I need to change my email address to [email protected]
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play with your hair. -Kahlil Gibran
On Wednesday, February 19, 2025 at 10:00:15 PM MST,
<[email protected]> wrote:
Send Contra Callers mailing list submissions to
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Today's Topics:
1. working with inexperienced bands (Joseph Erhard-Hudson)
2. Re: working with inexperienced bands ([email protected])
3. Re: [External] working with inexperienced bands (Tepfer, Seth)
4. Re: Classes for callers? (Emily Addison)
5. Re: working with inexperienced bands (Gregory)
6. Re: working with inexperienced bands (Robert Matson)
7. Re: working with inexperienced bands (Mac Mckeever)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Message: 1
Date: Tue, 18 Feb 2025 23:45:40 -0800
From: Joseph Erhard-Hudson <[email protected]>
Subject: [Callers] working with inexperienced bands
To: Shared Weight Contra Callers
<[email protected]>
Message-ID:
<canvbvvntma3dpuvqtzptz5p9nge4ch0ymurzcy7xoq0avri...@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: multipart/alternative;
boundary="00000000000057db26062e79f201"
Hi all,
I live in a relatively isolated community in the contra dance world. To the
extent we have a house caller it's me. We are trying to foster and develop
new callers, but you gotta have bands too. So,
I'd welcome your thoughts on working with new bands.
My motive for asking is, a couple of times in the last year we have had new
bands come play for our monthly dance. One was a blue-grassey country band.
Another was a family group playing predominantly Irish tunes. Their musical
skills were fine and their repertoire was serviceable, and they did okay,
but there were definitely some rough spots.
New musical talent is a valuable commodity for us, and I want to set them
up for success. So, how would you approach this? I'd especially love to
hear from folks who have done this sort of thing before, but all thoughts
are welcome.
Joseph Erhard-Hudson
Moscow, Idaho, USA
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Message: 2
Date: Wed, 19 Feb 2025 04:05:21 -0600
From: [email protected]
Subject: [Callers] Re: working with inexperienced bands
To: Joseph Erhard-Hudson <[email protected]>
Cc: Shared Weight Contra Callers
<[email protected]>
Message-ID:
<caaq4frwq-147jq4npdrxrm0cz55z5hp4ag6yunz9hash1uf...@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: multipart/alternative;
boundary="000000000000e19139062e7be5fe"
Can you describe the rough spots?
Several suggestions:
1) Two to four weeks of so before the dance email them some resources about
playing for contra dance
Example resources (found with a Google search-- What makes a good
tune for a contra dance?)
https://cdss.org/wp-content/uploads/resources/CDSS-The-Basics-of-Playing-for-Contras.pdf
http://www.tallydancer.com/SuggestedBasicCriteriaForBandsPlayingAContraDance.pdf
2) Find 3-5 good for contra tunes, send them recordings of them an if
needed the sheet music.
Ask them to practice them for the dance
3) After reading the material Have them select 5-7 dances in their
repertoire they would like them to pla
and listen to a record or video of them, suggesting which ones
might not work well
4) Meet with them for a practice within a week a two (or maybe even an hour
or so)before the dance
On Wed, Feb 19, 2025 at 1:46 AM Joseph Erhard-Hudson via Contra Callers <
[email protected]> wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I live in a relatively isolated community in the contra dance world. To
> the extent we have a house caller it's me. We are trying to foster and
> develop new callers, but you gotta have bands too. So,
> I'd welcome your thoughts on working with new bands.
>
> My motive for asking is, a couple of times in the last year we have had
> new bands come play for our monthly dance. One was a blue-grassey country
> band. Another was a family group playing predominantly Irish tunes. Their
> musical skills were fine and their repertoire was serviceable, and they did
> okay, but there were definitely some rough spots.
>
> New musical talent is a valuable commodity for us, and I want to set them
> up for success. So, how would you approach this? I'd especially love to
> hear from folks who have done this sort of thing before, but all thoughts
> are welcome.
