Let them know it's all about the rhythm. Rock steady & relentless. Subtle emphasis on the upbeat can lift people up for dancing. Musicality is luscious, as long as no one's taking liberties with the beat.

Also to be prepared to take cues from the caller to gradually(!) slow down or speed up, just in case. And keep a third eye on the caller for when to stop.

Individual notes not as important as beat.

Well phrased straight ahead tunes with short (4 bar) phrases tend to be easy for new dancers to latch onto. Easily recognizable tunes such as Irish Washerwoman, Turkey in the Straw, & Arkansas Traveller are good choices.

I generally prefer major keys for ONS.

Sounds like a fun challenge! You gotta corral the orchestra as well as the dancers. 😵‍💫

Amy

On Wed, Sep 4, 2024, 11:36 AM Tep fer, Seth via Contra Callers <contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:

Hello hive mind

I have an upcoming ONS gig with a group of people who are all professional musicians, but have never played together nor played for a dance. What resources are out there to help give these musicians an understanding of what is coming for them? Any web videos or PDFs of hints so they know what to expect? They are asking for sheet music and videos, which will help but I know there is much more to it than that.

Seth

Seth Tepfer, MBA, CSM, PMP (he, him, his)

Senior IT Manager, Emory Primate Center

Book time to meet with me

_______________________________________________
Contra Callers mailing list -- contracallers@lists.sharedweight.net
To unsubscribe send an email to contracallers-leave@lists.sharedweight.net