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 < wins...@slac.stanford.edu> wrote: > Dugan asked: > > > 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 --- wins...@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 > > =============================================================================== > > _______________________________________________ > Callers mailing list > call...@sharedweight.net > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers > -- 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
