Playing for old time dances is lots of fun, but it also involves responsibility to the dancers, the caller, the employer, and the rest of the band. Dance musicians need to know how to choose appropriate tunes, maximize their danceability, and work smoothly with everyone else involved.

Rhythm

It is essential that the band be able to keep good rhythm. If some members of the band are inexperienced, try to get at least one good steady musician in the rhythm section, such as a guitarist, bass player, pianist, or drummer. Arrange the band and the sound system so that everyone can hear that person (and each other), and follow his or her beat.

The lead players also need to contribute to the rhythm. Ideally, an old time dance fiddler should be able to carry a dance without any accompaniment. This is how it used to be done in pioneer days, when the fiddle might be the only instrument available. It is not easy to do, especially these days when people are used to hearing a heavy beat in all forms of popular music. The fiddler or other lead player should not rush or drag, or simply be neutral, but should add to the danceability of the music by keeping a steady rhythm, accenting the beats that define the dance, and making the phrasing of the tune clear. Practice with a metronome or a drum machine to make your timing more solid.

Tunes

What tunes should you play? Use tunes of the appropriate type and style for the dance involved. Play a polka for a polka, a waltz (not just any tune in 3/4 time) for a waltz, a hoedown for a square dance, etc. Be aware of the expectations of the dancers and the people sponsoring the dance. Try to find out if there are stylistic and regional preferences that you should know about.

In general, you should avoid using crooked tunes, that is, tunes with phrases and measures of irregular length. An exception might be to use crooked hoedowns for square dances, if you know for sure that the caller can deal with them.

Choose tunes that you can play for five minutes or more without wearing out your fingers and arms. A dance is not the place to show off your technical expertise on the fiddle; notey tunes, tunes in demanding keys, or tunes that require strenuous bowing should be avoided unless you share the duties with other lead players.

If you are playing for a general audience who may not be familiar with your particular style of music, you will get more people to dance if you use familiar tunes. Most musicians love to play wonderful, unusual, newly-learned tunes, but in many situations dancers prefer the tried and true. At a wedding reception for which our band was once hired, nobody ventured out onto the dance floor until we started to play "The Kentucky Waltz".

Tunes suitable for dancing come from many sources. One source is learning from other musicians; another is recordings. A major source is published fiddle tune collections. It is desirable to learn to play by ear first and learn well the musical tradition of the type of music you want to play. Once this had been learned, tunes read from music will make more sense to you and have more life.

When you present a new tune at your band rehearsal, it can save a lot of time if you bring along a chart of the chords, especially if there isn't a member of the band who is a "natural" at figuring them out. If there are two or more backup musicians, the chord chart will help the backup musicians to play compatible chords, since many tunes can be chorded more than one way.

At the Dance

Be sure to get to the dance in plenty of time to set up, tune up, and warm up. It is extremely frustrating to try to play music when the P.A. system has not been properly adjusted or the instruments are out of tune. After the setup and tuning is completed, you need a few more minutes to relax, stretch and warm up before you start to play. Playing dances is very hard on your hands and arms, and inadequate warm up can lead to painful medical problems. Arrange for adequate breaks during which you can rest and stretch.

A band can stand up or sit down. By convention, it seems that a lot of bands sit for a contra dance, but stand for a square dance. Try to find out what is usually done at the dance you are playing. Standing up is harder on your back and feet, but fiddlers may find that it is less fatiguing for their arms. Be sure that all musicians are positioned so that they can see and hear each other, and have enough room for their instruments. Backup players should be close to each other so they can stay together.

Once the dance has started, keep in mind this cardinal rule: never keep the dancers waiting. If there is a caller, he or she usually runs the dance. If there is no caller, one person in the band (often the fiddler or other principal lead player) has to be prepared to make quick decisions as to what is going to happen next. If another member feels there is some reason not to play that tune, he or she should immediately offer an alternative rather than simply objecting. Don't waste time debating the issue. Feel free to consult a tune list if you have a hard time thinking under pressure. Let the band know as soon as possible what is going to happen next, and unless you have done lots and lots of dances with this band, it's a good idea to remind them of the key, unusual chords if any, and the arrangement. If you are using a pickup band with whom you haven't rehearsed adequately, stick to simple and familiar material.

