it's not our job to tell them how fast to play (strange but true!). The
best way to keep the peace with those folks if you want a slower tempo is
to ask them to play a slower tune. That they can, and will, do.
M
E
On Wed, Mar 7, 2012 at 4:45 PM, Alan Winston - SSRL Central Computing <
winston(a)slac.stanford.edu> wrote:
Dugan asked:
--
As you set out for Ithaka, pray that your journey be long, full of
adventure, full of discovery...
May there be many summer mornings when, with what pleasure, with what joy,
you enter harbors you're seeing for the first time.
~Constantine Cavafy, "Ithaka" 1911
What is your experience working with bands to
establish an appropriate
tempo? Do bands ever ask you what tempo you want? Do you ever request a
particular tempo to fit a dance? Do you communicate tempo requirements
numerically (beats per minute) or maybe by tapping your feet? When are
slower tempos appropriate and when are faster ones appropriate? What do
you consider to be the range in beats per minute that is appropriate for
contra? Some preliminary research told me that a range of 112-120 beats
per minute is appropriate. Do you agree?
Numerical bpm don't particularly resonate with me. I've heard that the
typical
contra dance range is 108-120. I suspect there's a narrow range where a
balance feels organic.
With experienced contra dance bands I typically let them start where they
want
(which is usually just fine but sometimes too fast or too slow) and then
signal
walk over and say "a hair slower" while alternating holding thumb and
forefinger close together to show that I'm talking about a small adjustment
(when that's what's called for) and then making a sort of patting motion
(palm
down, fingers out, moving down) to show "slower". The only times I've
ever had
to speed a band up was when they reacted to a "slow down" suggestion by
getting
too slow.
I need to set tempi for English dance bands all the time (since different
dances very typically have different tempi, ranging from maybe 90 to maybe
120,
and different callers prefer different tempi for the same dances). Things
that work include doodling a tune for them at the desired tempo, walking
at the
desired tempo, walking the figure at the desired tempo, moving my hand at
the
desired tempo. Walking the figure at the desired tempo while doodling the
tune
seems to make those bands the happiest - but you're likely to fall off the
stage if you do that at a contra dance.
I've called with maybe 20-25 bands in my
young calling career and only 2
have asked me for guidance or confirmation concerning the tempo of their
music (both bands play primarily for non-contra audiences, I believe). I
told both bands to use their judgment, which produced satisfactory
results
in all cases except one dance in which the band
misunderstood my request
for a sultry/flirty tune to mean that they should play at about half the
tempo one would normally expect for contra, which proved terribly
confusing
for the dancers. The lesson I learned is that I
ought to know more about
the range of tempo that is expected for contra and what tempos are
appropriate when so that I can provide that information to bands when
asked.
I would extend that lesson to say that you should know what's good for the
specific dance you're calling, not just what's generally acceptable for
contras
in general. What style of tune works, what tempo works, etc. (And you may
need to adjust tempi down from normal if it's a hot night, etc, etc.) If
you're
working with bands who haven't played for contra before you want to be
sure you
get your signals worked out with them in advance.
-- Alan Winston
Redwood City, CA
--
===============================================================================
Alan Winston --- WINSTON(a)SSRL.SLAC.STANFORD.EDU
Disclaimer: I speak only for myself, not SLAC or SSRL Phone:
650/926-3056
Paper mail to: SSRL -- SLAC BIN 99, 2575 Sand Hill Rd, Menlo Park CA
94025
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