>
> Joseph Erhard-Hudson
> Moscow, Idaho, USA
> _______________________________________________
> Contra Callers mailing list -- [email protected]
> To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected]
>
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Message: 3
Date: Wed, 19 Feb 2025 13:46:41 +0000
From: "Tepfer, Seth" <[email protected]>
Subject: [Callers] Re: [External] working with inexperienced bands
To: Joseph Erhard-Hudson <[email protected]>
Cc: Shared Weight Contra Callers
<[email protected]>
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
Content-Type: multipart/mixed;
boundary="_004_C8C57E2EBC494F4AA587AD9996CABF42emoryedu_"
Joseph
I recently did a community dance with a group of experienced musicians who had
never played for a contra dance. Here is a document I sent them:
<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WPOntWOMeEfueDpRgMdAI6G1rkbE3ir9a1XGZfFCXyQ/edit>
Musician
Suggestions<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WPOntWOMeEfueDpRgMdAI6G1rkbE3ir9a1XGZfFCXyQ/edit>
docs.google.com<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WPOntWOMeEfueDpRgMdAI6G1rkbE3ir9a1XGZfFCXyQ/edit>
[kix-favicon-2023q4.ico]<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WPOntWOMeEfueDpRgMdAI6G1rkbE3ir9a1XGZfFCXyQ/edit>
Good luck!
Sent from my iPhone
On Feb 19, 2025, at 2:46 AM, Joseph Erhard-Hudson via Contra Callers
<[email protected]> wrote:
Hi all,
I live in a relatively isolated community in the contra dance world. To the
extent we have a house caller it's me. We are trying to foster and develop new
callers, but you gotta have bands too. So,
I'd welcome your thoughts on working with new bands.
My motive for asking is, a couple of times in the last year we have had new
bands come play for our monthly dance. One was a blue-grassey country band.
Another was a family group playing predominantly Irish tunes. Their musical
skills were fine and their repertoire was serviceable, and they did okay, but
there were definitely some rough spots.
New musical talent is a valuable commodity for us, and I want to set them up
for success. So, how would you approach this? I'd especially love to hear from
folks who have done this sort of thing before, but all thoughts are welcome.
Joseph Erhard-Hudson
Moscow, Idaho, USA
_______________________________________________
Contra Callers mailing list -- [email protected]
To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected]
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Message: 4
Date: Wed, 19 Feb 2025 09:05:10 -0500
From: Emily Addison <[email protected]>
Subject: [Callers] Re: Classes for callers?
To: "Sue C. Hulsether" <[email protected]>
Cc: [email protected]
Message-ID:
<cajhms2vwzej0ympjbm-roxtpnvafz2ygjz80weimuyjfftk...@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: multipart/alternative;
boundary="000000000000562429062e7f409f"
I might jump in to say I've actually learned a LOOOOOT about
teaching/calling dances period from PP. And I do apply these skills to
contra.
There are some true masters (Sue included!) as part of this group and PP is
an incredible opportunity to not only build repertoire and be inspired but
also to learn how to be a better dance leader, teacher, and prompter.
It's an incredible opportunity.
Emily
On Tue, Feb 18, 2025 at 2:20 PM Sue C. Hulsether via Contra Callers <
[email protected]> wrote:
> I second EVERYTHING that Stacy said in her email. Pourparler is a unique
> and wonderful annual gathering of dance leaders who specialize in community
> dancing, family dancing, and dancing with school-aged people. It is
> dance-sharing and conversation between colleagues, both experienced and new
> leaders, as well as school teachers. What is most interesting to me (every
> year I go, and I am definitely a long-timer) is that there is a 50/50
> split between leaders who specialize in American (contra-square-barndance)
> and International folk dancing. But what we don’t share in repertoire, we
> share in “target audience,” as all the Pourparler attendees care deeply
> about teaching dance to new dancers.
>
> Like Stacy said, it is not an event to help you with contra calling chops
> or repertoire. But it is an event to feed your teacher-soul as you teach,
> learn, dance and watch colleagues teach and learn dance.
>
> If anyone on this list would like to connect more about the Pourparler, I
> am happy to correspond off list.
