Ah, the time signature debate: 4/4, 2/2, or 2/4? 4/4 means four beats in the measure and the quarter note gets one beat. The way we talk about reels for dancing, this doesn’t work. But when many musicians start talking about the phrase the call the 2nd & 4th beats are when dancers feet are in the air. Thus:
2/2 and 2/4 both describe a reel the way stepping with the beat correctly. Cut time is 2/2, not 2/4. Think cut the 4s in 4/4 in half and you get 2/2. Cut time lets the shortest note be the eighth note. Writing out in 2/4 requires the shortest note be a sixteenth. Cut time eliminates the fear of the 16th note but—the reason I write out reels in 2/4 — 2/4 lets one use standard beaming grouping helping to see the rhythmic structure of the measure. At least, it 2/4 makes it easier for a not fast reader like me to see the beat structure of a tune more readily. I believe I’m in the 20 or 25 percent of tune transcribers. Cheers, ~Erik From: Rich Goss via Contra Callers <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, September 5, 2024 12:56 AM To: Neal Schlein <[email protected]> Cc: Caller's discussion list <[email protected]> Subject: [Callers] Re: Resources to turn musicians into dance musicians? It makes more sense if you think of a beat as a step. Callers would think of each part (A1, A2, B1, B2) as 16 steps, or beats, each. 64 steps to a dance. Same with the music. A reel is 4/4 or 2/4. 2/4 External ([email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>) Report This Email<https://protection.inkyphishfence.com/report?id=bmV0b3JnZnQxNTA4MDU5L2VyaWtAZXJpa2hvZmZtYW4uY29tL2I4ODI4Y2M3NTU5YWNlMGJkYWMzNDhlYjkzNDFiOTQxLzE3MjU1MjMwMTIuOTk=#key=62590ee14a29fc271928fbc0eec181dd> FAQ<https://www.godaddy.com/help/report-email-with-advanced-email-security-40813> GoDaddy Advanced Email Security, Powered by INKY<https://www.inky.com/protection-by-inky> It makes more sense if you think of a beat as a step. Callers would think of each part (A1, A2, B1, B2) as 16 steps, or beats, each. 64 steps to a dance. Same with the music. A reel is 4/4 or 2/4. 2/4 is cut time. A jig is 6/8. Professional musicians would know that by looking at the music. Tempo is usually the challenge for a new-to-dance band. There is an app called LiveBPM the band can use to measure their tempo. The sweet spot for most dances is 116bpm (beats per minute). The range is generally 108-120. For a one night stand, I would shoot for the low end. If I’m working with a band with tempo issues, I will frequently pull up LiveBPM so they can see it and know what their tempo is. Sometimes they will simply self correct, sometimes not. My 2 cents at 4am. Good discussion. Rich Goss Vancouver, WA or Austin, TX (depending on the time of year). On Sep 4, 2024, at 6:27 PM, Neal Schlein via Contra Callers <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: It’s true—they’re either written in 2/4 time or 4/4 cut time. 2 beats per measure x 8 measures = 16 beats per phrase. Neal Schlein Librarian, MSLIS On Wed, Sep 4, 2024 at 4:00 PM Mac Mckeever <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: OK - I have had several very knowledgeable musicians explain this to me and I still don't understand how a reel has 8 measurers to a phrase - or even if that is true. Mac McKeever St. Louis On Wednesday, September 4, 2024 at 04:55:06 PM CDT, Neal Schlein via Contra Callers <[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: What dancers and callers understand as “a measure” or “a beat” is not necessarily the same as what professional musicians will understand, depending on how the sheet music was written. (My wife is a classically trained clarinetist who can also play violin and fiddles a little; she has gotten used to my terminology, but we still have miscommunications occasionally.) I strongly second the advice of communicating the concept of potatoes and practicing exactly how long you expect the band to play before you start calling, and how to signal the end of tunes. The advantage you do have on that particular front (assuming these are classical musicians) is that they are used to watching a conductor for gestures. They may have difficulty setting a good starting pace for tunes. I’d tell them to be careful with recordings as those frequently are paced differently and are flourished for listening. One of the finest fiddlers I know once recorded a 9 minute track for me with the preface that it would be great for dancing, but not much to listen to. I will ask my significant other if she has other advice. Neal Schlein Librarian, MSLIS _______________________________________________ Contra Callers mailing list -- [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> _______________________________________________ Contra Callers mailing list -- [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> _______________________________________________ Contra Callers mailing list -- [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> To unsubscribe send an email to [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>
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