[Dixielandjazz] Music for dancing (tempos & keys)

[Ric Giorgi]

Thanks Phil, I'd appreciate seeing the tempo information you've got.
Below, I've pasted information I found somewhat useful, given to me
by the guy who hired me for the first swing dance club I brought a
band to many years ago. Ultimately, I think you develop a sense of
what the tempo of the next number should be without thinking about
it.

Although it's less important than the tempos, having a good variety
of keys also helps keep dancers' sense of interest high (and from
developing "key fatigue"). Bridges aside, playing everything in C,
F, Bb, Eb and G, means that there's a maximum of 5 notes that are
different between any two tunes. A healthy peppering of D, Ab, Db,
A, E, keyed tunes makes a band sound better although most dancers
wouldn't be able to say why.

-------------------------
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2. Tempos
 
I think something about like the following is good.
 
I would say at least 50% of songs mid tempo, and the rest equally
divided between slow and fast, and after the first set the rare very
fast song.  Also the rare song can dramatically change tempo (maybe
one per evening if there is one that you do) as Bei Mir Bis Du Shon
(wrong spelling but you know what I mean) often does, moving from
quite slow to very fast. 
 
In the first set more songs in the lower range of medium and nothing
very fast (some fast but nothing in the very fast range).  After the
first set average speed can be faster, with more of the mediums
being middle or faster mediums, more fast songs, and one or two very
fast songs. The occasional slow and even quite slow bluesy song
throughout the night is good. 
 
Here's is an edited (altered by me) guideline made by Peter Renzlnad
which you can use:
 
bpm = beats per minute
 
Medium = 130 to 165bpm
Slow =  95 to 125bpm
Fast = 170 to 195bpm
very fast = over 200bpm (200 to about 250bpm - beyond that few can
go)
 
tempo:                 -    SLOW  MEDIUM  FAST     +
tempo (bpm):       75    105    135    165    195    225

A typical sequence might be:

M S M F S M M F 

[Peter Renzland:] I know that many musicians don't relate well to
bpm. Recently I asked rhythm-section musicians to estimate the
tempos played by bands they were listening to. They were off by as
much as 100%. So, here is an intuitive illustration of tempo.
Suppose you take a step on every beat. Normal walking tempo is 120
bpm (SLOW). If you're walking really fast, so that you could also
run at the same speed, that's 150 bpm (MEDIUM). If you're really
running, but not running for your life, that's 180 bpm (FAST).
Running for your life is above 200 bpm!
----------------------------------------
----------------------------------------

Cheers, 

Ric




Ricardo Giorgi
Rainbow Gardens Music
Toronto ON
rgmusic at sympatico.ca

-----Original Message-----
From: dixielandjazz-bounces at ml.islandnet.com
[mailto:dixielandjazz-bounces at ml.islandnet.com] On Behalf Of PHIL
WILKING
Sent: March 7, 2008 10:45 PM
To: Ric Giorgi
Cc: Dixieland Jazz Mailing List
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] Music for dancing

One more thing about dancers:

More accomplished dancers will want slower tempos for each dance
than will 
the less expert.

The advanced dancers will use more intricate patterns which require
the 
movements of the partners to be carefully synchronized. And the
woman's part 
usually is more complicated than the man's, while she wears high
heels.

If you rush the better dancers, they will be unhappy with you.

If anyone would like a copy of the tempo chart for dance
competitions, I'll 
be happy to send it to you.

Phil Wilking
Those who would exchange freedom for
security deserve neither freedom nor security.


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