>
> sue
>
> Sue Hulsether
> New Day Hoedown LLC
> www.suehulsether.com
> [email protected]
> [email protected]
> 608-632-1267 Cell
> P.O. Box 363, Viroqua, WI 54665
>
>
>
>
>
> On Feb 18, 2025, at 10:03 AM, Stacy Rose via Contra Callers <
> [email protected]> wrote:
>
> As a contra caller AND a longtime Pourparler (PP) devotee, I don’t
> recommend attending PP if you’re interested in learning contra calling and
> getting feedback on your calling technique.
>
> PP is fabulous! I’ve learned lots and have met amazing dance teachers from
> across the continent. The focus is broad — contras, squares, Maypole
> dancing, international folk dancing (IFD), singing, play party games…
> participants are varied — elementary school music teachers, IFD teachers…
>
> Maybe instead, you might enjoy attending a summer CDSS camp
> <https://camp.cdss.org/> that focuses on contra calling. Or an intensive
> contra calling week at John C. Campbell Folk School. Pourparler is a great
> program for learning how to engage a wide audience of people into a wide
> variety of participatory dance.
>
> Stacy Rose
> 541.808.1002
> [email protected]
> www.stacyrosedance.com
>
> On Feb 17, 2025, at 9:24 PM, Robert Matson via Contra Callers <
> [email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>
> About Pour Parler:
>
> "In the past we have learned dances from many traditions including
> Balkan, Mexican, East Asian, Central Asian, Scandinavian, Israeli, French,
> English Country, square dancing, contra dancing, sword dancing, line
> dancing, Maypoles, old-time couple dancing, singing games, and many others.
> We discuss teaching techniques, repertoire, costuming, music, school
> curricula and self-employment."
>
> "Pourparler is a yearly gathering of dance and music educators from North
> America who are dedicated to teaching folk/ethnic/world/traditional dance
> in schools and/or community events. The brainchild of Sanna Longden,
> internationally respected dance educator from Evanston, Illinois, this
> weekend is a unique blend of dance and song sharing, discussion and
> networking. Experts in the field, teachers and musicians known across the
> continent, join with relative newcomers to share their best dances and tips
> for successful school residencies, family dances and other events that
> build community through cross-cultural dancing. Pourparler is a gathering
> of colleagues, where we are all leaders and participants, and there are no
> hired “experts.” "
>
>
> Rob
>
> - - - - - - - - - - - -
>
> Robert Matson
> Cell: (917) 626-2675
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On Mon, Feb 17, 2025 at 10:04 PM Harris Lapiroff via Contra Callers <
> [email protected]> wrote:
>
>> I recently saw a recommendation for Pourparler, happening in DC this year
>> (https://nfo-usa.com/pourparler/). I've never been (though I'm
>> considering it now), but I understand the focus there is broader than
>> contra and it seems to be more about dance sharing than a *course* per
>> se. But if your community is almost all beginners, I somewhat think you may
>> want to do a lot of barn dances and similar things rather than starting
>> with full evenings of duple minor contras, which can be challenging in a
>> largely beginner crowd, in my experience.
>>
>> Harris Lapiroff (he/him)
>>
>> Dance Caller and Organizer
>> Boston Intergenerational Dance Advocates Board (Cambridge MA)
>> Pinewoods Camp, Inc Board (Plymouth MA)
>> https://chromamine.com/contra/
>>
>> On Wed, Feb 12, 2025, at 4:31 PM, Brian Roberts via Contra Callers wrote:
>>
>> Long time dancer, first time caller.
>>
>> Anyone know of any courses / workshops to improve my calling (in person
>> or online)? I'm willing to travel for the right course. (E.g. Meet Me in
>> St Louis had a calling workshop in 2024, but the schedule isn't out yet for
>> 2025.)
>>
>> My wife and I were long-time Boston-area contra dancers who are now
>> trying to bring the tradition to our adopted city in Austria. Almost all
>> the dancers are new, I'm a new caller, and I believe it would help me to
>> attend a class to learn more and get feedback on my technique.
