What makes a good contra dance band
Comments from musicians, dancers, and callers culled from Fiddle-L and on
the newsgroup rec.folk-dancing in response to the question "What makes a
good contra dance band?" and from the article
Contra and square dance
playing by Phil and Vivian Williams (their remarks used with
permission) Some comments were very useful, some were obvious, and
some were obviously in response to bad experiences. I have arranged them
according to topic.
Playing together with style by The Last
Gaspé
A workshop given by The Last Gaspé at the New England Folk Festival
(NEFFA) in 1999. This essay was modified slightly and reprinted by M. Koth
with the authors' approval.
Musicians and callers on the art of contra dance music and calling from Old Farmer's Ball. Instructive videos of several contra dance musicians and bands demonstrating how they select and play music for dances.
A musician's guide to contra choreography by Andrew VanNostrand: in this invaluable article, Andrew discusses the types of contra dance figures, the kinds of dances (bouncy, smooth, symmetrical, etc.), building sets around the choreography of contra dance, and working with callers.
The minimum requirements for contra dance music by Jeff Kaufman: argues that dancers don't necessary rely on musicians to sound good, manage dynamics, or even be in tune, although dancers certainly enjoy it when these things happen. He says that dancers reply on the musicians to play music that lets them know when to take steps (through the tempo) as well as when to start figures and where they are in the dance (through the phrasing).
Music and the hall by Mary McNab Dart: makes the point that "musical phrasing and melody line with the phrasing and character of the dance figures can enhance or detract from the choreography of a particular dance, and the general mood and pace of the tune can also make a difference in how well the music fits the dance." The choice of tune(s), the tempo, the degree of arranging and improvising, and emphasis of features of a tune to mimic the choreography all contribute to the success of any given dance.
Musicians column--aspects of musicality by Martha Edwards: describes how to add rhythm, bounce, and shape to your music through phrasing.
Suggested basic criteria for band playing a contra dance from Tallahassee community friends of old-time dance. Perhaps the most important suggestion found in this document is "Have fun."
The squeal index: Can old-time bands make it on the contra-dance scene?
by Joyce Cauthen, Susan Davis, and Scott Russell: discusses "some of the
"tricks"some essential, some optionalthat old-time bands might
want to consider if they wish to hold their own in the contra dance world."
Choosing tunes for contra dance medleys
Again, these are comments culled from postings to rec.folk-dancing and from
Fiddle-L and from the article
Contra and square dance
playing by Phil and Vivian Williams (their remarks used with
permission) regarding the issue of combining tunes into medleys for
contra dances.
A barn dance repertoire by Thomas Green: discusses finding tunes and gives advice about starting, stopping, and changing tunes and variations, tune sets, and altering tunes.
Make 'em want to dance! : how to play for a dance by Phil Jamison
Some thoughts on playing for folk dancing by Eric Foxley
So
you wanna play dance music? by Laura Lengnick
Here's a flier by Sarah Gowan about the true costs for contra dance musicians: Hiring a dance musician?
Composing dance tunes by
Colin Hume
Ingredients
of fiddle tunes by Dudley Laufman (Internet Archive version)
Creating
fiddle tunes by Gary Reynolds (Internet Archive version)
Structure
in Irish tunes (Internet Archive version) installment 1 of Traditional fiddle music by Mark Simos
Jon Weinberg has a handout
for dulcimer players on how to play well with others. Some of the advice
he gives can be used by any folk musician. Specifically: listen not just
to yourself but to the others and the mix. Listen to how the tune is being
played (bouncy, smooth, swingy, crisp) and what others are doing with the
tune (drones, vamps, stops, harmonies).
Articles by Eric J. Anderson on playing piano for contra dances
Notes on playing
for contras
How I play contra dance piano
Principles for playing piano for contra dances
Examples
of two- and four-bar ideas (PDF) with
explanatory
notes to go with the examples
Accompaniment:
the subtle energetics of accompaniment, from Mark Simos (Internet Archive version)
Vamping
- the absolute basics (examples based on the first chapter of Peter Barnes'
book Interview with a vamper.)
How to play contra
dance percussion by Melissa Kacalanos. She expands on the basic "stupid
jig rhythm" and "stupid reel rhythm."
Articles by by Phil and Vivian Williams:
Contra and square dance
playing
Fiddling for old time
contra, square, and couple dances (Internet Archive version)
Articles by Donna Hébert:
Contradance
fiddling (Internet Archive version)
Ecstasy at
the contradance
My
life and times in contradance music (Internet Archive version)
On bowing (quoting from FIDDLE-L, Jan. 6, 2003):
We're getting into the three tangibles and the fourth intangible about bowing.
The tangibles:
- WEIGHT (not pressure, but weight you ALLOW to fall on the bow from your
upper arm)
- PLACE (where you play between the tip and the frog, and where you play
between the bridge and the fingerboard)
- SPEED (how fast the bow moves determines loudness - accenting - among other
things).
The fourth, and perhaps the most important:
- FOCUS - where's your mind while you're playing music?
Some definitions (found on the web and modified):
Keys/Modes
Modal
scales in traditional Irish music by Grey Larson ||
A brief tutorial
on musical modes by John Chambers ||
Modes
(Internet Archive version) || Characteristics of musical
keys
Sound systems and contra dance music:
All mixed up: a guide to sound production for folk and dance music: basics for
beginners; exotica for the experienced by Bob Mills
PA mythology (Internet Archive
version) by David Cottle: about the sound system at a contra dance