I think learning the music well enough that you don't need to see it while playing is well worth it: once you're playing from memory you have much more ability to vary what you're doing in the moment in response to the feel of the hall and what the dancers are doing. (This goes for written chords as well as written notes.)
On Fri, May 17, 2019 at 6:53 AM tom hinds via Musicians <[email protected]> wrote: > > I’d like to know people’s opinion of using music while playing for a contra > dance. Is it easier to create excitement if the musicians play by ear? > Thanks in advance for your opinion, Tom Hinds > > Sent from my iPad > _______________________________________________ > Musicians mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/musicians-sharedweight.net _______________________________________________ Musicians mailing list [email protected] http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/musicians-sharedweight.net