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Brian
>> ----
>> Bringing contra dance to Graz, Austria https://contradance.at/
>> _______________________________________________
>> Contra Callers mailing list -- [email protected]
>> To unsubscribe send an email to
>> [email protected]
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Contra Callers mailing list -- [email protected]
>> To unsubscribe send an email to
>> [email protected]
>>
> _______________________________________________
> Contra Callers mailing list -- [email protected]
> To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected]
>
> _______________________________________________
> Contra Callers mailing list -- [email protected]
> To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected]
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Contra Callers mailing list -- [email protected]
> To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected]
>
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Message: 5
Date: Wed, 19 Feb 2025 16:09:40 +0000
From: Gregory <[email protected]>
Subject: [Callers] Re: working with inexperienced bands
To: Shared Weight Contra Callers
<[email protected]>
Message-ID: <XUzyLUnPkbs_w6q2oKDChK5ZIVLVS9Cd_AZNYt_zBg2ys_WlDL8PPrEst
qTFbWE2SMrjufcpTgi2KWCISR3_-fFXSGVgyxH27CU2SXzQn30=@protonmail.com>
Content-Type: multipart/alternative;
boundary="b1=_OLAvUn0Ix6A9JcNyTApt4t2WlbJnKB6fjsB915D3hH8"
Hi Joseph,
What is your musical experience/skill?
I have a music degree, have plied my trade in a few different areas of
professional musicianship, and I've been working with live musicians
(particularly young fiddlers who i see as the future and want to give
performance opportunities to) for 10 years as a dance caller in an area with
little-to-no contra dancing.
First off, I would get a sense of your musicians interest in the gig. Are they
doing it for easy money? Are they genuinely interested to play for dancers and
don't care how much they get paid? Are they making their living from gig work?
Or is this something they do on the side for fun? Are they old-time experienced
players? Or are they new upstarts, still forming their musical identity as a
performer? Have they mastered their instruments or are they better-then-average
amateurs? Answers to these questions can help set expectations for their
commitment.
I can confidently say that the suggestion of sending musicians new tunes /
resources a few weeks before the dance is not a welcome prospect and not
setting them up for success. You should, instead, encourage new repertoire over
a long period of time, and for the next show focus on what is in their current
repertoire that will suffice for dances (if you want them to play for you
again). It may seem an imposition, but if you can attend one of their
rehearsals or jams, and ask to go through their repertoire, that would be best.
Keep a few things in mind while doing so:
- No matter how experienced a fiddler is, playing for contra dances is a
specific skill or knowledge base; don't be afraid to say that such-and-such
doesn't work
- Some tunes sound fine but they're actually crooked and will not work for
contra. You need to be able to detect these tunes to prevent them being
programmed and ruining one of the dances. Crooked tunes in the contra dance
realm take multiple forms: additional beats within a measure, yes, but also
additional measures on a phrase. Phrases that are 4 or 12 beats long, and tunes
that have more than 2 parts are particularly hard to detect. Your musicians may
or may not know the difference or whether this is important or not (even if
you're clear that 32 bars jigs and reels is what you're after, before hand).
- Different kinds of tunes work if the band is willing to play with the tempo.
For example, jigs tend to be played faster than is comfortable for the dancers,
so they need to be slowed down a touch, and polkas can also be played at a
slower tempo. I suggest this to attempt to broaden the potential tunes that can
be programmed while working within what they already know.
Also be respectful of different musicians abilities... Dave Brubeck couldn't
read music, and some traditional musicians also never learned how to read
music, picking up tunes by ear instead. If this is the case, sending tunes a
few weeks before a show is simply not going to work. Musicians have their own
culture apart from dancers, so temper your expectations and be patient and
respectful.
Consider not hiring a "band" but hiring a fiddler. I don't know what the remote
situation you're in is like, but if you have any professional musicians in your
area, they should know how the gigs work. If you can find a single fiddler and
hire them, they will find someone else to play with them as a duo or trio, as
long as you explain what you're looking for (reels at 120 bpm, playing for
dancers, etc.) and the pay. If you can pair less experienced musicians with
more experienced musicians, this will benefit you in the long run, bringing up
a new generation of fiddlers in this tradition. For example, many musicians
have students. Ask if one of their students is up for the task of performing
and they can join in on a few tunes. It also broadens your dance base when the
parents come out and participate.