You can use written music and chord charts to help the performance go more smoothly. In many musical traditions, such as Scottish traditional violin, New England contra dancing, and big band swing, it is acceptable to set up music stands and read the music and arrangements. Having written music available can come in handy even for tunes you know well, especially for the beginnings of medley transitions and tunes you have learned recently. The better you know the tune, the more effectively you can play for the dancers, but sometimes you can't avoid playing tunes that are new to some members of the band. Many lead musicians can sight-read clearly written music, and many backup musicians can sight-read a properly made chart. If you feel uncomfortable with music stands - and they can be a barrier between the band and the dancers - put your "cheat sheets" on the floor - but spend as little time as possibly bending over to squint at them!

Announce to the dancers what kind of a dance tune is about to be played, so they can be ready when it begins. Some audiences may also be interested in the name of the tune and other information such as where it came from or the composer.

Many dances that follow a set pattern, such as hambos, schottisches, or the Varsouvienne, need a 2- or 4-bar introduction so that the dancers can start at the beginning of the tune. This introduction often consists of the last phrase of the tune.

How fast should you play? There is no simple answer to this. Expectations vary among different regions and social scenes. Knowing how to dance is helpful, as is familiarity with the particular scene you are playing for. You may have to experiment and see how people react to your music. Watch to see if the dancers are getting ahead of the beat or behind it, and adjust your tempo accordingly. Take into account the age and experience of the dancers. An older crowd may prefer to dance a little more slowly than a younger group. Inexperienced dancers may require slower tempos than experienced dancers. The mood of the event or the time of day may be a factor also -- the last waltz might be slower than waltzes played earlier in the evening. Another factor to consider is the condition of floor. Dancing on grass is very difficult, and dancing on concrete can actually injure the dancers' feet and ankles. So try not to push the dancers too hard when the dancing surface is bad.

How long should you play a particular dance? In a square dance or a contra dance, the caller will determine when it should end. In a mixer, you usually play until each dancer has danced with every potential partner. In a free-form dance such as a waltz or polka, the caller (or the employer) may give you a signal when to end. But often you have to determine this yourself. One factor to take into account is the number of people dancing. If a lot of people are dancing, or if the dancers seem to be enjoying themselves, play the tune longer than if no one is dancing or if the dancers seem to be struggling. If the dance is very strenuous, have mercy on the dancers! People joining the dance late should be given the opportunity to get around the floor at least a couple of times, if possible, before you end the tune. The band needs to agree who will make the decision as to when to end the tune, know what the signal will be, and watch for it.

Contras and Squares

Contra dances and square dances have their own special requirements. If there's time, get together with the caller ahead of time and plan the dance. At least find out what tunes and style he or she prefers, and what signals he or she will use for starting, "one more time", and ending. Remember that the musicians are the backup band for the caller, and should follow the caller's directions closely and deliver the music that he or she needs to be most effective. Don't talk or tune or make other distracting noises on stage during the walk-through or instruction session. Be ready to start the dance when the caller is ready. Simple tunes usually work better than complex ones, especially with novice callers or callers with whom you haven't worked before. Learn to pay attention to the calls and the progression of the dance so that you won't be surprised by the signal to end.

Contra dance tunes have to be 32 bars long, since one time through the tune is one time through the dance, and the dances are 32 bars long. It is possible to play a 16-bar tune through twice, but that's more confusing both for the fiddler to keep track of and for the dancers to know where they are in the dance, especially if they are novices. There are a few 48-bar contra dances; the caller needs to warn you if he or she intends to use one of these. A contra dance tune needs to preceded by a 4-beat rhythmic introduction so that the dancers can start at the beginning of the tune. To help novice dancers keep track of where they are in the dance, you can use tunes with a definite contrast, such as a change in key or range, between the first and second parts (for instance "Smash the Window" or "Old French Reel"). Internally repetitious tunes like "Rickett's Hornpipe" or "The Girl I Left Behind Me" work well for contra dances, but are less helpful to inexperienced dancers.

It's great to be able to match tunes to particular contra dances. In the past, particular tunes always went with particular dances, so the tune automatically matched the dance. The current trend is to use any number of tunes with a given dance and vice versa, although there are still certain tunes, such as "Rory O'More" or "Petronella", that have remained attached to the dances of the same names. For other contras, if you haven't had the opportunity to consult with the caller before the dance, watch the walk-through or peek at the caller's reference card and see how good a match you can come up with. Jigs often work well for dances with balances, and it's ideal to have quarter notes or dotted quarters in the music at the point where the balance occurs. Other bouncy tunes with heavily accented notes, such as the first part of "Crooked Stovepipe" and "Sailor's Hornpipe", also work nicely with balances. Smooth tunes or parts of tunes with long notes, such as "Road to Boston" or the second part of "Crooked Stovepipe", work nicely with smooth dance figures such as walking down the hall.

