Well, I'll be the counter-weight here! As another caller/musician, i love to see the card when I'm playing. I find it DOES matter more than just a generic description, as I like to know precisely WHERE the bounciness is, or WHERE the smooth part of the dance is. There are specific tunes that I keep out for specific moves in dances - for example, if there are many balances in the A parts, I'd choose a tune like Kitchen Girl that fits those balances perfectly. As a musician, I like to see where the balances and heys are.
As a CALLER, i hardly ever request a specific tune because bands play tunes differently. And though I do use words like slinky, playful, driving… I also let the band contact know where the balances are, and where the smooth parts are. Just another perspective! Jeff On Feb 20, 2013, at 8:12 AM, barb kirchner <[email protected]> wrote: > > hey ron - some good points! i think what we're coming up with here is that it > doesn't exactly matter WHAT you ask the band, as long as you set up some good > communication with them. take the time to talk, to ask who is in charge of > what, what they reallly like to do most, etc., etc., etc. ron - i have a > slightly different approach if the caller doesn't give me good clues. i > watch the walk-through. seriously, i program the music like the caller > programs dances (start out easy and straightforward, kick up the energy, > change the tempo, up the energy again, change the tempo again, big ending > number). i USUALLY know what i want to play next, or at least have it > narrowed down to two or three sets (ie, i have three different sets that i > could use to "change the tempo"). if the walk-through goes well, i play > whatever my first choice was. if not, i'll pick a more laid-back set :-) >> Date: Wed, 20 Feb 2013 10:59:14 -0500 >> From: [email protected] >> To: [email protected] >> Subject: Re: [Callers] What to ask a band before the gig? >> >> Hi Ron, >> >> When I was first learning to call, Becky Hill suggested that, instead of >> simply telling bands what kinds of tunes you want using the wide vocabulary >> at your own disposal, ask bands what kinds of adjectives they'd find >> useful. As a musician, hearing that the caller wants a "marchy" or >> "slinky" or "driving" tune set is very helpful, but hearing that they want >> a "bubbly" tune is really not all that helpful. Ask what language they'd >> like to communicate in, and it can go much smoother. >> >> I agree with Barb that simply sharing the dance card isn't the best >> approach. In dances where I play, apparently unlike Michael F.'s >> experience, this is an extremely common practice. But, in my view, it's >> the caller's responsibility to decide how the dance should be. Many dances >> work well either with smooth, flowing reels, or bouncy jigs, and the mood >> of the dance should be something the caller selects to fit in with the >> evening's program. That said, if the caller isn't giving me helpful >> adjectives, I'll ask to see the cards, just so I can at least make sure we >> won't be playing the bounciest set ever when there's a hey into a gypsy >> meltdown, etc. >> >> Also, I would echo other people's suggestions to find out which band member >> you should be communicating with, and at the very least, what style of >> music the band plays. Getting a recording or two is even more helpful. >> You should know ahead of time not to ask an old-time band to play a polka, >> and you should also know not to ask a band with no strings in it to play an >> old-time tune. It's a particular pet peeve of mine as a musician when a >> caller asks for an old-time tune with every square dance, regardless of >> who's in the band. It might require actually looking at the moves and >> figuring out what other music would work best with that particular dance, >> but it's always going to be a better experience for the dancers if the band >> plays music that they're good at playing. >> >> -Dave >> >> On Tue, Feb 19, 2013 at 10:58 PM, Ron T Blechner <[email protected]>wrote: >> >>> >>> >>> What sorts of questions do you ask bands prior to the dance, especially by >>> e-mail / phone? >>> >>> A couple I like are: >>> - Do they have particular music sets they like to play at certain times, >>> like, to end the night, etc? >>> - Especially if I haven't heard them before in person, what overall types >>> of music do they enjoy playing the most? >>> >>> I'd love to hear your thoughts. >>> >>> Best, >>> Ron T Blechner >>> contradances.tumblr.com/ron >>> _______________________________________________ >>> Callers mailing list >>> [email protected] >>> http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers >>> >> >> >> >> -- >> David Casserly >> (cell) 781 258-2761 >> _______________________________________________ >> Callers mailing list >> [email protected] >> http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers > > _______________________________________________ > Callers mailing list > [email protected] > http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers _____ Jeffrey Spero Web: www.syncopaths.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/syncopaths CDBaby: www.cdbaby.com/Artist/Syncopaths Contemporary California Celtic music