You'll want to go over with whomever you hire a series of signals that indicate
"speed up", "slow down", "keep playing", "stop immediately" and "stop at the
end of the phrase / last time".
You'll want to ensure that they start each tune with a 4 beat introduction
("Four for nothing" as Winton Marsalis says, and "Four potatoes" as is the
phrase around here), which is a cue for you to cue the dancers. Musicians are
NOT in the habit of doing this on their own, and waiting once through the tune
instead is too long.
Forcing a square peg into a round hole is not what i would consider setting
anyone up for success. Expecting your blue grass band to convert to a contra
dance band lickity-split is, in my opinion, not a good approach. I would
suggest letting it be what it's going to be. Maybe your group likes blue grass
tunes, and you form a contra/bluegrass syncretism. This is part of the folk
process. Everywhere, everyone, is different and cherishing that and encouraging
appreciation is what i would consider setting people up for success - my
previous recommendations and advice support this idea, I think. For example, in
my area, fiddling is heavily influenced by many repertoires, particularly
Metis, which was originally used for Metis step dancing. I doubt the Metis
fiddle tunes get played anywhere else, but they make for excellent contra dance
tunes with their own flare and feel. I'm leaning into this, it's part of the
Manitoba sound!
Best of luck! Happy Dancing!
Greg, Winnipeg
Greg
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changes the size of the messages I send - an added layer of security
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Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu
fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in
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amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore
et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation
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in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla
pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui
officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. This is filler text that changes
the size of the messages I send - an added layer of security
for detection and identification of encrypted information using metadata.
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incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis
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Sent with [Proton Mail](https://proton.me/mail/home) secure email.
On Wednesday, February 19th, 2025 at 1:45 AM, Joseph Erhard-Hudson via Contra
Callers <[email protected]> wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I live in a relatively isolated community in the contra dance world. To the
> extent we have a house caller it's me. We are trying to foster and develop
> new callers, but you gotta have bands too. So,
> I'd welcome your thoughts on working with new bands.
>
> My motive for asking is, a couple of times in the last year we have had new
> bands come play for our monthly dance. One was a blue-grassey country band.
> Another was a family group playing predominantly Irish tunes. Their musical
> skills were fine and their repertoire was serviceable, and they did okay, but
> there were definitely some rough spots.
>
> New musical talent is a valuable commodity for us, and I want to set them up
> for success. So, how would you approach this? I'd especially love to hear
> from folks who have done this sort of thing before, but all thoughts are
> welcome.
>
> Joseph Erhard-Hudson
> Moscow, Idaho, USA-------------- next part --------------
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Message: 6
Date: Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:22:43 -0600
From: Robert Matson <[email protected]>
Subject: [Callers] Re: working with inexperienced bands
To: Shared Weight Contra Callers
<[email protected]>
Message-ID:
<cabac1s7y18_gfvvfkm1twk_x+0mtdgvv_32ah9uzu1unc+w...@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: multipart/alternative;
boundary="000000000000eb9956062e812c48"
Hi,
There was also a discussion on this point on or around Sept. 4, 2024,
started by Seth T. entitled: "[Callers] Resources to turn musicians into
dance musicians?" Unfortunately, I can't find it in the archives to send
you the link.
Wearing my hat as a dance musician and band leader, and being in a
situation similar to yours, in a college town far from an area with large
numbers of skilled dance musicians, these are the suggestions I posted. I
hope they help.
=====
Hi All,
I think everything they [skilled musicians who are new to playing dance
music] need to know is in "September" by Earth, Wind & Fire
https://youtu.be/Gs069dndIYk?si=Nn4OCiYYZv_kKcr1
Also, maybe listen to the interview of Verdine White, the EWF bassist, with
producer Rick Rubin
<https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/broken-record/earth-wind-fires-verdine-white-with-rick-rubin>.
It may help convey how long and diligently dance musicians work at their
craft and, therefore, help them appreciate the music form.