Many tunes work equally well for square dances and contra dances. However, you may find that complex or "notey" tunes (such as "Fishers Hornpipe" or "Hull's Victory") which are fine for contras often don't work as well for square dances. Some square dance callers prefer to call in certain keys, and you should try to accommodate them. Many Western Square Dance Federation callers are not accustomed to playing with live music. They usually prefer simple "droney" one-chord hoedowns like "Sally Goodin" (Southeast style) or "Sugar in the Gourd" for their patter calls, and you will need to learn some country tunes for their singing calls. Get together with the caller ahead of time to find out the keys and arrangements for the singing calls. They will probably use their records for the round dances, which gives the band a break for a few minutes.

Arrangements and medleys

There are several ways that you can vary your band's sound during the course of a dance to make it more exciting for both the musicians and the dancers. If you have a large enough band, you can alternate lead instruments, play harmony parts, play in unison, or alternate between using thinner or fuller instrumentation. Even if you are the only lead instrument, you can alternate among playing the tune straight, simplifying it, and using more elaborate variations. You can play louder or softer, choppy or smooth. The backup can also increase or decrease intensity or vary the style of chording without changing the beat.

Another way to vary the sound is to use medleys of tunes rather than play the same tune all the way through the dance. If you are not accustomed to playing medleys, you might have to practice changing tunes - sometimes it's hard to remember how to start the next tune while you're still playing the first tune. Some transitions from one tune to the next are easier or sound better than others; try them out in different combinations.

The easiest type of medley for a band to play uses all tunes of the same type and in the same key, so that if the signal to change tunes is missed there won't be musical disaster. If the medley changes key, one of the musicians can call out the new tune and key. Fiddlers and wind instrumentalists may find this more difficult to do than pianists or guitarists because of the instrument and microphone position. If the band knows ahead of time what the medley is going to consist of, a visual signal for the tune change may be enough. It's a lot easier if each member of the band can see a list of pre-arranged medleys of tunes with their keys.

The band needs to know what signal will be used for the tune change, how far ahead it will be given, and who will give it. Some callers like to decide when to change tunes; they need to know in advance how many tunes will be in the medley. If a band member is going to make the decision, he or she needs to develop a feeling for the flow of the dance, the mood of the dancers, and how far the dance has progressed toward its conclusion. In a "visiting couple" square dance, it's fun to change tunes at the point where a new couple starts the figure. If the caller combines two dances, you might change tunes when the second dance figure starts. In a contra dance, you can judge how far along the dance is by keeping track of how far down the line the head couple has progressed. If the contra line is a long one, the dance is likely to end when the head couple reaches the head of the line again.

Ideally, a medley should build in intensity. Changing key, going from a tune that stays in one key throughout to a tune with an internal key change, and going from a laid-back tune to a more intense tune can contribute to this. For a contra dance, you can go from a jig to a reel, keeping the beat exactly the same. Since the reel has more notes per bar than the jig, it will feel faster. Tunes which are fatiguing to play but exciting to dance to, such as "Big John McNeil", can be used at the end of a contra dance medley, where you play them just a few times through. When the dancers start whooping and hollering at the start of the second or third tune, you know you have pulled off a properly constructed medley.

Sound systems

A sound system can be a great help in playing a dance, but it can also be a nightmare. In a small hall, the band may not need one, and the caller can get by with a megaphone. But without a sound system, there is a temptation to overplay, with negative effects on both the tone quality of the instruments and the health of the musicians. Ideally, a dance band could afford to hire a reliable sound person who will take the entire responsibility for sound reinforcement. In reality, however, it is often necessary for band members to supply their own system and run it themselves.

Use the best sound system you can afford. There is lots of variation between sound system components, especially mics and speakers. If you are assembling your own system, take time to try out different components, if they are available. Plan for a system with monitor speakers. Monitors help the band hear itself and stay together.

When doing the sound check, take time to get the monitor mix right first. Usually the caller is left out of the monitor so the band can focus on its sound. Have someone check the band balance in the hall, and the balance between the band and the caller. After the dance has started, re-check the overall level. People absorb sound and it may be necessary to increase the level as the hall fills up. Use only enough volume to be heard by the dancers. (One of my pet peeves is that many people have become so accustomed to high volume levels that they think music isn't loud enough unless it's practically deafening.)

Your principal goal as a dance musician is to make sure the dancers have fun. The more smoothly you work with the band, the caller, the sound system, and the dancers, the more fun you'll have!

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