On Mar 8, 2012, at 9:59 AM, Martha Edwards wrote: The remark to which Martha refers appears on page 37 of _Zesty Contras_, in the section V.2 ("Time Management). Larry writes: I know from having recorded many dances that the tempos used vary between 30 seconds per change of 64 beats and 35 seconds per change. A lovely average tempo is 32 seconds/64 beats. ... On page 42, in his sample self-critique, based on a tape of himself teaching and calling "Country Doctor's Reel," Larry describes the tempo thus: Tempo: 33.8 sec. (average time required for one change). I believe Larry preferred to write tempos in terms of seconds per change (64 beats) rather than beats per minute because he did his timing with a watch--probably a stopwatch--rather than a metronome. Perhaps someone who spent more time with Larry than I did could confirm or refute this. In any case, I believe that a stopwatch is a substantially better tool than a metronome for measuring (as opposed to setting) tempos, particularly if the stopwatch has a "Split" or "Lap" feature. This is a button that makes the stopwatch display either the current cumulative time (since last started) or the time since the last split/lap or both, while also continuing to run so that you can capture more split/lap times later. Some watches store split/lap times in a memory that you can examine later at leisure. Sporting goods stores typically carry such stopwatches with a variety of features, memory capacities, and physical durability (or lack thereof). Nowadays many cell phones have a stopwatch feature built in. My technique for taking timings is to get my finger tapping lightly to the beat on the appropriate button (start or split/lap) and then actually follow through and press the button on a particular beat, typically beat 64 of the tune (or the last beat of the "four potatoes, if I'm timing from the start of the tune). Then I do the same thing at the corresponding place in the tune 64 beats (or 128 or 192 ...) later. I find that in this way, I can keep my timing inaccuracy down to a couple tenths of a second or less most of the time. That amounts to less than one beat per minute when averaged over one round of a tune, and less when averaged over multiple rounds. As an example, here are results that I got just now by timing the same two repeats of a tune on a particular YouTube video five times: 31.50 + 31.23 = 62.73 (avg. = 31.365 sec/change; 122.4 bpm) 31.44 + 31.22 = 62.66 (avg. = 31.330 sec/change; 122.6 bpm) 31.43 + 31.36 = 62.79 (avg. = 31.395 sec/change; 122.3 bpm) 31.51 + 31.22 = 62.73 (avg. = 31.365 sec/change; 122.4 bpm) 31.47 + 31.22 = 62.69 (avg. = 31.345 sec/change; 122.5 bpm) By taking multiple split/lap times over the length of a dance, you can also get get quantitative information about whether the band maintained a steady tempo or sped up, and if they sped up, whether it happened gradually or suddenly (e.g., at a tune change), etc. Unlike with a metronome there's no need to look at a stopwatch continuously while taking timings. While I've described taking split/lap times at intervals of 64 beats (or multiples thereof), there's no need to devote much attention to counting to 64, since you can let the phrasing of the tune and the pattern of the dance effectively do the counting for you. To convert from seconds per change to beats per minute, you can use the formula # of beats per minute = 3840 / (# of seconds per round) The 3840 (= 60 x 64) comes from the fact that there are 60 seconds in a minute and 64 beats in one round of a standard-length contra dance/tune. Or you can remember a few equivalences, such as 32 seconds per round being 120 beats per minute, 30 seconds per round being 128 bpm, etc. While calling, I find it fairly easy to make a quick assessment of the tempo by taking a few split/lap times at 16 beat intervals (16 beats/8 sec = 120 bpm; 16 beats/7.5s = 128 bpm; 16 beats/8.5s =~ 113 bpm) without distracting much attention from watching the dancers. Such measurements can help me check a visual impression that dancers are either plodding or racing and decide whether the situation warrants signaling the band to adjust their tempo. --Jim On Mar 8, 2012, at 9:59 AM, Martha Edwards wrote: [earlier quoted messages snipped] _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list Callers(a)sharedweight.net http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers

Callers, 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?