All musicians I recruit and audition, I ask that they study and understand
everything going on in "September."
If they have a year, I recommend the Dance Musicians class at the John C
Campbell Folk School, created by David Kaynor, and, in the year I took it,
was taught by Betsy Branch, Susan Songer, Peter Siegel and Andy Davis.
https://www.folkschool.org/calendar/
They might also study recordings of the New England Dancing Masters on
YouTube.
In my approach, the key element of dance music is a sense of inner pulse,
and then, performance with a strong pulse or "groove." However, like pitch
and intonation, pulse and groove are subtle abilities that only a small
percentage of musicians have or can develop. Unfortunately, I have found
that few musicians have a ready sense of pulse, though I believe it can be
developed.
For our dance, I play solo, with live overdubbing and, usually, a drum
machine, because, for the time being, I gave up on trying to develop dance
musicians. (Background: ours is an all-new, all-beginner dance community.
This clip is from our first dance of this school year which was a small
group, but we doubled our number at last night's dance.)
https://youtu.be/LFSnfpyeS9o?si=jg8zqKNcwc3TpkrU
I hope this helps your musicians.
Rob Matson
=====
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Robert Matson
Innovation Media Corp.
The Innovation Works, Inc.
Cell: (917) 626-2675
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Message: 7
Date: Wed, 19 Feb 2025 16:24:40 +0000 (UTC)
From: Mac Mckeever <[email protected]>
Subject: [Callers] Re: working with inexperienced bands
To: Shared Weight Contra Callers
<[email protected]>, Gregory
<[email protected]>
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
We have a lot of local old time bands here - but several years ago someone
asked about getting an Irish band. I went to a local bar where they have a
weekly Irish jam and talked to them. The jam is organized by a guitar player
who is a very accomplished musician. We talked about what was needed and
booked them. He showed up with 2 fiddlers and a banjo player. They were
adequate but developed quickly into a very nice dance band
Four potatoes were a problem - first we tried to just play the A part 3 times
at the beginning - then then just started tapping loudly on the guitar 4 times
- and that worked fine
Took a while to refine the tempo - but that worked out too. Crooked tunes were
not a problem - but that may have been due to the knowledge of the guitar
player.
I called with them that night. The best part was after about 3 dances - one of
them said "Wow - this is what we should be doing more of". Money has never
been an issue with them or any of our bands. One of our series is very small -
about 20+ dancers. We get a 5 piece band to play for 2 hours and pay the band
$60 and they just really like doing it.
Not sure if this is helpful - but we did get non dance musicians to
successfully play for dances (we use them a couple times a year) with very few
issues. Dancers are very forgiving if they understand the situation.
Good luck
Mac McKeever
St Louis
On Wednesday, February 19, 2025 at 10:09:52 AM CST, Gregory via Contra Callers
<[email protected]> wrote:
Hi Joseph,
What is your musical experience/skill?
I have a music degree, have plied my trade in a few different areas of
professional musicianship, and I've been working with live musicians
(particularly young fiddlers who i see as the future and want to give
performance opportunities to) for 10 years as a dance caller in an area with
little-to-no contra dancing.
First off, I would get a sense of your musicians interest in the gig. Are they
doing it for easy money? Are they genuinely interested to play for dancers and
don't care how much they get paid? Are they making their living from gig work?
Or is this something they do on the side for fun? Are they old-time experienced
players? Or are they new upstarts, still forming their musical identity as a
performer? Have they mastered their instruments or are they better-then-average
amateurs? Answers to these questions can help set expectations for their
commitment.
I can confidently say that the suggestion of sending musicians new tunes /
resources a few weeks before the dance is not a welcome prospect and not
setting them up for success. You should, instead, encourage new repertoire over
a long period of time, and for the next show focus on what is in their current
repertoire that will suffice for dances (if you want them to play for you
again). It may seem an imposition, but if you can attend one of their
rehearsals or jams, and ask to go through their repertoire, that would be best.
Keep a few things in mind while doing so:
1. No matter how experienced a fiddler is, playing for contra dances is a
specific skill or knowledge base; don't be afraid to say that such-and-such
doesn't work
2. Some tunes sound fine but they're actually crooked and will not work for
contra. You need to be able to detect these tunes to prevent them being
programmed and ruining one of the dances. Crooked tunes in the contra dance
realm take multiple forms: additional beats within a measure, yes, but also
additional measures on a phrase. Phrases that are 4 or 12 beats long, and tunes
that have more than 2 parts are particularly hard to detect. Your musicians may
or may not know the difference or whether this is important or not (even if
you're clear that 32 bars jigs and reels is what you're after, before hand).
3. Different kinds of tunes work if the band is willing to play with the
tempo. For example, jigs tend to be played faster than is comfortable for the
dancers, so they need to be slowed down a touch, and polkas can also be played
at a slower tempo. I suggest this to attempt to broaden the potential tunes
that can be programmed while working within what they already know.
Also be respectful of different musicians abilities... Dave Brubeck couldn't
read music, and some traditional musicians also never learned how to read
music, picking up tunes by ear instead. If this is the case, sending tunes a
few weeks before a show is simply not going to work. Musicians have their own
culture apart from dancers, so temper your expectations and be patient and
respectful.
Consider not hiring a "band" but hiring a fiddler. I don't know what the remote
situation you're in is like, but if you have any professional musicians in your
area, they should know how the gigs work. If you can find a single fiddler and
hire them, they will find someone else to play with them as a duo or trio, as
long as you explain what you're looking for (reels at 120 bpm, playing for
dancers, etc.) and the pay. If you can pair less experienced musicians with
more experienced musicians, this will benefit you in the long run, bringing up
a new generation of fiddlers in this tradition. For example, many musicians
have students. Ask if one of their students is up for the task of performing
and they can join in on a few tunes. It also broadens your dance base when the
parents come out and participate.
You'll want to go over with whomever you hire a series of signals that indicate
"speed up", "slow down", "keep playing", "stop immediately" and "stop at the
end of the phrase / last time".
You'll want to ensure that they start each tune with a 4 beat introduction
("Four for nothing" as Winton Marsalis says, and "Four potatoes" as is the
phrase around here), which is a cue for you to cue the dancers. Musicians are
NOT in the habit of doing this on their own, and waiting once through the tune
instead is too long.
Forcing a square peg into a round hole is not what i would consider setting
anyone up for success. Expecting your blue grass band to convert to a contra
dance band lickity-split is, in my opinion, not a good approach. I would
suggest letting it be what it's going to be. Maybe your group likes blue grass
tunes, and you form a contra/bluegrass syncretism. This is part of the folk
process. Everywhere, everyone, is different and cherishing that and encouraging
appreciation is what i would consider setting people up for success - my
previous recommendations and advice support this idea, I think. For example, in
my area, fiddling is heavily influenced by many repertoires, particularly
Metis, which was originally used for Metis step dancing. I doubt the Metis
fiddle tunes get played anywhere else, but they make for excellent contra dance
tunes with their own flare and feel. I'm leaning into this, it's part of the
Manitoba sound!
Best of luck! Happy Dancing!
Greg, Winnipeg
Greg
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On Wednesday, February 19th, 2025 at 1:45 AM, Joseph Erhard-Hudson via Contra
Callers <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> Hi all,
>
> I live in a relatively isolated community in the contra dance world. To the
> extent we have a house caller it's me. We are trying to foster and develop
> new callers, but you gotta have bands too. So,
> I'd welcome your thoughts on working with new bands.
>
> My motive for asking is, a couple of times in the last year we have had new
> bands come play for our monthly dance. One was a blue-grassey country band.
> Another was a family group playing predominantly Irish tunes. Their musical
> skills were fine and their repertoire was serviceable, and they did okay, but
> there were definitely some rough spots.
>
> New musical talent is a valuable commodity for us, and I want to set them up
> for success. So, how would you approach this? I'd especially love to hear
> from folks who have done this sort of thing before, but all thoughts are
> welcome.
>
> Joseph Erhard-Hudson
> Moscow, Idaho, USA
>
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